Getting health information and support - Tony

The biggest thing I can say to anybody that has a problem: visit your doctor, ask your doctor.

It can leave you feeling worried or disappointed, if you don't get the information and support you need when you're unwell. Tony Moloney shares his experience and advice.

Well before I went back to classes, I just couldn't go to a doctor, I just hadn't got the courage, but what I got from my classes and my classmates, was the confidence to tell people.

But if you want information then after that, you can walk into the chemist, because you can talk to a chemist privately, now they have rooms there.

The secretaries in the doctor surgeries are fantastic, and if they don't know the answer, they'll ask the doctor, and if the doctor wants to ring me back then, she does.

It can be hard to take in everything a doctor or a nurse says. You might feel a little overwhelmed or lost, especially between medical appointments. But help is out there, you just need to know where to go. Some tips are: Ask for a number you can call in case you have any worries or questions afterwards. GPs (doctors) can help you with medication, side-effects, answer questions, and contact the hospital team for you if needed. Pharmacists can help you with some of your healthcare questions, or give advice on medicines. If you are dealing with cancer, there are specific supports available, from the Irish Cancer Society nurses.

It just changed my whole life, to ask for help. If there's something wrong with you, the doctor doesn't know the whole story if you don't tell them.

The anxiety inside you is causing some problems within your health also, and that's so important for the doctor, and it is so important for you.

This video aims to raise awareness of health literacy issues, among people affected by cancer.

For more tips and advice, please visit our website.