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EPISODE 14 - WITH ANDY BROWNE @andyb.96 · Tom's Hirschsprung's Podcast

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You are listening to Tom's Hirshprung's Podcast, where I provide a look into the
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remarkable experiences of the most inspiring people around Hirshprung's disease and sports. Hello and
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welcome to episode fourteen of Tom's Hirshprung's Podcast. I have a very special guest
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this week. Special for me in terms of he is my first sporting professional
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guest, so in terms of me, it's very very exciting. My guest
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this week is professional golfer Andy Brown. Andy, welcome to the podcast.
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Tians me on and we'll probably have a good chat today and have lots of
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both sports, IBD and whatever else we can come up with. Fantastic,
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excellent. We've got plenty of time to cover, so we'll cover plenty of
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topics in that time. Before we go into the IBD and your medical medical
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history, I'd like to take it from the very beginning and as you are
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a professional golfer, when did you start playing golf? Well, I started
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when I was sixteen, and I was a bit late to playing God.
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We used to play football when I was younger, and when I was I
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was kind of about the sage at sixteen when I was playing, I was
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playing on the team. I felt the lads I was playing at work as
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committed as I was, and so they said they weren't showing up the training
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or the matches. And then he told either playing goal, I used to
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be a winger or a striker. And also the manager I had at the
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time I didn't get on with too well, that's a man to prefore him
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by going really well with. And I built the team around me. And
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then this unfortuately he had family problems since he had to leave, and this
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new boy came in and we just didn't see eye to eye as all that.
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I guess Neil football was not going to go my way. So I
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said, I want it to still play some sports because I was just always
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so sporty. And then my uncles, my treat uncles always washed golf a
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lot, and one even plays in swords golf club back in Dublin. So
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I took up golf and didn't have any real expectations of going as far as
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they did with it. But yeah, so that's that's how it all started.
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Golf players from me Evel when I was sixteen twenty seven now eleven years
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later, were playing for a while, and did you did you immediately take
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to golf, did you immediately think, hang on, I'm quite good at
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this or was it did it happen more to being progression? Well, when
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I first started, I just go to my local rangers, only got about
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two minutes dry from me and the golf course. And then my shortcame was
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always very good chipping and poti. I seemed to be a natur of that.
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That's just came natural to me. Then I drove, I drove up
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the ball really well. And then I remember my first handy cap I thought
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was twenty so nothing good about a twenty handy cap where I said it,
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I'll take it. That's good. But then I kind of as being young,
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I got a good coach. But I first started out with my first
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coach, Carl Kelly, who now lives in China, and he was very
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good with me. He progressed freak which I saw him once a week,
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and this MC game was just getting better and better every week and eventually went
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from I actually went out to twenty two there the first few months because I
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just wasn't setting it into the golf club too well. And then about four
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months period I went from twenty two to thirteen. Was so well, To
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be honest, it wasn't really get twenty two handicapper when I was twenty two.
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I just wasn't playing well when I came to competitions to get my handicapped
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down. Okay, then it went down to thirteen, and then the winter
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came in and then you can't change your handicapter in the winter. Well,
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I know there's a new handicap system now, which I don't know much about
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because obviously being a pro, it's none of my business not be more.
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Well, all all the lads I do know say it's a very complicated system.
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Is probably a bit unfair held sert being played, but I was out
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and know personally. But yeah, I went from thirteen and then the following
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year I was still in my leading sirt in Ireland. This is what you
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might call your GCSS in England. I'm not sure you're just before you go
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to college. I was also working part time in the golf club as well,
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so it was a very busy year and then a kind of already lost
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one shot that you're actually went out to fifteen that year and then back down
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to twelve. But my swing why is improved? Really well, I got
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the club and better positions going back and coming through. But then the next
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year I really kicked Arlin from twelve to I think three or something like that.
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But then on forty that year as the year I first up and I
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had my first surgery. Then that year, well that's about twenty twenty fifteen,
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so yeah, yep, so then yeah, and they also really bad,
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but they I was didn't make it even into the surgery room when it
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was that bad at the time. Yeah, so that's kind of like the
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first sort of part of how we started playing. So so you almost sort
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of just started your your career as such. And then so twenty fifteen hits
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and then you start to feel sort of some brones like IBD like symptoms.
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Did you go sort of to the doctor straight away or did you do the
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typical sort of of that type of age type of thing and go I'll be
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all right, I'll be fine, I'll get through it. Yeah. I
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was kind of just like, oh, to had the flu or something,
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because at the time, in the winter, I was working a lot in
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the driving range and as you know, in winter, see you pick up
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a lot of colds and cups and flues, especially when you're working in a
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munkey environment like that. I remember working at the range no appetite at all,
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and I was pissing and shipping every hard every few twenty thirty minutes.
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I just thought, oh Jesus, this is hopefully you sullpass themament. Then
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a veteran, my appet I went to off guard. Then I started to
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bleed. It's like, oh fuck, I need to go and do something
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else this. So I my brother worked my last day of the range on
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a Sunday, and the Monday morning I was in a and a and and
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I got. I got that it wasn't seem too too well on the first
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try on the Monday was either. I remember my boss texted me at what
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meet to do some work the Wednesday morning unplugging gold boats in the driving range
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so they can get collected. And he goes, and then someone must have
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told him I was as well. There's a few of the members saw me
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on the Sunday and he kind of knew I wasn't well where I was practic
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and he just said how it was your health in the message. So I
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rang on and told him where I was, and he told me not to
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come in until I'm sort of like you know, so to be honest,
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I can't remember much about the worst any visit on Monday, but I went
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back again, so nothing really out. So I went back again on the
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Friday, and I got a call a moscab which was a lovely experience,
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oh dear. And I got diagnosed with severe ULTI of the bloods at the
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time and got referred to the ib Click in the Matter hospital in Dublin,
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and I was put on a mesa band and now the big tablet started the
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story as of golf buds. Yeah, for his aim was always very hard.
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That really next to your gay brief that sitt But then yeah, things
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kind of settled down, settled down. Then from there I went back to
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work. I was working part time in the in the club, practicing as
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much as I could, and then I kind of left the part time job
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till wilt be solely young golf in the summer. And then September this and
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I had the same symptoms again but a lot lot worse, bleeding out,
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a lot more no appetite, wouldn't barely walk or move, and so eventually
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I went back into a ande and got a mate more or less straight away.
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I was trying to figure out what was going on. Just suddenly I
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couldn't keep eating down, couldn't say out of the bathroom. But I remember
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they gave me a sheet to track how many times I went in an hour,
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and I literally went, let's say thirtyople at times, miro so look
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it be very wow exactly. Yeah, it seems like got Ill got back
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into the bed. I was getting back up and gone back in, you
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know. And I just in the space of eleven days, I lost four
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stone, went from nine sell the five stone, and I got a slip
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free skin and bone and came to the stage. I went down at it.
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In the time, I had loads of test on column oscar piece to
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the one down the mountain, and tru loads every day and everything. They
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just couldn't figure out what's gotten on. And then on the eleventh September so
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they had to serve for you. Also, that was really bad. I
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was like better sleek, struggling, keeped my liyes open. I went down.
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Remember the head of the department, professor of mc macoone at the time,
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he was well known in Dublin for being a specialist in the field.
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He was close to going home, but he was still in my colaster.
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Be literally. I always remember as the screen was like saying, I'm looking
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this way, screen start east behind me with the nurse to and the procedure
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and as you probably I don't know what the padocol must be yourself, Uh
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no, I don't believe so, so like there's a screen in front,
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so you see what's going on. Oh it's all yourself, which is said
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they have a weird experience. But I remember he was doing it and all
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of a sudden he pulled it out and I look behind and all I see
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is the door open, and he's gone, the hell, what's going on
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here? And then the nurse well, I remember the nurse to answer me,
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He goes, I think that went really well. I was like all
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right, and then I brought back up to the war and then all hell
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breaks loops and them the nurses trying to give me, know them forty sip
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drinks to try and build me up a bit. All of a sudden Shumer
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comes in and says something to her and she whips it out of my hand.
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It was all you have to go down for surgery. But right now
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up yeah, me, and then the then he then a doctor comes in
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and goes, oh, you're you're very close to looking them tied. Let's
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say, don't we need to do this right now where your colin's go borrows
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and you're gun to to ty fuck? And then I remember Ryan, make
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my mom and dad at the time, who we're going to come in and
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visit me a few hours there because visiting was not too far away using times,
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and I was on the phone crying and I was like, I'm going
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to and just all now would be coming and we're coming in from there now,
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and then it was the hospital isn't too park my house, so they
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like minute trive and then so they came in and by that time, there
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was the head of the IBED department was there, the head of surgreen was
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there, the sergeants who are going to do it, There's nurses, there's
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about twenty people in the room, and there's two other guys either side of
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me in their beds, just like no patience as well, looking at all
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this fucking madness going on. And at the time I didn't have a clue
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what was obvious. Knew I was all the surgery. I was so nearly
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ready. I was just fading away really at the time, no idea was
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going on, and so he deserted us. All was talking to my dad
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about what was happening. And remember the gurney came in to bring me down
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to the surgery and my dad had to pick me. I couldn't roll from
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literally had it lay it on my bed and the gurney bed to bring me
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down. I couldn't even roll like this to get on to the bed about
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so weak. My dad picked me up and he said, he told me
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later, arms like picking up a great but I was so white, literally
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just not ready to. He literally just picked me up and went okay.
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And so I went down at the at the surgery, and I remember I
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wroke up in the A and E. Sorry not to the high dependency to
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haven't it was. It was a nighttime at this age, about three or
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four in the morning. After the surgery, I was really dark, like
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you couldn't see, like a couldn't see a yard of one meon. So
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there I thought. The first thing I told myself was, oh fuck,
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I'm dead. It also got rosky melon nowhere from behind me. He goes,
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drep, how are you my dead and there's no oh cool, Yeah
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that's great. Yeah yeah, Well and then I couldn't move really much at
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all the time. So when you just can't expect me, what happens and
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what was obviously got the bag and Ben a few days the weekend at a
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and he I remember washing the worker cup at the time and in the high
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dependency. Remember Paul Dunnell was playing for GB and I sadly he's disappeared really
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off the gob see now really you know, But it went down to the
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war, adjusted to life with the bag, spent about three weeks because I
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was again it's so skinny and vegas, i'd gone another five seven and then
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at that time because I had been eaten in two three days and that it
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built me up night actually got back airl that asked for the Sarah record with
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down the Hole. Wow, that's yeah, that's quite quite a story.
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That's why I thought you'd be great for the podcast because it's it's an extraordinary
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story and losing losing what was it four stone Wollstone Guck from something like nine
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to nine to five or something like that is absolutely incredible and I I'm not
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no surprised that you felt incredibly just no energy, no appetite, no no
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anything. So from there, obviously you you get the bag. And having
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read your your article in the Irish Times, you kind of said that you
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went into a bit of denial with it and sort of whether right, I've
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got this but was in sort of a little bit denial with it. How
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how did that feel sort of originally then realizing you have the bag? I
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remember, first of all, I met the Solomon nurse in the ward and
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then I didn't want to change the bag at all. I didn't want to
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I didn't want anything to do with it. Really that she was actually quite
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good at me. She was also pudding up. She was a gold She
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just started to in golf herself, but at the sign of this nurse and
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actually came quite paddly with her over the years. And she kind of just
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reassured me, like he said there like you know this bag or you'll be
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dead. So what do you want to deal with Remember at the time,
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I was only nineteen, I was gone, she wants the time, I
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was still more a silk kid basically in reality. And I just remember growing
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up so fast in those and that month I was in that as well as
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you see you see some frightening things when you're in the hospital. War a
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star. She very serious surgical wards with which is the two wards I was
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called two or from like like I remember watching someone's in the in the within
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what I saw him through the curtains eye to the left of me one night,
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and like I didn't I didn't know much all, but you still think
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about them all the time. But it's because like you know, if you
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think about how you're like to be gone the blink of an eye, like
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you know, and yeah, sure, and I could never even knew his
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name where not? And they's gone back to the nurse now she I have
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just like, oh, it's really easy to change, like you don't know
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how to do it at all, and like now like when I changed the
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bag out, even do it in like under thirty seconds, like it still
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so quickly, remember before used to like you know, when you find your
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way of changing the back and like that's like half the battle. And if
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you find a back that works for you that doesn't leak, that's even better
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because you're not worrying about the back leaking or having to know where the public
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toilets are here and there, and it was the Originally I thought I was
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going to get minor first, but then when we probably get into a bit
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o ra I also have problems to see as well, which they don't offer
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a lot of hell just to people with Crown disease. That they do to
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some people, but not a lot. And fortunately my condition was so bad
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it was never offered to me. Then once they kneel I had grown disease.
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And then at the time then when that happened, I just I was
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so used. I was about nine months later or so when they told me
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I wasn't again in the bag, and at the time I was, I
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was really upset about it because I talked I was going to have to get
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a bit more normality back and I have my obviously my bone working again and
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all this, and I have the bag. But eventually you just kind of
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think, you know, it's come second nature to you and you have to
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realize that you know it's either the bad while you were dead or and you
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just have to kind of get on with it really and no just have to
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accept that they can know it, they know it's you might have to accept
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happened, and like the only think why my wife's happened me because I always,
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like you know, I don't even drink or smoke or have you ever
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done drugs or anything like that. Like I I've always been classic quite a
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healthy person, and I think something this seriously medical happened to me was always
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quite hard to accept. Well, eventually you move on then time time is
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a break leader for or anything. And yahs to kind of what a big
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boy patties on and get on, but it really true. Yeah, so
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what and so when you were so you had we see the first initial diagnosis
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and then you were then sort of hit with the diagnosis and croned. How
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long was it between the two diagnoses? And so the Rachell diagnosis was started
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a twenty fifteen and then the second one was April twenty sixteen, so about
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a year and three months or so. See what happened? Was I around
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March twenty sixteen. My bag wasn't working at all. There was no outbook
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coming out. It was all coming up and out this way, which was
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lovely. Yeah yeah, yeah, love the experience. And they got look,
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so another another trip to A and E. And again couldn't they could
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They did every test under the under they could do that. They even put
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a camera in through my stollma and had a look in there, but they
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couldn't get very fair well. And the man's back down this way and try
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to sell. They couldn't see anything that was like they thought there might have
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been, like say, something obstructing it or something. So eventually they had
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to do another surgery, and obviously they cut out the parts. There were
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a few more interests and then brought out a new stoma. And then I
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went back from my first check up. It was it was they saw there
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was pronunced disease in my small bell as well. But I was like it.
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What happened was the bell was being blocked, so it was getting there
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and there was like it was not getting true true to where the output comes
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out. So it was coming it was working back up this way. And
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now so when the time mossle Crown's disease again, then sorry again then and
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so we at the time I hitting too much of it. Then I went
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back a few weeks latter to see the servants about it. That's why it
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might mean ware house serious. It was because I had to and he told
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me then he could not be a pouch and reverse the bag, which was
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quite hard to hear the sign again. It was only I still only nineteen
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at this stage, which was a hard nineteen I still only nineteen, so
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I was quite hard to hear that again. And eventually you just kind of
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like it back to it, you get on because then at that stage you
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didn't have the re curvic for a year and a half, so life kind
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of progressed, and I say the golf progressed pretty well. Island. By
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the time I can have my thurt surgery, I think I was kind up
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scratch or one or two or something like that. So it was kind of
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starting to think maybe this could be something like the two Little and see I
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wish you. And when I started, I was with prones. I was
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put on injections and called humeric. He just injected your birth thighs. Won't
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there be two weeks? It was? And then yeah, that kept me
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off really kind of by bay until until I had the third surgery. Really
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all those kind of and no shoes with the bug or album's promnce disease was
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like beause I was having the three surgeries, I've been relatively well side seating
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surgery, so I'm either reading well or I need surgery. See how it
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goes. Thank me. Now I'm seven years what I was surgery, which
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is probably which is which is good for me, consider writer. That's fantastic.
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Yeah, So all throughout this time, so throughout the three surgeries in
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between sort of seventeen eighteen, nineteen years of age, you're still trying to
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become professional golfer. Also at this time are you Are you also working at
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the golf club as well, and how's that sort of all going well?
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At the time, I actually moved gob clubs to a different golf club to
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the original one that I started was at the time that god, but I
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started out was a bit of the short urse. It wasn't too long,
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and my game was presting so much. I need a bigger course for a
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challenge. Yeah. So I was just like kind of dealing with recovering from
22:45
the surgeries and playing golf where I could and practiced and go to the gym
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when they caught here and there. And that's originally when I had my third
22:53
surgery in twenty seventeen, How you excuse me? I had a current,
23:00
yeah, next to my soul and at burst, well, I was I
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didn't know they had bursts at the time. I was even in I might
23:07
even going to Madrid at the time for one of those classic goals which I
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mentioned, And then the hernie had burst. I was like in a lot
23:12
of pain, but like my pain thresholder until it was so good, I
23:15
don't read that was pain much anymore. And so I go added, I
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was going, this will pass, this will pass, and then all of
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a sudden, then the bag wasn't working again and everything was coming back up
23:26
just for you again. So that's why I knew I had to go in
23:30
again to a knee and coach all that. So Mayonnie into the Hottecon glands
23:34
again. They didn't know what was wrong. They didn't realize that Earnie,
23:37
and they knew there was early yet there, but they didn't know it burst
23:40
because I wasn't well. I was in pain, but I was able to
23:44
handle it. So especially then there are surgeries, they say, yeah,
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readier burst and they put they put a stish over it to help. But
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then they formed a new stone and everything was working fine. True then and
24:00
then after that, I didn't go back golping for a good four months or
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so. I just felt like my body needed more time to recover, and
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at the time I wasn't Oh, I did want to go back, but
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I was being that time of year and there that the weather isn't encouraging you
24:19
to play much. So I was on that for you links so I was
24:27
looking like for me to take about time out and just let my body recover
24:30
and go back. And then actually then when I went back by I struggled
24:37
with my game for a long time, for abover a year or two,
24:41
like I just couldn't seem to get fading back in my swing. I didn't,
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I couldn't get the club and positions where I wanted to on my back
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swinging or like I was just struggling with algy So I was so drawined of
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energy all the time. We obviously I've happened three surgeries and that space of
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time you're your body needs a lot of time to recover. But then eventually,
25:07
yeah, and I kind of maybe looking back on, I think I
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turned pro maybe a bit too early, maybe a year or two early,
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I did, but I think at that time I needed something to push myself.
25:19
The time I was just like, so if you look at amateur golf
25:22
in Ireland, it's kind of it's quite weak, it's quite boring. It's
25:26
something really exciting about it, Like did maybe four or five good elite competitions
25:33
a year, fans a year, and then the rest are just like rubbish.
25:37
And even the one that was elite tournament time great standard leader because sander
25:42
Golf, Maryland isn't the best in US. And the end I've been struggling.
25:49
I've been on the struggling around the many tourist then for a few years
25:53
and obviously be able to be cold with that hit that that therect one of
25:59
the years all together, and so I've had a lot of disruptions film my
26:04
god over the centlic started playing ops with surgeries in COVID and that. So
26:08
I'm just hoping now with this Batla, like I told Jardier, moved up
26:11
of suspain here five months ago now and just set on an end. Hopefully
26:17
it'll be not happening, could go to a harsh winter for the year,
26:21
with help my boat be more prepared to play a year and hopefully you will
26:26
have a goood year this year. Fantastic. So with the just to pick
26:30
up on what you said there with the four months spot, was that sort
26:33
of adoptor's orders or was that your own seeling how your body feels, and
26:38
thinking what I need I need this time? A yeah, there was more.
26:44
I think originally wanted me to take six to eight weeks off after the
26:48
after surgery, but then I felt like I need a bit more time just
26:51
to not just recovered or busially but met THEOS. I was just gone,
26:56
I'm strained from all that happened, going the hospital, seeing what you see
27:00
in a hospital, going through what you go through, especially at young won't.
27:07
But then it came a time when I felt I was I wanted to
27:10
get back out and play again. Like I'm always an outdoor person, I
27:12
have struggled to stay in doors for two want to be honest and so yeah,
27:18
like we always think, they say you should always wait about six eight
27:22
weeks after any at DOMINALD surgery to go back to any sort of physical sport,
27:29
Like you say, not many people who have the surgeries that I've had,
27:33
they sport at the level I do, which is obviously as a higher
27:37
impact on your body than say amateur level sport. But even find when obviously
27:48
your your core area will be so weak up the surgery that they say it's
27:52
never the same, and which it isn't up where your start is. Obviously
27:56
it'd be a bit weak, but you can make it as strong as you
27:59
can, and you can adapt to how you you said I would do.
28:03
I do a lot of lace to strengthen my poor I think it was that
28:07
was kind of recommended to me one time after I had the scar nurse,
28:11
not the scar nurse, the yeah scar nurse was coming to my house to
28:15
change by my dressings every few days after run surface. That she recommended to
28:22
me and a friend of mine who lives across the road and at the time
28:26
was that she's a personal trainer and I got her to do up and she
28:30
was. She was really good at me. She she knew, she knew,
28:33
she knew me for years obviously, and she worked out book time for
28:38
me. And I still do the same stuff say and works for me.
28:41
And so the one thing I always recommend the most people who asked me for
28:45
advice about after what they do after surveys. Jason, your core was bet
28:49
she can't start there and Regnald definitely, yeah, I mean, because i'd
28:56
imagine obviously having surgeries myself, you can steel a little bit apprehensive about doing
29:04
anything that involves core strength. And almost every sport I can think of involves
29:08
some sort of core strength, so it can be a little bit apprehensive getting
29:12
back to it. And it obviously sounds like you had great support around you
29:18
and great people around you that you could trust rely on then to get that
29:23
core strength back, and you'd seem very but I've talked to you very positive,
29:29
very resilient person. Do you think that that's helped you or how has
29:33
that helped you in your sporting career. Well, I've always been quite driven,
29:40
no matter what's work, where it was football or gol, and I
29:45
always felt like it kind of like if you just keep think. You know,
29:47
it's as I say to a lot of people, like this is the
29:49
only leap you guess, There's no there's no second go around, well least
29:56
that we know of. Well you've seen too when you when you work up
30:00
on the operating table, you tend to have a second go around there,
30:03
ye typic like Andy two points out. Yeah, but yeah, but like
30:11
you have to say, just make the best of what you go. Aucelans
30:15
like you know, all these likes to like say for me, like it's
30:18
like sport can be a great No, it's great for like forgetting about your
30:25
problems and it helps medical problems or if say some of the problems are home
30:29
more a work or whatever. They can eat likes gas when I'm out saying
30:33
and practicing forget about my BUYE surgery, I b c all this stuff and
30:42
well, yeah, that's like eating for other people who just want to go
30:47
forget about Like, don't you have a crappy time, but in the hospital
30:52
every second, third week they don't know what's going on. Media they can
30:56
place on your mind a lot, especially after a surgery, of all the
31:00
time in the world to tink. Yeah, and there's only solid, crabby
31:04
TV you can watch and think this is the purest ship I remember watching.
31:11
I remember watching Total Devas when I was after one of my herviews. Now
31:15
the Professional Wrestlers, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was
31:19
fucking look it was. That's very very odd point with the WrestleMania coming in
31:25
tomorrow. Yeah, I actually watched the they look forward to it now,
31:29
I'm talking. He be a good show. Yeah, not Total Divas though,
31:33
I think that was total crap. That was still going. Yeah,
31:38
I don't. I think it was. It was more do I real fancy
31:41
page three years remember? Oh yes, yeah, she's not too far from
31:47
where I am Norwidge. Oh no, she was Norwiche, So yeah,
31:51
she's not too far a friend of mine. Face for rips which dominic bod
31:56
Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah, they're playing it it
31:57
switch Feen Norwich today. I stay like with Derby yeapy a couple of poids
32:02
of that the cater hopefully notily not yeah yeah but yes, sobately like you
32:13
know, stuff like that watching Brabby TV and and that it's not really good
32:16
for you in the long hole as well, so you need to find export
32:21
can be a great belief or even going for a walk with the dog is
32:23
great. And I always say the best therapist has four legs and a tail
32:29
and doesn't talk back. Yeah yeah, so so with so with my dogs
32:32
that I look after, she's just fantastic. And just being like you'll just
32:39
have to you have to say about being we said you just have to take
32:45
the bud as you go and throw a peel back and just see where it
32:49
takes you. Really definitely and and just lastly from me, plans for the
32:54
future for Andy, what are the what do they look like. Well,
33:00
this year I'll be playing mostly in England on the Clutch Tour, and the
33:06
schedule has been a bit mixed up now in the last few weeks there's been
33:07
a lot of changes to so I can't I say exactly when I'm playing at
33:12
the moment. And unfortunately I went I tried to the Alps Turcule School in
33:16
November and my injured my knee quite badly. At that I had to pull
33:20
out after the first round, which I didn't actually I didn't play overly well
33:23
the first round anyway, because I couldn't move my dad properly and so I
33:30
woke before playing on the Alpstra this year. But being playing on the clutch
33:34
now the last few years, I'm not just continue playing out that year and
33:37
and see what happens this year. And obviously I'll be tracking back and forth
33:40
from Spain to England to which be a bit different. But it's said good.
33:45
It's it's better than living in Ireland. A brilliant just very finally,
33:53
where can people follow your your golfing career? That's way to follow me?
34:00
To be on Instagram Now I'm not as active on it as I would like
34:04
to be. I always try to tell myself to be a bit more active
34:07
on it, but I just either forget when I'm practicing the post stuff or
34:10
I just completely forget. So I'm on Instagram at and dB dot nine six
34:17
if anyone wants to have a look on how the years gone during the summer,
34:22
all the GOP's going, or if anyone wants to contact me for IBD
34:25
related questions or serge rees or also'm posting posts a lot of stuff from a
34:32
lot of people online. Will be this great support community now for IBD on
34:37
Instagram. Back when I was refually diagnos that was that was quite was lacking
34:42
quite a lot because social media hadn't really taken off the way it has now.
34:47
But now there's a great amunity on line where you're finding advice from anyone.
34:52
A lot of people are very supportive and they give you little ideas here
34:55
and they're pow to treat yourself or look after yourself. I find some of
35:00
the best afieres I've gotten that I still use today. It's from other people
35:05
at ib D. It's not the doctors and nurses, and so it's better
35:10
talking to someone who's going through the same stuff as you. Compared to a
35:14
doctor. But as I, as I found out during COVID, will actually
35:20
have the issues but my care when I was changed medication at the end of
35:23
the day, to a doctor, you're only merely a number. So it's
35:29
more the people who have the same obviously you would be more liable to give
35:32
you better advice. And so I Instagram now is a great one find.
35:42
There's lots of people who will give you bags or you don't have bags,
35:46
and give you advice on say the changer by new new new bags coming out
35:54
always and like say you just support belts board for playing sports, or even
36:00
if you're changing medication you and you're a bit afraid of like oh I'm not
36:05
sure what's what's coming like from me? Or you know, there's love to
36:07
people out there at Google where on these there's a lot of new meds coming
36:13
out called biosimilars, who are waits similar to drugs that were in the past,
36:19
but they're a bit cheaper to manufacture and you today and people can be
36:22
very wary about going on them. So there's always someone out there when you
36:27
just going through the same as you and who can give you a bit of
36:30
voice on new medods or anything by being related. Well, just for me,
36:37
it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you, and weant thank you
36:38
ever so much for your time and wish you every lot for your for your
36:44
future career. Thanks Tommy, thanks for having me. It was great that
36:47
I'll have a little chat about reminisce about the past. And then yeah,
36:54
you don't get I don't. It's funny you you look back on this and
36:58
you think, jeez, it's been so long a way. They don't think
37:00
about much anymore. Like the surperces. It so long ago. Let's go
37:04
have gone, but let's go to look back and see how where you've come
37:07
and certain situations, you know. Yeah, yeah, thanks thanks for fighting
37:13
me, are and have me. I see you must be a Newcastle fan.
37:15
I point you just noticed the I am. Yes, there's St James's
37:17
Park in the background. Well, let's serve in Castle shirts. They have
37:22
an upy down season this season. That's yeah, one way of putting it.
37:27
If we can just put eleven players out in the field without being injured,
37:30
that would be fantastic. But that would help a lot some injuries this
37:36
year. It's actually undelieable. If it's funny. Lastly, I put Gordon
37:40
into my fancy football team. I was looted when he got three assists and
37:45
he got sent off. Of Jesus, I was been swearing out my was
37:49
picking the ball away as well. You couldn't be more stupid. Oh was
37:52
so obvious? Well it was, I mean, you know, if you
37:55
got and also as a tap away, if you're going to kick the ball
37:59
away like to out the stadium exactly, they do do something properly. And
38:04
even this first bell was a stupid bell to give away, like you know,
38:07
there was three there was two newcasts, two or three fALS covering the
38:12
space where the west are see. That was actually on the best game to
38:15
the season last season, that one last last week against best tim Yeah yeah,
38:19
well it was because we won, but yeah it was three one down.
38:22
Well for me, like a neutral watching the English geauidan support an English
38:24
team might support Relman. Good, Yes, when I watched the English seat
38:30
all besides when I hate the only two games I hate in England our Man
38:32
City and Liverpool. All the other teams I don't mind as already, No,
38:38
no, don't bother me because they're successful or any other reason. Well,
38:45
I hate mad City because they're very Barcelona orientations with specially there. Yeah.
38:51
Then I remember years ago when Matrid beat Liverpool in Kiev in the first
38:57
Charma Sea Final. We beat to meth and for years, not months,
39:00
not weeks, years by having theirpool fads in the year. Oh well,
39:04
if Sergio Ramos didn't injure sad the world one, it's wonderful. Like the
39:09
result was the results. And over the years we've beaten their pool so many
39:14
times have just been so sure therapeutic tru me say, just to rove it
39:19
in their faces. As I said, we beat their pool so badly.
39:22
That season we sent them to the Europa League. Well we we got the
39:29
Champions League spots, so that was great, said you'd be in the groups.
39:32
I know he's kind of up short at the end, but he's now
39:35
winning as PhD. It was some some win and then I think you've sort
39:38
of done that little bit in the second game against PhD. That was I
39:42
don't think that wasn't that. I know it's all your mind was cos that
39:45
was well absolutely yeah here you were sure. Yeah. A bit of a
39:52
really unusual season from Newcastle this season. Yeah, injuries, I just need
39:58
to go and spend more of that through on billion or whatever we've got and
40:01
sitting in the bank account that we can't spend a dandiden this year like you
40:07
will probably been out side of the European places this year. So happen as
40:12
many games next season. Get the squad back together, you a few new
40:16
players in the you shill probably need a center back cheese as yere. Yeah,
40:22
dan Burne is playing there for the first time in four years. Yeah
40:27
no, it just happened, but just just haven't got to be left unfortunately.
40:30
But well yeah, see how we do like to on against Fulham?
40:35
Yeah, yes, you pull them are very hot and cold so and he's
40:37
acting good for him, so you have no could be a good week.
40:42
Awesome. Thank you ever so much for your time. Yeah on me,
40:45
I was very very nice at chattings and talk talk about what what golf,
40:52
football, land ib It's all all important. Absolutely. Thank you for listening
41:00
to the podcast. Find us on Instagram Tom's Underscore Hirshbrun's Underscore Podcast. Listen
41:07
to previous episodes on Spotify by searching Tom's Hirshbrun's Podcast