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IF YOUR GUT instinct tells you something’s wrong, it usually is.
In 2007 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I discovered a lump and had a mammogram which instantly showed something was wrong. But I knew that.
Within one week I had the tumour removed, a lumpectomy. I had my nodes checked, they were clear, that was good. And suddenly I was in day care oncology having my first infusion of chemotherapy.
My treatment
I had six sessions of chemotherapy followed by 32 radiotherapy treatments. I was exhausted but couldn’t sleep, nauseated but needed to eat and bald. I got a wig so I wouldn’t be too conspicuous on the school run.
My children were 12, 13 and 15 at the time and I was terrified that they would lose their mother. Now I know everyone says ‘you’d never know that was a wig, it’s so natural looking.’ It wasn’t, it looked like a wig.
I would leave it on the shelf inside the kitchen door as soon as I got home and one day I walked into the kitchen to find the Jack Russell had it in his mouth growling and wrestling with it on kitchen floor thinking it was some sort of animal.
I was devastated
I recovered well following the treatment and things were good. My oncologist was happy.
In 2009 I was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, some of the cancer cells had travelled to my liver and metastasised there. I was devastated. My oncologist, who is not a man easily defeated, started me on intensive chemotherapy for nine months followed by a maintenance dose for the following two years (the dodgy wig was resurrected).
The chemotherapy would see the liver tumours become inactive. I began to get a glimmer of hope that I might just survive this. And I did. I continued to have a Herceptin infusion every three weeks and things were looking good.
I have CT scans every three months, which can be exhausting. I am always an emotional wreck waiting for the results. I have no patience and want to know instantly.
Horrifying, terrifying
Five years into the three monthly scans I was told: ‘You have a brain tumour’. The oncologist is a straight talker. The breast cancer cells had travelled to my brain. The thought of cancer in my brain was horrific, terrifying.
To make a long story short, I had the tumour removed followed by a very specific stereotactic radiotherapy and eventually I was declared fit and in remission again.
Cancer treatment is not for the faint hearted. I now have three monthly MRIs followed by CT scans and amazingly enough things are good again. The surgeries, the three weekly infusions, the CTs and MRIs have all become part of my normality. It is amazing what you can get used to.
My support system
I have an amazing husband – a saint actually. Three wonderful children, who are now in their twenties who have helped me, laughed with me and cried with me.
It was awful for them I actually think that was the worst thing of all, my beautiful teenage children growing up with a mother with cancer. I felt so sad for them.
I have the best friends in the world who share my black sense of humour and who are the best therapists a girl could ask for.
People survive cancer and people can live quite happily alongside cancer. I have been doing that for the past 11 years. We are lucky we live in an age where new research and new treatments are being constantly discovered.
The money you give on Daffodil Day is funding lifesaving cancer research.
Liz Burke is from Delgany, Co Wicklow. Since 2010 the Irish Cancer Society have invested €25m in research – all of which is from donations like those given on Daffodil Day. Your support saves lives. Buy a daffodil on the day, donate now at cancer.ie/daffodilday or text ‘Daff’ to 50300 to donate €4. Text costs €4. Irish Cancer Society will receive a minimum of €3.60. Service Provider: LIKECHARITY. Helpline: 076 6805278.
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The cost of prescriptions vary wildly between pharmacies and it’s almost impossible to shop around, best kept secret/scam in town.
@Jimmy Wallace: I’m not advertising….but pharmacy warehouse are definitely the cheapest for prescription, obviously depends where you live.
@Dave Grant: I thought the cost of a prescription was fixed?? €1 or €1.50 per item?
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: I think that’s for medical card holders? The working ‘joe’ pays full whack….. hence the medical card holder doesn’t need/ any incentive to shop around
@Jimmy Wallace: Pure pharmacy good prices on some mrds
The health system is in a right mess,this is just like giving up and saying do what you like I don’t care anymore.
@John Sleator: Really, it just validates prescriptions for 12 months and reduces the need to attend a GP .
It will help those with long term illness and who needs medication.
Going to the GP for a script renewal is a waste of time and money.
I really can’t understand why anyone would see this as a negative.
@Jimmy Wallace: Easy money for doctors, and it took months to convince my wife’s doctor that getting them to drop it into pharmacy which is a 1 minute walk, eventually they did..
@Cornelius Paul O Mahony: Depends on the condition, as in many cases continued ‘self-medicating’ can be harmful. In my own case (blood-pressure) I will continue to go every 6 months to ensure it is still under control. Going to your GP is not always a waste of time and money.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: I think you’re missing the point. Serious medical issues will always need doctor appointments.
Over medication is the responsibility of the patient
Because some people turn every thing into a negative for their own reasons .Wake up and smell the roses not the dog poo !!!
Getting a doctors appointment is almost impossible these days my doctor has a month long wait list which is crazy but the danger here is that medication is going unmonitored. Patients don’t know if things like blood pressure or cholesterol is up or down, and they are just basics. I know of more than 1 case where major medication was prescribed and not monitored correctly
@David Browne: How does medication get monitored now? Surely it’s the patients responsibility to take the medication as prescribed.
Going to a doctor and having them monitor is again a waste of time and resources perhaps that 1 month wait would reduce
Additionally, it’s the pharmacists job to ensure that any medication that is prescribed is appropriate for that patient and will be ,they do employ safeguards when dispensing medicines for example if the initial script was for 6 months a doctor would be notified if someone tried to fill a prescription in month 7.
Pharmacists are highly trained and in my view better trained that the local GP.
@David Browne: Walk in GP service in Limerick. No appointment.
@Cornelius Paul O Mahony: I bought a BP monitor, less than the price of 2 GP visits. Now I email my readings when I ask for the prescription to be renewed. There is no medical skill involved in using it once tou read the instructions
@Denis O Connor: I believe there’s an app now that will give a reading hourly and automatically sends via email to your GP .
Personally, I don’t like the idea, as in the US, some people were refused health insurance due to the data. You’ll ask how they got the data. It’s unknown but believed to be data being sold to 3rd parties and the third parties cleaning it up and selling it to health insurance companies . Your data isn’t really your data in the US
most Gps will only give you 2 month prescription max even for long term illnesses, no way will they risk there 60 euro “money for nothing” with every renewal
@Kenneth Mitchell: If you’re on long-term medication tell them that you want a long-term script
Do you still have to pay the €60 to the Dr.?
@Thesaltyurchin: No, it’s €20/30
@Cornelius Paul O Mahony: Thats pretty decent.
An incompetent minister,do anything but deal with the actual problem of not enough doctors.
have your say