In this period of commemorations, it is all about anniversaries. We could have them every day of our lives because different past events have different meanings to us all.
My partner Fiona would say I am great at some anniversaries and not so great at others. One that has particular relevance to me is 29 March: on that day in 2015, I entered St Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar, to have a course of radiation therapy.
I thought long and hard about writing this article. “Who really wants to know about my thyroid problem?” In the end, if it triggers one person to go to their doctor about that “niggle”, it will be helpful.
The story started six months earlier, when I developed a very strange and uncomfortable feeling in my chest and the base of my neck. After four days, the strong heat and itchy sensation was driving me mad in the evenings, so much so that I went to the “Roc Doc” emergency clinic in Ashbourne.
Drive on or get the bloods done
The doctor gave me an injection and within five minutes all the heat and itch was gone. She noticed the goitre (growth) under the skin of my neck. She said to get blood tests because the itch was a sign telling me something. The goitre was something I was aware of; it caused me no problems, which amazed the doctor.
Because the injection worked so well, getting rid of all my symptoms, I had two options the next morning: drive on or go to my local doctor and get the bloods done. I chose the latter.
Bloods came back fine. I was sent for a scan then and it was OK. At this stage, the word cancer had been mentioned but I did not dwell on it. Instead, I focused on getting to the bottom of the problem.
This was where the farmer in me came out; if an animal has ill health on the farm I tend to not rest until I find out what the problem is.
Looking back, this was where the farmer in me came out; if an animal has ill health on the farm I tend to not rest until I find out what the problem is. There is always a reason, and I approached the goitre in the same way.
Off to meet the consultant then. In early December 2014, he examined it, looked at my bloods and we chatted. He told me, the two different scenarios possible:
remove goitre with an operation, orif the goitre showed up any signs of cancerous tissue he would have to remove the thyroid and I would need radiation therapy six weeks later.A biopsy came back inconclusive.
Back for lambing
A date in March was suggested for the operation. That won’t do, I said − busy lambing! What about April? There is no major panic, he said, as my bloods and biopsy results were OK.
I asked could we do it sooner; if it needed to come out, I thought better to get the operation over and done with. As this was early January, I said to myself I would be back up and running for lambing in February.
The operation took place at 6pm. I woke up at 10.30pm on 14 January 2015 – anniversary number one.
The next morning the consultant said the operation went very well. If I did not hear from him in the next two weeks, I was “home free”. I was let home on the Friday and was back in the yard on Saturday, just checking up! I was right as rain by the following week.
But on 29 January 2015, the phone rang. “Mr McDermott wants to see you Saturday morning at 8.15am” – his receptionist did not need to say anything else; I knew.
Cancer confirmed
At that meeting he said “there was a type two carcinoma” in the goitre and option two was now the preferred route. Because the “bad stuff” was removed, he added that there was no panic on a second operation. Yet my first operation had gone so well that I said: “Come on, let’s get this episode over and done with.”
So on 4 February 2015 – anniversary number two – I went back into St Vincent’s to have my thyroid removed. This is necessary prior to taking the radiation treatment. Your thyroid controls your metabolism and energy levels, so once it is removed you are on tablets for the rest of your life.
This operation was straightforward, from 7pm to 11pm. The next morning at 7am, Dr Salib, the radiation specialist, took me through the procedure of taking the radiation and the precautions that you must take afterwards.
Radiation by its very nature is radioactive and you need to be totally isolated for four days initially. Then when you leave hospital you cannot be near pregnant women and young children. He also said “not to get anyone pregnant for at least six months”, adding: “I guarantee you will be 100% after this.”
With this in mind, I struck off for the lambing sheds and things went OK, apart from a few severe migraines.
Whatever goes into the treatment room with you has to be left after you because it will be radioactive
29 March – anniversary number three – wasn’t long coming. Into Luke’s I went with just the clothes on my back: “Whatever goes into the treatment room with you has to be left after you because it will be radioactive.”
They were a long four days in isolation; just books, TV and radio for company – your food is put in through a hatch. I then had to spend four weeks away from Fiona (who was three months pregnant) and Eppie, who was 18 months old.
It was a busy three months and the year since has flown by. I was back with Dr Salib on 29 March for – you guessed it – my anniversary check-up. I had been back at three and six months intervals, as well as getting bloods every six and eight weeks. Dr Salib said: “Ronan I am very happy, everything is 100% fine with you.”
Amazing sense of relief
Even though I was not worried, you get an amazing sense of relief. I never spent much time thinking about “cancer” before, during or after the operations and the treatment. I figured it was best just to do what the doctors say and keep busy.
Even writing this has probably been a bit more unnerving than the actual incident itself. I could never thank everyone enough: the Roc Doc; my GPs Dr Clifford and Dr Casey who were brilliant; Mr McDermott, my surgeon, who performed the two operations, and his team. He even rang me on St Stephen's Day morning with results of a pre-Christmas blood test. Finally, the staff in St Vincent’s who were fantastic, as well as Dr Salib and his team in St Luke’s.
Most of all, my family needs a huge thank you after going through the above and beyond in the past 15 months.
Read more
The Breast Cancer Diaries: Radiotherapy
In this period of commemorations, it is all about anniversaries. We could have them every day of our lives because different past events have different meanings to us all.
My partner Fiona would say I am great at some anniversaries and not so great at others. One that has particular relevance to me is 29 March: on that day in 2015, I entered St Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar, to have a course of radiation therapy.
I thought long and hard about writing this article. “Who really wants to know about my thyroid problem?” In the end, if it triggers one person to go to their doctor about that “niggle”, it will be helpful.
The story started six months earlier, when I developed a very strange and uncomfortable feeling in my chest and the base of my neck. After four days, the strong heat and itchy sensation was driving me mad in the evenings, so much so that I went to the “Roc Doc” emergency clinic in Ashbourne.
Drive on or get the bloods done
The doctor gave me an injection and within five minutes all the heat and itch was gone. She noticed the goitre (growth) under the skin of my neck. She said to get blood tests because the itch was a sign telling me something. The goitre was something I was aware of; it caused me no problems, which amazed the doctor.
Because the injection worked so well, getting rid of all my symptoms, I had two options the next morning: drive on or go to my local doctor and get the bloods done. I chose the latter.
Bloods came back fine. I was sent for a scan then and it was OK. At this stage, the word cancer had been mentioned but I did not dwell on it. Instead, I focused on getting to the bottom of the problem.
This was where the farmer in me came out; if an animal has ill health on the farm I tend to not rest until I find out what the problem is.
Looking back, this was where the farmer in me came out; if an animal has ill health on the farm I tend to not rest until I find out what the problem is. There is always a reason, and I approached the goitre in the same way.
Off to meet the consultant then. In early December 2014, he examined it, looked at my bloods and we chatted. He told me, the two different scenarios possible:
remove goitre with an operation, orif the goitre showed up any signs of cancerous tissue he would have to remove the thyroid and I would need radiation therapy six weeks later.A biopsy came back inconclusive.
Back for lambing
A date in March was suggested for the operation. That won’t do, I said − busy lambing! What about April? There is no major panic, he said, as my bloods and biopsy results were OK.
I asked could we do it sooner; if it needed to come out, I thought better to get the operation over and done with. As this was early January, I said to myself I would be back up and running for lambing in February.
The operation took place at 6pm. I woke up at 10.30pm on 14 January 2015 – anniversary number one.
The next morning the consultant said the operation went very well. If I did not hear from him in the next two weeks, I was “home free”. I was let home on the Friday and was back in the yard on Saturday, just checking up! I was right as rain by the following week.
But on 29 January 2015, the phone rang. “Mr McDermott wants to see you Saturday morning at 8.15am” – his receptionist did not need to say anything else; I knew.
Cancer confirmed
At that meeting he said “there was a type two carcinoma” in the goitre and option two was now the preferred route. Because the “bad stuff” was removed, he added that there was no panic on a second operation. Yet my first operation had gone so well that I said: “Come on, let’s get this episode over and done with.”
So on 4 February 2015 – anniversary number two – I went back into St Vincent’s to have my thyroid removed. This is necessary prior to taking the radiation treatment. Your thyroid controls your metabolism and energy levels, so once it is removed you are on tablets for the rest of your life.
This operation was straightforward, from 7pm to 11pm. The next morning at 7am, Dr Salib, the radiation specialist, took me through the procedure of taking the radiation and the precautions that you must take afterwards.
Radiation by its very nature is radioactive and you need to be totally isolated for four days initially. Then when you leave hospital you cannot be near pregnant women and young children. He also said “not to get anyone pregnant for at least six months”, adding: “I guarantee you will be 100% after this.”
With this in mind, I struck off for the lambing sheds and things went OK, apart from a few severe migraines.
Whatever goes into the treatment room with you has to be left after you because it will be radioactive
29 March – anniversary number three – wasn’t long coming. Into Luke’s I went with just the clothes on my back: “Whatever goes into the treatment room with you has to be left after you because it will be radioactive.”
They were a long four days in isolation; just books, TV and radio for company – your food is put in through a hatch. I then had to spend four weeks away from Fiona (who was three months pregnant) and Eppie, who was 18 months old.
It was a busy three months and the year since has flown by. I was back with Dr Salib on 29 March for – you guessed it – my anniversary check-up. I had been back at three and six months intervals, as well as getting bloods every six and eight weeks. Dr Salib said: “Ronan I am very happy, everything is 100% fine with you.”
Amazing sense of relief
Even though I was not worried, you get an amazing sense of relief. I never spent much time thinking about “cancer” before, during or after the operations and the treatment. I figured it was best just to do what the doctors say and keep busy.
Even writing this has probably been a bit more unnerving than the actual incident itself. I could never thank everyone enough: the Roc Doc; my GPs Dr Clifford and Dr Casey who were brilliant; Mr McDermott, my surgeon, who performed the two operations, and his team. He even rang me on St Stephen's Day morning with results of a pre-Christmas blood test. Finally, the staff in St Vincent’s who were fantastic, as well as Dr Salib and his team in St Luke’s.
Most of all, my family needs a huge thank you after going through the above and beyond in the past 15 months.
Read more
The Breast Cancer Diaries: Radiotherapy
SHARING OPTIONS