Eczema and schools

[Podmog]

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Hi
Sorry if I'm being really ignorant. But if your dd needs to do this for health reasons, I really don't see how the school can stop her. Would your doctor write a letter to the school for you, telling them that she must be allowed to continue her treatment whilst at school and that this doesn't require you being in attendance.

I think you may find that the school is governed by certain regulations. Its the same at my daughters school. No medicines are allowed to be kept anywhere other than in a safe or the headmasters office. I think is to both protect the pupil and the school. Whats to stop other children getting hold of the medication and using it, and if one parent knows that you are allowed they would expect the same child.

I dont say its right but I guess the rules are there for a reason.

Is the school aware that is is just vaseline that you Dd uses? It is not a medicine under UK law. I can see that they might be worried if it was a prescription medicine (because there are legal responsibilities in holding those) but vaseline is just like a lip salve. Are children allowed to use those? If they don't know, would having a chat with the classroom teacher help?

oop for their child.. I meant to say!

Oh this is ridiculous!!! Ds1 used to have severe eczema so I know how important that vaseline can be. The only thing I could suggest is that you kind of wet wrap her hands using coatings of vaseine and making fingerless type gloves with tubifast. This should last the school day. Of course it is totally useless if she has to do painting or something- and would make her stand out increasing the risk of bullying. The National Eczema Society (is that what they are called- we stopped having problems with eczema so I stopped being a member) produce a booklet for schools and teachers. Maybe it would be worth getting a copy for the school. I could understand if it was hydrocortisone- but vaseline please. (Alternatively could you get her a little pot of that vaseline for lips and tell her to go to the toilets to apply it) Uh oh I'm encouraging her to break school rules! I sympathise!

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Oh dear podmog- I'm furious on your behalf. What do they do if a child needs to inject insulin? Do you think wet wrapping with fingerless gloves could work? Maybe even wet wrapping at night would help rehydrate intensively. I know officially you wet wrap with hydrocortisone but I used to do it just with emollient and it made ds1's skin beautiful - I used to love it when it was straight out of the tubifast before it went all dry and cracked again.

Another thought- have you used 50:50? (vaseline and white soft paraffin) That was so gloopy I found it's effect longer lasting than vaseline- maybe it would get her through the school day? Of course it;s not nice for her if her hands are gloopy all day.

I'm at a loss really I can't believe the school are being so unreasonable.

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What about while cotton gloves with 50:50 in the inside surface that she can put on at break time? Messy for you, and they would need a daily wash, but might that help a bit? The school can't object to gloves?

Podmog how awful!

Have you heard of using Aloe Vera Gel, soap, bath gel, shampoo, and conditioner - all sorts in fact! from a company called Forever Living Products, you can also take the drink which is proven to relieve the itchiness remarkably. They have a website full of information regarding skin conditions... www.foreverliving.com

I am a distributor but I am not trying to sell you anything! - check out their website, find a distributor in your area, and organise for a sample to be sent to your home. They have a 90 day money back guarantee no matter how much of the product you have used! So do try it, and it may help with your child's hands.

Good luck and let me know how you get on!

hmb- I thought of that but then I thought it would be difficult if she was practicing writing or something. Do you think it's worth trying to bring the head round- maybe with some leaflets etc from the national eczmema society and a letter from the GP as well. Podmog can hardly be expected to go into school every day for goodness knows how long. The other problem being that podmog can;t be there when she has to wash her hands etc (which of course dries them out).

I was thinking of the very thin cotton ones that Body shop do, (unbleached cotton, which could be altered to make the fingers shorter. That would reduce the effect on fine work. I use them at night to help my hands. Failing that would jsut using them at breaktime give a little moisture to her hands? Not ideal, but better than nothing?

How incredibly stupid they must be. I'd be worried my daughter was being taught by such ignorant morons, personally. I wouldn't let this lie. What possible reason have they got for banning vaseline? It's hardly ricin, is it? You have got to keep pushing this. Dr's letter, complaint to education authority, another meeting with the headmistress.... go on and on and on and hopefully they will get fed up with you. As someone else says, what about diabetic children? Children who need an epi-pen? What's the matter with these people. I want to go round and bang their stupid heads together!

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Podmog this gets worse!! So who's in charge of running to the office to get it? Aaggghhh!

podmog, i'm disgusted. DD gets cold sores and I send her into school with Zovirax in an envelope with a note for the teacher on it. '...has a cold sore and will need to apply this cream during a break time and lunchtime.' I've never had any problems. It goes on her teacher's desk.

As aloha says, they need their heads banging together. I hope there's easy access to your anaphalaxis kit if the school secretary has nipped to the loo/is at lunch?

How rubbish of them, Podmog. If this is likely to be an ongoing need for your dd I think you should crank up the protests- make an appointment with the headteacher to discuss and clarify the situation, get your doctor and the National Eczema Society to write. And anyone else you can think of whose words might carry weight. I think that under some soon to be binding legislation the school may be breaking the law on this as it could be argued that their stance is preventing your dd from fully accessing the curriculum. You don't live in Southwark, by any chance? If by any happy coincidence you do I would be very happy to write under the auspices of the voluntary org I work for...

podmog, just wanted to add my voice to the growing chorus of disbelief. This is madness! I agree, make an appointment to see the head and see what she has to say about it. Is the anaphalaxis kit to do with an allergy? If so, surely it should be to hand at all times, not in an office down the corridor? OK, a school does have to make sure that other kids can't get their hands on it and this is understandable but surely they can manage that?! Do let us know how you get on won't you?

At a school I know they were told it was bad health and safety for them to keep children's inhalers in the office. It is standard for medicine to kept in the office, but it is bad I agree. Suggest to the school that they need to invest in a small locked box which can be kept in the classroom for your DD epi-pen.
At the school I work in all such things are kept in the nurse's room which I do think is very silly!

podmog this is outrageous. Would your daughter be embarrassed if you made a great big fuss? Like maybe contacting the local paper? Or Watchdog? I have never in my life felt like involving the media or journalists in anything ( alologies to any responsible members of those professions out there)but this seems too outrageous to let lie.
Please don't give up on this.
I know nothing about the law but surely it is contravening her human rights not to be allowed to apply vaseline for health reasons?

I was lying in bed thinking about this last night! (Such is my life!) - what about writing to the chair of govenours - getting them to change the poilcy and you could also ring the LEA asking what other schools in your area do because the more evidence you have that the school's poilcy is silly the better chance you may have to change it. Talking to the class teacher really is unlikely to have any effect as they can't change school poilcy and even if she talks to the head about it you know what its like when you pass on views second hand all the good arguments get lost!
hope this helps!

I wonder if this ridiculous decision is based on the fact that the vaseline is not prescribed by a doctor? The schools dd1 and 2 have attended have always made it policy not to allow anything to be administered unless it is on presciption and has a chemist sticker on it with the name of the person it was prescribed for. Maybe you could get your doctor to prescribe it and then I think they have to allow you, otherwise it would mean in theory that any child would not be able to attend school if they were taking any form of medication.

Podmog, huge sympathies. Actually, it gives me a kind of sick feeling thinking of my son in a situation like that. With his teacher's support, my son is about to start carrying his EpiPen and inhaler with him. And SHE was the one who initiated it!

I hope you come up with a viable solution. Maybe ask the school nurses their suggestions for the next step (politically, that is). Appeal to what they know is right.

I've just caught up with this thread Podmog, and like everyone else I am really appalled that the School is not providing proper support for your daughter to self-treat her eczema. As others have said, I would definitely enlist the help of your GP and also consider writing to the Chair of the Governors, and your local authority's Education Committee.
Good luck, and keep us all posted on this. We're all riled on your behalf!