#NoToStaphy: Fight Against Wound Infection With Fucidin®

When your kids are active and play rough, getting scratches and wounds are unavoidable. And as moms, we easily get freaked out especially when there's blood. Aminin! I know I am not the only one! Heehee! While we can't stop our kids from being kids and have fun, we can certainly avoid infection they can get from scratches and wounds.

Last October 2015, I was invited by PurpleBug® to an intimate event with LEO Pharma™ to learn more about the #NoToStaphy campaign against wound infection plus wound care 101. I'm glad I was able to attend this event as I've learned a lot and busted some myths about wound care that I thought were facts! Read on to know more about them too!

This was Fucidin®'s first ever blogger event!

Ms. Joane Opulencia was our lovely host for that day.

First speaker was Dr. Kristine Gutierrez, a pediatrician at Santo Tomas University Hospital and World Citi Medical Center but she is first of all an extra sure mom of two. Dr. Kristine talked about proper wound care and actually busted a myth that even I actually believed in and practiced for a long time!

Dr. Kristine explained the proper steps to wound care and now I am sharing it with you!

1. Keep calm and stop the bleeding.

Mommas, don't panic! Using a sterile bandage, apply a steady but gentle pressure on the wound for 15 minutes to stop further bleeding. Elevate the wounded area, if necessary.

2. Clean the wound with soap and water.

Wash wound with soap and lukewarm water for 15 seconds to prevent further contamination. Yes, you read that right. Water and soap and not with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol! I am sure a lot of us did this, it is a complete no no pala! Using hydrogen peroxide or alcohol can actually do more harm than good. Cleaning the wound helps get rid of bacteria and debris from the injury.

3. Protect against wound infection.

 While cleaning the wound removes bacteria that surrounds it, it doesn't necessarily kill the bacteria specifically Staphy or Staphylococcus Aureus, a common bacteria found in children's wound infection. This is where Fucidin® comes in. Fucidin® is fast acting and deep penetrating yet does not damage healthy tissues is your best bet. Apply a thin layer of Fucidin® after cleaning the wound to keep it moist.

4. Cover bigger wounds with bandage.

Covering bigger or worse wound with a sterile bandage will help protect the wound from dirt and further irritation. For minor wounds, scrapes or scratches, it is ok to leave it uncovered. For small cuts, use Band-aid. My kids love the ones with cute designs, that helps them forget about their sugat.

Here's another myth busted by Dr. Kristine. Keep wounds wet. Don’t let it get dry and leave it exposed to air. I hear this all the time! But bacteria will not flourish under a wound dressing! A dry wound will not heal faster, it can actually lead to greater chances of reinjury and scarring! Remember that wounds should be moist, clean, and covered so they heal faster.

5. Change the dressings!

If you had a C-section like I did, you would know what we have to change the dressing everyday. The same goes for your wound care. Change the dressing whenever it becomes dirty or wet. Ask a healthcare professional for the proper ways of changing the dressings specific to the wound.

6. Observe for infection.

Watch out for signs of infection and consult your doctor immediately if and when you see these signs.

Signs of infection: redness, increasing pain, warmth or swelling around the area, and pus oozing out of the wound.

7. Consult your doctor.

 Take note of the following to know when to seek medical care for your kid’s wound:

•       If the infection fails to heal, is bleeding or oozing with pus, has read streaks, or if your kid has a fever

•       If the bleeding cannot be controlled by a bandage, direct pressure, and elevation

•       If his wound looks like it may need repair with stitches because of its size or cosmetic reasons

•       If his wound is from animal bites

•       If the wound is difficult to clean

•       If there is any of the aforementioned evidence of infection

Now that we know the proper steps for wound care, let's all take a look at our first aid kits and make sure we have all the essentials for treating our children's wounds.

We all got this Wound Care Kit (which I super love!) from the event which includes: sterile cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs, sterile gauze pads, medical tape, plastic strips, surgical scissors, antiseptic (ethyl alcohol, for your hands) and Fucidin® of course! I love receiving tokens as useful as this! I made a smaller version of this Wound Care Kit for a trip we had a week after the event!

A few more things to add to your wound care kit are: sterile saline solution (contact lens saline solution may do),  Calamine lotion (to prevent itching from stings or small insect bites), Hydrocortisone cream, ointment, or lotion - topical steroids can provide quick relief from itching, especially from insect bites, and help reduce inflammation and adhesive bandages of various sizes.

After learning about proper wound care, Dr. Irene Gardiner, Medical Affairs Manager for LEO Pharma™ South Asia, told us more about Fucidin® and its uses. 

Dr. Irene Gardiner mentioned that Fusidic Acid (Fucidin®) is highly effective against Staphy. It has an excellent skin penetration, low reports on allergic reactions, and no cross-resistance. Fucidin® is also safe for pregnant and breastfeeding moms!

Fucidin® topical formulations reach effective tissue levels in as little as two hours! Staphy is sure gone!

Fucidin® has five different formulations but there are only two kinds that you can buy over-the-counter (without prescriptions).

Tip: Cream is for moist wounds while ointment is for dry wounds. Hope I remember this because I always interchange them! Heehee!

Fucidin® retails for Php347!

Mr. Lars Olen, Vice President of LEO Pharma™ (Global), also graced the event. He happily answered all of our questions about Fucidin® and LEO Pharma™.

Staphy, the official mascot for Fucidin® also graced the event and we all had a mini photo-op with him!       

Cute ba si Staphy? Heehee! Check out the video below for more of Staphy!

Thank you LEO Pharma™, Fucidin® and PurpleBug® for inviting me to your first ever blogger event. I've learned so much about proper wound care and wound infection and now I know what to do when my kids get wounded (knock on the wood!!!). I love the Wound Care Kit which I would make more and put it my daughter's school bag and include it in our travel kits!

To know more about Fucidin® and the #NoToStaphy campaign, please visit www.notostaphy.com.ph!

You can also check their social media accounts:

Facebook: No To Staphy - Fucidin®

Instagram: @notostaphy

Twitter: @NoToStaphy

Y's Super Fun Experience With Ready Steady Go Kids Philippines!

I was never a sporty person, I learned a few sports when I was young, swimming one summer then badminton for a few years then now, nada. I try to be active and exercise when I can and sometimes I wish I learned this sport or that. So for my kids, I want them to be active and introduce as many sports as they can until they find what they like and that's what Ready Steady Go Kids is all about.

Ready Steady Go Kids (RSGK) is Australia's leading preschool sport and exercise program (aged 2.5 to 7 years old). It has been operating and running classes across Australia since 2004, that's 11 years already! And Ready Steady Go Kids is now in the Philippines! Their high quality, physio-designed program introduces preschoolers to the fundamentals of 10 different sports (soccer, tennis, basketball, hockey, golf, AFL, rugby, athletics, cricket and T-ball) in a fun, non-competitive and team based environment!

All of their coaches have (as a minimum) a Level 1 Coaching qualification under the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme from the Australian Sports Commission and extensive on the job training to give them experience in conducting lessons for preschoolers. One of the trainers at every lesson is also trained in First Aid for preschoolers. 

If you are following me on Instagram, you would know by now that Y has graduated from her 1st Term in RSGK Philippines. Yay! And now that it has ended, I can tell you more about it! Each term (10 weeks) covers 5 sports and each class is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Y started around second week of January. Sports covered were soccer, basketball, golf, cricket, and athletics. Our classes were held at Treston Internation College's Multi-Purpose Hall, every Fridays from 4:00PM-5:00PM.

Classes always start with circle time, where Coach Sonny or Coach Pat gather the kids around and sings their "introduction" song for the kids and their classmates.

I like their teacher-student ratio. With a small group, the coaches can focus on each student. This was the one time I brought R with us for a trial class.

Then they do warm-ups. I like that they make warm-ups not only fun but also a learning experience for the kids.

Ready, steady, go! And they gallop like a horse!

R and Coach Sonny. I like that it's non-competitive and they encourage and cheer kids on when they are behind or slow like R haha!

After the warm-up, they gather again for circle time to do more stretching! Here, they're reaching for the stars!

The first sport Y learned was soccer. They teach the basics on how to kick the right way. Soccer improves balance and eye-foot coordination.

Warm up and play!

They teach the kids to pick up their own ball after kicking and putting it back on their markers.

They always do 3-5 sets of each basic technique

The coaches encourage and cheer them on!

They also do obstacle courses and a fun one at that! During this class, they pretended to be pirates!

I was happy to see Y engaging and doing everything her coaches tell her.

They also go around the obstacle course 2-3 times.

Our second sport was basketball! Basketball enhances speed, balance, ability to respond quickly, timing and control. With the kids' little hands, this sport improves their gross motor skills as well as their hand, foot and eye coordination.

They were taught to dribble, catch, and shoot the ball.

Y is a very straight person. She listens to instructions well, no wonder she got the Most Attentive Award in school. Hehe!

And just like in school, they get stamps at the end of the class.

At the end of each class, Coach Sonny talks to each of the kids and give them a pep talk, which I liked because he encourages Y to do the best. He makes the kids excited for the next week.

Third sport was golf! RSGK has introduced Y to sports she never knew existed haha! That's one of the reasons why I like this sports program. It's perfect for a non-sporty family like ours.

Gold improves limb control, develops a child's ability to generate energy from different muscle groups to strike the ball more forcefully and effectively.

It also enhances spatial ability, accuracy, and aim and improves concentration. The kids are also asked to pick up their own balls. They make counting more fun!

RSGK is not all about sports, sometimes it's also about fun and games! These games test the kids ability to listen and follow instructions/directions and basic concepts of colors, numbers and shapes.

Kids getting and returning "cheese" from the mouse.

Here, Coach Sonny instructs the kids which item to get from the hula hoop.

Get as many balls as you can!

Our fourth sport was cricket. Cricket is the national sport of England, also a popular sport in Australia, India and South Africa. It is a bat-and-ball game. The kids were taught how to pitch, catch and bat!

Cricket improves focus, upper and lower body strength, endurance and stamina. It enhances balance, coordination, accuracy and aim. It also promotes teamwork and cooperation.

She needed a little help with the bat. It was a bit heavy. The coaches guide the kids when they need their help.

Kids listening intently to Coach Pat.

"Get 5 balls!"

Throw the ball as hard as you can!

"Scoop the ball like an ice cream" How cool would that be?!

Our fifth and last sport was athletics. Athletics consists of running, sprinting, shot-put and long jump. Ready Steady Go Kids introduces the concept of 'sportsmanship through encouraging kids to take turns, play by the rules,  provide encouragement and cooperate with peers.

Sprint training enhances blood circulation, improves lung capacity, and tones muscles.

Shot-put enhances spatial ability, aim, accuracy and limb control.

Coach Sonny demonstrates the proper form of how to do the long jump. Long jump training improves flexibility, balance, leg strength and leg power.

 Running reduces the risk of having lower limb injuries. Running is good for kids!

And as always, Coach Sonny tells Y that she did a great job!

At the end of the term, the kids get to have their graduation! They still have their regular class but at the end of the class, the coaches make a course where the kids get to do the 5 sports they learned for the term and there's a podium in the middle for picture taking! It was so cute!

Coaches setting up their graduation course. Heehee!

Congratulations Y! You did a great job!

And thank you to Y's coaches: Coach Sonny, Coach Robert, and Coach Pat who were all so patient with the kids and for encouraging them to the best of their abilities! I've seen kids threw tantrums and they've handled them well. Y always looks forward to her RSGK class because of the coaches! 

At may pahabol pa! A week before the graduation, Coach Sonny approached me and asked if they can invite Y to be part of RSGK's Media Session live demo. They also invited other kids from other venues to be part of the demo. Of course, I said yes! 

They did a mini-class.

With photographers pa. Heehee! I wonder this would come out of any magazine because I want a copy! Haha!

Thank you RSGK and coaches! She's now more confident and independent, although she's shy pa din at times, RSGK has helped Y with her eye-hand-foot coordination. She's more interested in sports now and teaches R what she learned in her 10 weeks with RSGK.

If you are interested in enrolling your kids with Ready, Steady, Go Kids this summer, 2nd Term starts this week and they're also offering a Special Summer Program!

You can enroll for a trial class if you want to try it first. You may call (02) 631-1497 or mobile numbers (0917) 863-0094 for Globe and (0919) 993-6189 Smart to check availability of slots in any of their venues. Trial slots will be limited during the summer period.

For more information on Ready Steady Go Kids Philippines, please visit http://readysteadygokids.com.ph/. 

Follow and like them on their social media accounts:

Facebook: Ready Steady Go Kids Philippines
Instagram: @rsgkphilippines
Twitter: @RSGKphilippines