Dr Joyce Lim, dermatologist extraordinaire

Joyce Lim is a bit of a quack after all. After all the money I paid, she actually managed to misdiagnose my ringworm as eczema. Oh well, she wasn't the first to make that mistake; Dr Hia did too. Dr Leow Yung Hian of the NSC verified this with a skin scrape so I guess that's that. Starting a course of oral anti-fungal medication that may lead to a loss of sense of taste. I'll see him in late-May when the ringworm should've died out and the effects of steroid worn off.
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16 Apr 2008, 1212hrs
Went on 14 Apr as I was on leave that day. Cost me $274 in all, and $100 just for talking to her. She sounded confident about making things better for me. I inormed her of my financial situation and she kindly agreed to refer me to an ex-colleague of hers at the National Skin Centre who could follow up on my case effectively. This way, I can use my CSC card so I don't need to pay a bomb every time.

The procedure is a little cumbersome and takes getting used to. Bath oils, steroid lotions, moisturising milk - you name it, I got it. Most intriguingly, a damp pyjama method that I've decided not to do, where you wear damp pyjamas after applying the creams, and then a dry pyjamas on top. This is supposed to help retain the moisture so everything can be absorbed more effectively. This one is a little too strange for me.
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4 Mar 2008, 1712hrs
God has given me a sign! Rev David Brett, during this morning's sermon, mentioned the words 'doctor' and '$100' in the same breath. I'm gonna make that appointment. Supposed to restart steroids on 5 Mar 2008 but seems good enough to treat without Prednisalone.

Dr Joyce Lim
Tel: 68349159
Office: 11th floor, Paragon

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29 Feb 2008, 1212hrs
My principal recommended a dermatologist, having seen herself and her son being treated by her. She was prety persuasive and even offered to call for me. When she mentioned that Dr Lim was based at Paragon, my heart sank. She said her fees were reasonable. I think she meant reasonable to her.

My fears were justified when Jasmine called Dr Lim's office and politely enquired the consultation fee. Ladies and gentlemen, we are talking a minimum three-figure sum, of which I can claim $10. What can Dr Lim possibly tell me that no other GP or National Skin Centre specialist has not told me for the bargain fee of $100+?

Should I stay, or should I go?

Oh sucky day...

I know I'm busy when I don't have the time to blog. Today was a classic case.

I had a medical appointment at the National Skin Centre at 0820hrs but ended up 15 minutes late. Ended up there all the way to 1100hrs thanks to about 30 minutes waiting time EACH before seeing the doctor, before treatment, seeing the doctor again and then finally to collect medicine. 2 hours of waiting spend cursing the fact that I hadn't thought of bringing a book along. I'd contemplated getting an MC but in the end I was left with no choice but to take it.

Went to IRAS in Novena thereafter to get tax returns printed out to give to HDB, only to discover that MOE had not submitted my income for 2006, resulting in IRAS not sending me my PIN, resulting in me not declaring my income at all. As far as IRAS is concerned, I had not worked that year, which I think might be tantamount to tax evasion! Anyhow, now I realise I had to get some sort of Form 8E to certify my income for 2006.

Alas! PaC@Gov, under the recent Vital.org entity, only displays the previous year's income. As such, almost no one has access to records 2006 and earlier. I tried calling a contact in MOE, and after five referrals, finally found the blessed Ms Ang Ying Ying, who told me to mail her the income form for her to fill up. She even suggested I meet her on Saturday even though that was her weekend.

So there's hope on the horizon. Maybe we'll get everything to HDB on time, given they revised the deadline to an ambiguous "when available". Maybe I won't get apprehended for tax evasion. Maybe it was worth using my MC.

After all this, it would really make my day if United could give me a match to remember at the Nou Camp.