Paula Hynes: The people in our overworked health system deserve a lot of praise

Paula Hynes thanks the dedicated, highly skilled people who looked after her while she undertook tests in hospital last week and looks forward to Millstreet

Paula Hynes working with a batch of calves on the farm this week in Aherla.

Who remembers the 80s classic film Fame and the catchy tune “Fame, I wanna live forever”? 

Well, I found myself bopping away to that tune this week while also thinking to myself: our healthcare system gets heavily criticised for failings, but how often do we sing the praises of the dedicated, highly skilled people who work within it? How often do we simply say thanks?

I lost a considerable amount of weight this year in a short space of time, so I went to my GP who took samples and, due to my late mother’s medical history, also referred me to a consultant, Dr Moran, whom I met a few months ago. Under Dr Moran and his team’s care, I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy. They then followed up with a CT scan.

Last week, I was in the Mercy Hospital for more blood tests to check the glands on my kidneys, and this week I was back in the Mercy for an endoscopic ultrasound. It may all seem very daunting and perhaps invasive, but in reality, it wasn’t.

There were light-hearted moments too. As I was under anaesthetic this week, Pete had to collect me from the hospital in the evening after the ultrasound.

Thinking he could do some sort of drive-by at the Mercy and I’d jump into the jeep as he passed, he finished milking and made a quick dash for the city - only to be informed by me on the phone 20 minutes later that he had to come into the hospital before they would discharge me.

But with Pete still in his cow dung-spattered overalls, dirty hoodie and unwashed wellies after milking, the HSE would have had to deploy an emergency Hazchem team if he set one foot inside. 

A special 'thank you' goes to the nurse who walked me to the door to meet him, thus avoiding an agricultural crisis on the Mercy’s floors. And there was my husband, standing downwind of the doors to ensure patients didn’t question whether slurry was being spread outside.

With all my tests out of the way and my weight loss having stabilised, I met with my consultant Dr Moran this week and also Dr Forde. They quickly reassured me that all is good. They are always at hand should I notice any changes and advised me to contact the office in 10 years so Dr Moran can have another look.

Our conversation with the two doctors quickly moved from a medical theme to an agricultural one. Still under doctor–patient privilege, but I can disclose that beef calves and the Green Certificate were part of the topic. 

Newborn heifer calves on the Hynes farm.

I am immensely grateful to Dr Moran and his team for being so thorough and for giving me great peace of mind. I won’t live forever, but it is people like this who ensure we live longer.

Us farmers are great at looking after our animals and calling the vet, but we are not so great at looking after ourselves. We do need a proper check-up now and again. If you do notice any sudden changes, it is crucial to get them checked rather than saying “ah sure, I’ll be grand”. If there is a medical issue, early detection is always easier to deal with and treat.

Calving on the farm

In between my medical adventures this week, our maternity ward on the farm was tipping away. 

Some of you may remember the Jones Haniko Fame heifer we were showing last year and who was quite successful for us. She calved this week with a fine, strong Grinch-sired heifer calf. 

She calved a few weeks early, which really suits us as we won’t have to worry about her while we are at the National Dairy Show.

That is our first Fame calf born on the farm, but we also have another Fame heifer, Jones Dropbox Fame. She is a December-born heifer, very stylish and a direct daughter of Gary and Izzy’s highly successful Brokaw Fame cow, which has been an outstanding brood cow. 

Dropbox Fame is a heifer we are quite excited to be working with and a great pedigree to have on the farm.

Millstreet show

Petal also calved this week with an Ambrose-sired heifer calf. I really like the Ambrose calves—they are very correct, with great legs and feet. We have an Ambrose-sired heifer on the team for Millstreet.

All roads will certainly be leading to Millstreet for the AXA National Dairy Show on October 10 and 11, and the show promises to be bigger than ever, with entries also rumoured to be high. 

The show opens its gates to the public at 2pm on Friday, October 10, and the atmosphere is always great on the Friday evening.

This includes the young handlers competing in showmanship classes, the IHFA Showmanship League finals, and the evening’s showing, concluding with the junior Jersey breed classes. 

The show is a one-stop event for dairy enthusiasts, with so many trade stands, a dedicated calf village and, of course, the innovation awards.

Preparations are in full swing here as we have such a big team entered. The farmyard is busy keeping all the animals washed and fine-tuning them on the halter. 

The kitchen table is also busy every dinnertime, making lists of all the feed required, delegating jobs, finalising who will be handling which animal and making a plan for night watch to ensure everyone gets sleep and the right people are on duty when needed. 

Richard and Becky will give the entire team a clip before they leave for the show to lessen the workload at the show. It will also be Becky’s last opportunity to get some clipping practice in before she heads to Italy later in October to compete.

Shows are always about planning for us, to ensure they go smoothly, and we always have one eye on the next move after that show. 

That means freeing time for Becky so she can get maximum practice at Millstreet in preparation for Italy, knowing which heifers need to be bred straight after the show, which cows will need to be dried off soon after, which animals will be potentially kept on show prep to head to the Winter Fair in Belfast, and of course, ensuring the potentials at home for the Winter Fair are well looked after and keep progressing.