Tag: support group

It is June holidays and if you are taking leave to spend more time with your children, you may want to choose 20 June 2014, Friday!

On 20 June, at the Singapore National Skin Centre, the Eczema Support Group will be holding its monthly sharing session and this time, with a doctor on our advisory panel Dr Mark Tang.

The topic for 20 June lunch – All Parents Wanted to Know on Allergy

20 June 2014 (Friday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 12.30 noon to 1.30pm

1. 12.30 – 12.45 pm Introducing Ourselves – we can do this with our mouths full (lunch provided).

2. 12.45 – 1.30 pm I’d be facilitating the discussion on allergy, covering broadly

Allergy Testing – Does my child need to go for allergy test? Which are the common tests? Are they accurate?

Common Allergens – Which are the common allergens? Is food a common culprit?

Allergy and Skin – What does having a tested positive allergen means for my skin?

Do note though that this is not a consultation session. For those bringing your child, there will be balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring to occupy your children.

Same note: Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

3. What’s for Lunch – Very likely, pizza.

4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

Look forward to seeing everyone! Mei

To start off the June holidays, members of the Eczema Support Group are invited for an outing to the Singapore Discovery Centre. Nurse Cindy from the National Skin Centre will be our leader for the outing and you can always talk to her during the outing to discover Singapore!

The meeting time and point is 9.30am, 31 May 2014 (Sat morning) at the Singapore Discovery Centre ticket booth. It is a simple outing to do something together as a group and expected to end by 12.30pm. If interested to go for this outing, do leave a comment and social worker Debbie will get back to you on your RSVP.

Update: Due to low response for the event, this outing is cancelled. Look out for June’s lunch sharing information on this blog!

More on what’s available at the Singapore Discovery Centre here.

Today, the Eczema Support Group for parents of eczema children had a lovely lunch with Senior Pharmacist, Winnie Li.

First, I had my pizza, which looked exactly like the picture on left! 2nd, Winnie had prepared notes for the parents and 3rd, nice conversation and Q&A was undergoing during the up-close with pharmacist session!

A few new points I learnt:

1. For eczema patients, a cream is preferred instead of lotion for a better occlusive property (see moisturizing function here)

2. Urea is a humectant, however 5% for kids and choose one without SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate). Urea is known to have keratolytic effect, which means it helps to soften the thickened skin, thus suitable for adult whose skin has lichenification overtime.

3. Just bath oil is cleansing enough, no need for soap cleanser (more on bath here)

4. As always the topic of local corticosteroid creams comes up, and the tip is to balance the two – use prescription cream when there’s a flare-up to treat it, and when there is no flare-up – keep up the moisturizing and healthy lifestyle.

A point that is emphasized is to keep moisturizing the skin as it is a very crucial step to protect and repair sensitive/eczema skin.

Check back for next month’s topic which is on skincare, will be on a Sat morning!

What’s a better use of Friday lunch than to learn the products that you are using (and spending $$$) on your child with eczema. On 28th March 2014, we are privileged to have Senior Pharmacist Winnie Li share on General Tips in managing Eczema in children with Over the Counter products.

More on Winnie Li: She is the Senior Pharmacist experienced with Eczema and Itch Management. She was an invited speaker for a regional Congress organized by Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore on the topic “Off-label Uses of Oral Drugs in NSC for Pruritus and OTC Itch Relief Remedies ”. She was also the speaker for annual NSC Pharmacist Seminar on the topic “Products of Itch Relief in Atopic Dermatitis”

So Mark Your Calendar and Lunch’s on us!

28 March 2014 (Friday) – Venue, National Skin Centre, Level 4, Room 401, 12.15 pm to 1pm

1. 12.15pm – 12.20pm Quick introduction

2. 12.20pm – 1pm Winnie will be sharing information on eczema, OTC products and helps answer questions you have!

There will be balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring to occupy your children. Same note: Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

One last thing, the session will START and END on-time, so please don’t come late and expect it to drag, it won’t! Look forward to seeing everyone, including those who normally can’t make it to our sharing session on Saturday morning! Mei

Last Saturday 22nd Feb, the Eczema Support Group for Parents with Eczema Children held a sharing session on wet wrap and everyone had a lovely time!

After Mölnlycke Health Care Singapore shared about eczema, Tubifast bandage and garments, there was a vibrant discussion on sizes for various body parts of a child. A few pointers on wet wrap shared in this session and previous one are:

1. Ointment, lotion or cream can be used with the wet wrap.

2. Blue and green sizes are applicable for sizes of grade school children, in fact, they ran out during the demonstration as these sizes are so useful for wrapping various parts of a child.

3. The wrap can be hand washed, and built for durability.

For more on wet wrap, see the interview with Mölnlycke Health Care. Thank you to their product manager, NSC’s nurses and medical social worker for being ‘cheerleaders’ for this session. And of course, I appreciate everyone’s participation, we had many light moments as our members got to know each other and ‘joked’ about our stressful condition!

Welcome all of you back to 2014, and Gong Xi Fa Cai (translated Prosperity Blessings?)! The Eczema Support Group for Parents with Eczema Children’s first session in 2014 will be on 22 February (Sat) 930 am at NSC, so mark your calendar!

This session will be on Wet Wrap, focusing on learning how to find the Right Size for your Child and using the Right wrap for different body parts. This is a back-by-popular demand session, as many parents who have not attended the last wet wrap talk in April 2013 have been asking me how to wrap.

22 February (Saturday) – Venue, National Skin Centre Singapore Room 401, 9.30 am to 11 am

The program:

1. 9.30 am to 10 am Introducing Ourselves over BREAKFAST – A warm-up for everyone, and food to get everyone awake. Feel free to bring your child, we have puzzles, coloring, balloon sculpture to keep your little ones occupied.

2. 10 am – 10.45 am Tubifast team will share on wet wraps – Right Size and Wrap. They will give a presentation and have products available for you to see. From past sessions’ experience, it is not as easy to visualize your child and how to wrap, so you may just want to bring him/her along!

3. 10.45 – 11am Q&A time, so be prepared with your question!

Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child and the session is for parents with eczema kids. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

4. YOU MUST RSVP – It will then be possible for us to prepare breakfast and for the Tubifast team to prepare the relevant product. Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

One last thing, the session would be ending on-time, so please don’t come late and expect it to drag, it won’t – simply cos I have to run! Look forward to seeing you! Mei

Time flies and it’s already year-end. We’re rounding this year to celebrate together all our Ups and Downs, as I’m sure many families have much to share on how they manage eczema through the haze, the exam stress while others discover to their joy something that works to calm eczema for their child.

So, the last sharing session for the year, and look forward to meeting old friends and new! The topic is “Eczema Ups and Downs” for the year, and our nurses whom we have enjoyed their company and skincare tips in previous sessions will be joining us for

BRUNCH BUFFET at National Skin Centre, Room 401 on 30 NOVEMBER 2013, 10am to 11.30am. with

Giveaway items: Cetaphil Restoraderm Mini Pack

and Parenting Tips on Living with Patients with Atopic Dermatitis book by NSC

Kindly RSVP by 25 November 2013, as we would need time to book the buffet! Look forward to seeing your children too! I’d be bringing mine, and also balloons, puzzles and coloring to keep all kids occupied.

RSVP by emailing me ([email protected]) or leaving a comment here and I’ll get the social worker for the support group to confirm your RSVP.

The same rules as always: Information shared during session is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

Last Saturday’s Rise and Shine Expo was a success, including the informative talk by Dr Lynn Chiam on children’s skin. For this Saturday, the eczema support group will have another informative and engaging time with senior pharmacist Winnie Li.

It’d be the first where we have Senior Pharmacist Winne Li. Winnie will be sharing her experience and knowledge as a pharmacist who has worked at National Skin Centre for 5 years. Topic ”General Tips in managing Eczema in children with over the counter products”

More on Winnie Li: She is the Senior Pharmacist experienced with Eczema and Itch Management. She was an invited speaker for a regional Congress organized by Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore on the topic “Off-label Uses of Oral Drugs in NSC for Pruritus and OTC Itch Relief Remedies ”. She was also the speaker for annual NSC Pharmacist Seminar on the topic “Products of Itch Relief in Atopic Dermatitis”

12 October 2013 (Friday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 1.30pm to 2.45pm

1. 1.30pm to 1.40pm Introducing Ourselves – An informal hi from everyone!

2. 1.40pm – 2.30pm Winnie will be sharing information on eczema, OTC products and helps answer questions you have!

There will be balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring to occupy your children. Same note: Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

3. 2.30pm to 2.45pm Tea-time and catching up

4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

Look forward to seeing everyone! Mei

On 14 September 2.30pm to 5pm, there is a very informative public forum, by National Skin Centre, on Sensitive Skin and Eczema. The venue is SMU, Admin Building Level 5 Auditorium, and four speakers from NSC will share on eczema – its causes, prevention and treatment. The tickets are at S$8, inclusive of goodie bags and refreshments.

Do click on this link and fill in the registration form. It’d be a very good use of your Saturday!

There is an exciting event this September which is the Rise and Shine Expo. Even more exciting for those of us with children with eczema or sensitive skin, is that there will be a talk by Dr Lynn Chiam, on ‘All about Children’s Skin‘. Dr Lynn has helped out in this blog on Teen Eczema and Facial Eczema, and helped set up the Eczema Support Group.

The Eczema Support Group is bringing you the talk by Dr Lynn at the Rise and Shine expo, and there are complementary tickets (first come first serve) to Dr Lynn’s talk, which would otherwise cost S$30. For those of you who would like to attend this talk, kindly leave a comment to this post, with your email address filled in the relevant field, and then I would contact you.

Deadline for complementary tickets (first come first serve): 24 September 2013, 3pm Singapore time.

The talk is on 28 September 2013, Rise and Shine Expo at Suntec Singapore Hall 401, 4.30pm to 6pm.

Last Saturday’s forum and Art Therapy was a success with over 100 participants! This month of July we are back to our monthly sharing session and this will be over Friday lunch on 26th July 12pm.

It’d be the first where we have special guest- Senior Pharmacist Winne Li. Winnie will be sharing her experience and knowledge as a pharmacist who has worked at National Skin Centre for 5 years. Topic “General Tips in managing Eczema in children with over the counter products”

More on Winnie Li: She is the Senior Pharmacist experienced with Eczema and Itch Management. She was an invited speaker for a regional Congress organized by Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore on the topic “Off-label Uses of Oral Drugs in NSC for Pruritus and OTC Itch Relief Remedies “. She was also the speaker for annual NSC Pharmacist Seminar on the topic “Products of Itch Relief in Atopic Dermatitis”

26 July 2013 (Friday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 12 noon to 1pm

1. 12.00 – 12.15pm Introducing Ourselves – we can do this with our mouths full (lunch provided).

2. 12.15 – 1pm I’d be facilitating the discussion and Winnie will share her experience as a mom with daughter with eczema, followed by tips on itch management and selection of OTC products.

There will be balloons for sculpturing, puzzles and coloring to occupy your children. Same note: Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

3. What’s for Lunch – Very likely, pizza.

4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

Look forward to seeing everyone! Mei

Come and join me and the Eczema Support Group in National Skin Centre on 29 June (Sat) 9.30am to 1pm, includes an art therapy session for children from ages 6 to 12. Register via this form, and sending email to the rsvp contact.

On 27 April (last Saturday), the Eczema Support Group for Parents with Eczema Children held its 6th sharing session and it’s safe to say everyone had a good discussion!

It was a wet wrap demonstration by Tubifast, with a product manager from Mölnlycke Health Care Limited. The key sharing were:

1. Different color-coded are of different sizes, the most common ones are green and blue sold in Guardian pharmacies, the larger ones in Singapore at Paragon, Novena, Woodlands, Jurong, Parkway Parade, Yishun and Bkt Batok. Mt E, KKH (not OTC, ask to be redirected to another dept but need not be consulted there), polyclinic pharmacies also carry, and the full range is available in NSC. (I’m writing this because I receive requests from moms all the time on where to buy, and many go to their nearest Guardian and can’t find them)

2. Wet wrap will require 2 layer, inner moist, outer dry. if you’re buying garments, that would mean buying 2 boxes, or some prefer to use a dry pajama for the outer layer. You can also choose to dry wrap, moisturize and wear the garment as it’s harder to scratch with the fitting garments/wrap. Some kids prefer cool water, while some prefer lukewarm for inner layer, as long as it’s not hot (strips moisture!)

3. Wet wrap can be hand washed, air dry (not in direct sun) and reused as long as it’s still elastic. You can refer to this post for more tips on wear and tear.

4. Size – Always cut a longer strip than the area to be wet wrapped, and there will be some fraying, fold the frayed ends in; and don’t keep trying to cut the frays away. For the face, as it’s irregular shaped, cut even longer than the length of the face. The maximum size for garments is 14 year old.Materials for garments and bandage are slightly different – for garment, it is elastane, nylon and viscose and for wrap, viscose, elastane and polyamide. Gloves are available, even for infants – they make look too small, but they are stretchable.

5. Tie it up – Try tying knots to secure one part of the wrap to the next, perineal dressing, picture above. Basically cut a hole in one part of wrap, say body, and cut another on the hips, cut a thin strip and loop that strip through these two holes.

MarcieMom’s Sleeping Tips

I’ve shared the importance of sleep to a child’s healthy weight gain and behaviour/learning. Also, shared tips to better sleep, such as bathing closer to bedtime, moisturizing, keeping room cool and not too dry and following through with a sleep routine.

The next session will be a first, where a doctor will sit in and help answer questions on a topic – it will be on a friday lunch, and I’d be releasing details soon so everyone can block out lunch on that day! (food provided)

Thank you to the nurse, and medical social worker for sitting through this with me, and being such good encouragers! And of course, I appreciate everyone’s participation, we had many light moments despite the stress of being parents to eczema kids!

Time flies when you’re having fun! Last month’s Step by Step sharing by Sister Wong was such a hit, that this month’s 27 April (Sat)’s sharing session will be another Step by Step on Wet Wraps.

For this session, we have Tubifast to show you a step by step guide on wet wrap, including covering parts of the eczema child’s body that may be more difficult to wrap. You can read more about wet wraps here.

So MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

27 April 2013 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10am to 11.30am

The program:

1. 10.00 – 10.15 am Introducing Ourselves – Feel free to bring your child, I usually bring mine but this month’s she’s having gym class. We have puzzles, coloring, balloon sculpture to keep your little ones occupied.

2. 10.15 – 10.50am Tubifast team will share on wet wraps. We can relax (especially me) and watch. Be prepared with your question, or better still, bring your child!

3. 10.50 – 11.15am I’ll share on some bedtime tricks I use for a better night’s sleep, can’t say I perfected it but at least I’m not panda-eyed in the morning!

Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child and the session is for parents with eczema kids. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

4. 11.15-11.30am – Light refreshments while we roam freely in the room to catch up with one another. Plus special giveaway of sample size packs of Cetaphil Restoradem.

5. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

Look forward to seeing everyone! Mei

On 23 March (last Saturday), the Eczema Support Group for Parents with Eczema Children held its 5th sharing session and it’s the 1st time we have a nurse sharing her expertise!

She shared on:

Moisturizing – how to choose between lotion, cream and ointment, for instance, a cream is preferable for most of the time and ointment for bedtime for many in hot, humid weather. Also to apply in the direction of hair growth and if applying a cool moisturizer helps reduce the itch, by all means put in the fridge – just be sure that your child will not mistake it for ice-cream!

Topical Steroid – various types of steroid creams, and their potency and how to measure using finger-tip

Antihistamine – various types of anti-histamines and to remember it takes about an hour to take effect

Wet-wrap & Bath oil & Bleach bath

For those of you who missed the session, there are some related posts I’ve written on above topics, here on moisturizing tips by Dr Bridgett, here on steroid potency, here on finger tip units, here on wet-wrap and here on bleach bath.

The date for next session has not been confirmed, email invites will be sent out once ready. Do note that this session is for parents with eczema children, adults and teens’ sessions are separately run by another co-chairperson. 

Thank you to Nurse Wong for sharing and taking her Saturday to do so, NSC staff and also everyone for your sharing!

Hope everyone had a Gong Xi Fa Cai Chinese New Year, and I’m excited to share about March 2013’s Eczema Support Group sharing session!

For this session, we have a special guest- Nurse Sister Wong. Sister Wong has volunteered her time and expertise to share her experience taking care of patients with eczema, from mild to moderate to severe patients. She will share practical skin care tips and offer a systematic step-by-step regime for taking care of your child’s skin.

More on Sister Wong: She is the Senior Nurse Educator at National Skin Center and trained in Dermatology and STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) Nursing in UK. She had spent many years in the inpatient nursing care in CDC and currently based in outpatient services in National Skin Centre. She is also in charge of training programmes for the nurses in Dermatology.

So MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

23 March 2013 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10am to 11.30am

The program:

1. 10.00 – 10.15 am Introducing Ourselves – Feel free to bring your child, my hubby and my 3 year old girl will be there. We have puzzles, coloring, balloon sculpture to keep your little ones occupied.

2. 10.15 – 11.15am Sister Wong will share her STEP-BY-STEP REGIME. We can relax (especially me) and learn from her. Be prepared with your question, and be straight to the point with it as I’m sure many more parents are eager to ask Sister Wong!

Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

3. 11.15-11.30am – Light refreshments while we roam freely in the room to catch up with one another. Plus collect your giveaway: Parenting Tips on Living with Patients with Atopic Dermatitis booklet.

4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

Look forward to seeing everyone!

Mei

On 26 January (last Saturday), the Eczema Support Group held its 4th sharing session and it’s the 1st in 2013! Though not too many parents could make it, the few of us had a wonderful sharing.

I shared what I know about allergy, allergens and allergy testing. More importantly, parents with eczema children are all truly in the same boat, and everyone can identify with each other’s experience.

There’s a question on whether it’s possible to over-moisturize using wet wrap, and the doctor on the support group’s advisory panel suggested not to wet-wrap if the wound is infected and to be mindful of use of topical steroid cream on flexural areas where the skin is thinner (as wet wrap increases the absorbency of steroid to skin). Also not to moisturize on weepy wounds and when the skin is better, wet wrap can be stopped and see your doctor again to assess the next-step skin management steps. There’s also concern on steroid potency, as GP/pediatrician and specialist tend to carry different steroid creams, you can check the table for steroid potency here.

The next sharing session is on 23 March (Sat) 2013, 10am. Check back for updates and meanwhile, please feel very free to drop me a comment on how to improve the sharing session! Thank you to everyone who came, including NSC staff!

Happy New Year everyone and for those of us in Singapore, it’s time for our 4th monthly support group sharing session!

For this session, I’m thinking of sharing about allergy tests where everyone can share your experience on what your child is tested allergic/ not allergic to, and whether he/she has outgrown it.

26 January 2012 (Saturday) – Venue, NSC Room 401, 10am to 11.30am

The program:

1. 10.00 – 10.15 am Introducing Ourselves – Feel free to bring your child, my hubby and my 3 year old girl will be there. We have puzzles, coloring, balloon sculpture to keep your little ones occupied.

2. 10.15 – 11.15am We will share our experiences of allergy tests, and I think it’d be interesting because we know that allergy testing is not 100% accurate, so what are the advice from your doctors after the allergy tests? Do you subsequently introduce an ‘allergen food’ and find that your child can eat it without any reaction? Let’s share on Saturday, 26th!

Same note: No doctor present, so don’t expect to ‘Ask the Doc’. Information shared is not medical advice, please still see a doc. No selling anything or pretending to be a parent of eczema child. Information on my blog is not pre-approved by NSC.

3. 11.15-11.30am – Light refreshments while we roam freely in the room to catch up with one another. Plus collect your giveaway: Parenting Tips on Living with Patients with Atopic Dermatitis booklet.

4. YOU MUST RSVP – Our medical social worker who is helping with the Eczema Support Group will be in-charge of confirming your attendance, which isn’t confirmed till she says so! If you’re coming, please email me ([email protected]) your name, mobile and email, number of adults & kids coming, so that I can get her to contact you.

Look forward to seeing everyone!

Mei