The Health Centre: our expert-led source for your health matters

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Today we are delighted to launch our online resource, The Health Centre, a selection of the best health journalism from The Irish Times focusing on the most common conditions affecting the health of people in Ireland today.

Over the coming months, we will be adding new features, along with articles from our archive, to inform you about different conditions. You can use it as a source of authoritative information, written by our health experts, and a place to learn about the personal experiences of others.

Our principal aim is to provide clear information to people who are dealing with a diagnosis.

Every week Health+Family will feature one of the conditions which you can read about at The Health Centre.

This week, we focus on breast cancer and talk to four women about their diagnosis. A consultant medical oncologist offers advice about what to do if you or someone close to you is diagnosed with breast cancer. Ger Daly lives in Cavan with her husband, Declan, and their six-year-old son, Luke. She visited her practice nurse in October 2007 to confirm her pregnancy and, while there, mentioned that she had a small lump on her right breast.

Neither Ger, who is now 44, nor the nurse thought there was any reason for concern. “I was seven weeks pregnant. I happened to mention to the nurse that there was a tiny lump on my right breast, but just assumed it was pregnancy-related,” she says. “I was referred for further examinations, just in case. And two days later, I had an ultrasound and biopsy.

“I still didn’t think anything was wrong but the results showed I had stage 3 breast cancer. I was shocked initially but just wanted to get better. [Two weeks later], I had a mastectomy and chemotherapy and a few months later, my little boy was born. Now I am just so happy to be alive and well.”

Liz Yeates, director of public affairs at the Marie Keating Foundation, is 50 and has three children who range in age from 20 to 14. When she discovered a lump in her right breast, she thought it was benign but tests revealed otherwise.

“Two years ago I was working for Concern and was washing under a cold tap in Africa when I felt a hard lump on my right breast,” she says. “I had cysts in the past, so I just assumed this was another and didn’t worry about it until I returned home and visited my doctor five or six weeks later.

“I was referred for an examination and mammogram, which showed up clear. But when I went for an ultrasound, not only was the lump identified, but it detected another one deeper in the breast tissue. When I heard the word ‘mastectomy’ I completely fell apart, but I was proud of the way I coped with it all and now I am incredibly well.

“Early detection is everything when it comes to treating cancer, and this is why it is so important that people are aware of what to look for and when to go to the doctor.”

Jeanette Prunty is a 43-year-old program manager and mother of two boys who are eight and five. Four years ago, after a session at the gym, she felt a sore lump on her left breast and "assumed it was a pulled muscle", she says. "But I made an appointment to see my GP the next day and was referred to a consultant the day after.

“He thought it was a cyst initially but when he tried to drain it, he discovered it didn’t contain any fluid. I wasn’t alarmed at first but started to feel a little anxious when I was sent off for a mammogram and biopsy.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard I had cancer but was determined to get better for my boys. I had a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. My cancer was very aggressive so if I hadn’t taken action immediately, I might not be here today.”

Two years ago Mary Molloy was gearing up for her 50th birthday and looking forward to planning a party. But less than two months before the big day she discovered a lump in her breast. She felt it would turn out to be a benign cyst but had it checked out straight away. The lump was malignant and instead of celebrating her birthday, she faced a year of gruelling treatment.

“I wouldn’t do regular examinations, but one day I found a definite lump in my right breast,” she says. “I thought it was down to my period coming but after a mammogram and ultrasound, it was confirmed that I had a malignant tumour. I don’t think I heard anything the consultant said after that.

“After the initial shock, I was determined to be positive. I had a lumpectomy and chemotherapy, which was very tough. Now I am back on my feet and have grabbed life by the scruff of the neck.”

Dr Janice Walshe, a consultant medical oncologist at St Vincent's University Hospital, says while more than 2,800 new breast cancer diagnoses are made every year in Ireland, there is great hope, particularly when treatment is started early. So people should remain calm and try to find as much information as possible from a reliable source.

“After you get a cancer diagnosis, my advice is not to panic,” she says. “Use reputable cancer websites – not the patient forums – to gather information so you can have your questions ready for your surgeon, radiation oncologist and medical oncologists. I do not encourage people to use Google until you have been directed as to the stage and biology of your cancer. Once you have that information, your search for answers on the internet, if you so wish, will be much more focused, less daunting and less distressing.

“I also encourage patients to consider some form of psychotherapy as there are very few people who come out of this journey feeling exactly how they were when they went into it.”

Interviews by Arlene Harris

See cancer.ie and mariekeating.ie

See The Health Centre for more conditions