Live Q&A with the MyHealthcare Clinic medical experts - Thursday 3rd July 9.30-10.30

[LocalEditorWandsworth]

We get a lot of questions on our talk boards about medical issues: everything from suspicious rashes, childhood eczema, allergies, reflux, colic and vaccinations through to contraceptive implants, coils and thrush remedies! Then there are all the pregnancy related questions...

With that in mind, we've invited a panel of GPs, dentists and nurses from MyHealthcare Clinic Wandsworth along for a live Q&A this Thursday 3rd July between 9.30am and 10.30am.

The experts joining us will be: GPs Dr Roseanne Whitfield and Dr Victoria Froome, dentist Dr Wendy Sandeman, dental hygienist Samantha Hogg and registered nurse Anne Metzger. Between them they should be able to answer pretty much any medical or dental question you can think of!

If you can't make it online for the live chat, don't worry. Just post your question on this thread in advance and they'll answer on Thursday.

About MyHealthcare Clinic Wandsworth

MyHealthcare Clinic is a brand new approach to integrated medical and dental healthcare. Their dentists, GPs, therapists and consultants work together in an ultra-modern clinic at Battersea Reach with state-of-the-art equipment, where they can take complete care of all your healthcare needs. You can book consecutive appointments with your dentist and GP, have a 4D pregnancy scan or dental CT scan, and get blood test results the same day – all in the convenience of one modern clinic. There is also excellent paediatric support as well as prenatal and postnatal packages. MyHealthcare Clinic services are available through affordable monthly membership plans and on a pay-as-you-go basis.

My sister-in-law has a 7 week old baby. We're all due to be going on holiday to France next week but he hasn't had his vaccinations yet and she's not sure whether it's safe to take him or not. He'd be due to have the jabs while we are away. Can he get them early? If not, is it still safe for him to travel?

I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been to the dentist in almost 2 years. I had a bottom wisdom tooth removed by a local NHS dentist and it was such a dreadful experience that I think I actually have a phobia of dentists now. I had to take my daughter recently and even that was enough to make me start to hyperventilate.

I know I need to go but I just can't bring myself too. Any advice?

Dental-related question please:

I have been using a Waterpik (water flosser) for few weeks now but still find it very uncomfortable, on the verge of painful. Is it normal?

My 4 year old has had eczema ever since she was a baby. The problem is that we never seem to get it under control enough to be able to stop using steroid creams and I'm worried about the side-effects of using it long term.

We've tried hundreds of different lotions but never found an emollient that is enough to bring it under control on it's own.

Is it safe to use steroid cream all the time? If not, what else can I do to control the eczema?

And for GPs, please -

In the past couple of years, I have been getting a lot of cold sores. At times, every 2-3 weeks! For some reason, they no longer pop up on my lips but on my gums, yuk. They are quite painful, constantly feel tired and have fever.

Is there any anti-viral medication I could take, safe for breastfeeding?

I did take a course of acyclovir few years ago but it didn't seem to do anything. Is there anything new? I am planning to stop breastfeeding in the next couple of months and would do anything to reduce their occurrence.

Thank you very much in advance.

My 2 year old daughter has quite a severe upper lip tie. Whilst it doesn't seem to cause trouble with food or speech at the moment, I'm concerned that there may be implications later once her adult teeth come through. She has seen an NHS consultant and an NHS dentist who both said that it can be fixed once she is a teenager with braces (she has a gap between the front teeth because of the tie) but I'm not sure that's a good solution.

What are your experiences with ULT?

Several little white patches have appeared on the back of one of my hands. I'm quite olive skinned naturally so they are quite visible. It looks as if I've had a scab that has just fallen off or been scarred there but nothing like that happened. The skin just seems to have gone white.

Any idea what it is and do I need to get it checked out by my GP.

I've heard horror stories about people being 'struck off' their GP Practice registers for not having visited in a matter of years or longer!

Surely one should not be punished for being healthy and keeping away from one's GP?

How long does one have to have not 'actively' used GP services to deem one worthy of being 'booted out'?

It's happened to one of my friends recently!

I have had my second baby 5 weeks ago. And got cold from my first child. After a week of being ill, the GP bprescribed antibiotics for me and for my first child. We finished the course of antibiotics but neither my daughter's nor my cough is gone. We still have a slight cough. And we need to keep drinking warm to hot beverages. Is it normal? I am getting quite concerned about this (thinking of cold developing or is it tonsils?)
I started to check my 5 weeks old baby if she is breathing fine or not. And I keep being paranoid that she has a slight noise while breathing. Help and put my mind in peace. Do I need to see our GP again.
Already last time he gave me quite stern looks for bringing my two kids and myself to the surgery...

Is there anything that really works for cradle cap? My doctor said not to use the medicated shampoos so we've been using olive oil and brushing but it is never ending!

Thanks for all the questions so far. The medical experts will be along to answer them and any more from those of you able to join us 'live' from 9.30 - 10.30.

Glad of my anonymity for this one as it might be a bit controversial.

I'm travelling long-haul soon with my 4 year old and nearly 2 year old and I've been worried about how they (and I ) will cope with the long flight. A friend of mine told me about a travel sickness medication called (I think) Joyrides which she said had the very welcome side-effect of making her kids sleep well on flights. Are these safe to use for this purpose? We will all be so much happier on our holiday if the kids can get some sleep on the flight.

Thanks

Hi mrsmum1
Sorry to hear your little one’s eczema is persistent. Have you noticed any triggers that seem to make it worse? It would be interesting to know which emollients, bath additives and steroids you have tried, as there are lots and some are stronger / more effective than others.
You do need to use lots of emollient, even 4 or 5 times a day, so it may be that using much more than you have been helps.
We do try to avoid constant use of steroids because they can occasionally cause some thinning of the skin particularly the strong ones.
There are some alternative creams to steroids (eg pimecrolimus) for eczema that is tricky to control. If the eczema is bad and not coming under control despite all the treatments you have tried, your GP may be able to consider referring you to a dermatologist to consider those creams.
Good luck.

Hi SirWhingeAlot
Cold sores are much more common when you are tired and run down, so it is possible that you are getting them so often if you are particularly run down with a baby and breast feeding. Are you managing to look after yourself and eat a well balanced diet and get some rest?
The spots in your mouth may be mouth ulcers rather than cold sores, which may respond to a mouth ulcer gel from the chemist.
Antivirals such as aciclovir (cream or tablets) are the treatments for cold sores.. There is no evidence that aciclovir is harmful if taken when breast feeding, although it does come through in your milk, so it is sometimes used in very troublesome cases. The cream is fine to use when you are breastfeeding.
Other than that you may find things settle when you stop breast feeding and get back to normal.
Good luck.

Hi HaydonWomble
From time to time NHS practices do send out letters to patients to check they are still living at the address they have. This is sometimes done if someone has not responded to invites for checks such as smears, or if someone has not had any contact with the practice for a long time.
However, patients are not simply struck off. The letter they receive will ask them to confirm that they still live at the address. If they don’t respond to the letter then they may be removed from the list as the GP will believe you have moved away. If this happens and they still live there, all you need to do is contact the GP surgery and you will be reactivated as a patient.
So there is no need to worry about being “struck off”.

Hi JonquilleTW
I’m sorry to hear you are feeling unwell with a new baby and older child to look after.
It is quite common for the cough to persist after the infection has cleared, so if you and your first child are both otherwise feeling better I would wait and see how you go.
If you are worried about your new baby, I would certainly make an appointment to get her checked by a GP. There may well be no cause for concern, and if she is alert, feeding well and wetting nappies that is reassuring, but it is hard to advise about it over the internet. I am sure if you explain to your GP that you are worried about your 5 week old baby they will happily review her.
Best wishes.

Hi Dr Victoria thanks for the reply.

We've tried so many creams over the last few years that it's hard to keep track. We are now just using AVEENO both as an emollient and in the bath. From what you have said it sounds like we aren't doing it often enough though. We do morning and evening and her teacher helps her put some on at noon but it's hard to get the school to do it more often as they are too busy.

I'll have a real blitz with it over the summer doing it as often as you suggest while she's home with me and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks again

Hi localparent
Cradle cap can be really persistent.
The good news is that it isn’t harmful.
Have you tried warming the olive oil or baby oil before using it and brushing? Warming it helps soften the scales before brushing. You can then wash the oil off with a baby shampoo.
There isn’t strong evidence for using the medicated shampoos, but you can get them at the chemist without a prescription and you could try using that after the oil and brushing.
Occasionally babies can get a rash as well with it, and an antifungal cream can be used for that.
Good luck, it will get better.

Hi Mumbleema
I am sorry to hear you had a bad experience having your wisdom teeth removed, but don't let that one experience put you off for ever.
You may find it helps to start afresh with a new practice, which will not trigger the bad memories so easily.
Try to find a dentist who is happy to just have a chat with you, maybe somewhere other than in the dental chair initially. When I see new patients for the first time, I usually have quite a long initial talk with them, try to understand their previous experiences, so that we can avoid repeating bad experiences. Sometimes we delay an actual examination until a second visit when they have gained some confidence.
Hope this helps.

Hi localparent
I think it's a good idea to try to get on top of it over the holidays. Otherwise perhaps morning, noon at school, straight after school and bedtime.
Have you ever tried epaderm ointment, you could try that one at bedtime and aveeno which is less greasy during the day.

Hi, my son has a blue mark on his temple. Most people think it's a bruise and are always asking me how he did it. Looking at it closely it's more like a very visible vein. He's had it since birth and the health visitor said it was nothing to worry about but didn't know what it was either.

A birthmark of some sort? Will it fade as he gets older?

Thanks for the reply Wendy - I've been feeling guilty about not going for ages. Any tips for how to find a compassionate dentist. The NHS ones I've seen seem to be so short of time that I can't really imagine them being willing to see me just to chat!

Hi CaptainNjork
It could be a fungal infection or pityriasis versicolor, so you could try some antifungal cream from the chemist as a first step.
However, it is hard to diagnose skin conditions without actually seeing them, so if that doesn't work please do see a GP to have it checked out.
Best wishes

Hi QueenRee
I understand your concerns about your daughters upper lip tie, she is 2 years old, and is apparently having no speech or feeding problems.
Sometimes these lip ties resolve themselves, and we would usually keep them under review, possibly referring to a specialist orthodontist when the new upper teeth come through between 6 and 7. I would personally recommend this initial wait and see approach, rather than something more invasive at this stage, which may be unnecessary in the long term.

Hi SW12,

Unfortunately you cannot give the vaccine earlier. He should be vaccinated as soon as he comes back. It is important to take care with water for bottles (cool boiled water) if he is not breastfeed.
Generally it is important to have a travel insurance and EHIC. For more travel related information you can have a look at www.fitfortravel.

Best wishes

Anne