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The Laura Dowling Experience

The Laura Dowling Experience

By: Laura Dowling
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Conversations about health, science, wellness, life, love, sex and everything in-between. Laura is a Pharmacist who loves to talk to interesting people about their unique life and work experiences. See @fabulouspharmacist on instagram for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

© 2025 The Laura Dowling Experience Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • #171 Pamela Deasy | Trusting Her Gut: A Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Story

    #171 Pamela Deasy | Trusting Her Gut: A Pancreatic Cancer Survivor Story
    May 28 2026
    Pamela Deasy was in her early 40s, working full time and volunteering with the RNLI, when fatigue started dragging her back into bed in the middle of the day. Her bloods were clear. She was told it was perimenopause, then depression. Months passed before a kinesiologist, of all people, pointed at her pancreas — and within days she was in a Cork hospital being told she had a tumour.In this episode, Pamela sits down with Laura to walk through what happened next: the chemotherapy that made her legs turn to jelly, the five and a half weeks of daily radiotherapy that put her on her back in hospital, and the Whipple surgery that took out the head of her pancreas, part of her stomach, part of her intestine, her gallbladder and her spleen. Then the slower, quieter battle that came after — the seven and a half stone she lost, the survivor guilt nobody warned her about, the Survive and Thrive programme that helped her step back into the world, and the small camping toilet she now keeps in her car because that is the honest reality of life after Whipple surgery.Pamela also shares why she co-founded Pancreatic Cancer Ireland, what the signs of pancreatic cancer actually look like, and why "listen to your gut and keep going back" might be the most important sentence you hear this week.🔑 Key PointsWhy fatigue was Pamela's only consistent symptom — and how easy it was to put down to a busy life, perimenopause and then depressionThe signs of pancreatic cancer worth knowing: persistent tiredness, pain in the tummy that radiates to the back, floaty stools, dark urine, jaundice, an itch with no rash, new pre-diabetesWhat Whipple surgery actually involves, and why it is described as life-saving but life-alteringThe realities of life after a rewired digestive system, from packing a change of clothes to always knowing where the toilet isThe chemotherapy side effects that have lingered for years — neuropathy, Raynaud's, cold intoleranceSurvivor guilt, the drop-off in support after the "all clear", and finding her way back through the Survive and Thrive programmeWhy pancreatic cancer is projected to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030Pamela's everyday philosophy: advocate for yourself, listen to your gut, and treasure the ordinary days📚 ResourcesPancreatic Cancer IrelandSurvive and Thrive⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome00:27 — Blackrock Health Women's Health Centre01:34 — Introducing Pamela and trusting your gut02:13 — 2018: fatigue, busy work and the RNLI03:04 — Going back to the GP again and again05:01 — A kidney scan and "the good news is there's no cancer"06:00 — Being told she might be depressed06:16 — A kinesiologist who pointed at her pancreas07:17 — Jaundice and the alarm bell08:51 — Friday 7th December: into hospital in Cork09:22 — "You have a tumour in your pancreas"12:02 — What Whipple surgery actually is13:00 — Six rounds of chemotherapy13:30 — Side effects: falling, neuropathy, Raynaud's17:48 — Radiotherapy, gemcitabine and six weeks in hospital21:51 — Whipple surgery on 15 August 201923:20 — What was removed during Whipple24:17 — Losing seven and a half stone and severe cachexia26:14 — Ascites and the slow road back29:48 — From patient to survivor30:23 — Survivor guilt and finding therapy31:11 — The Survive and Thrive programme31:38 — Life after a rewired digestive system34:55 — Pancreatic cancer statistics in Ireland36:00 — The signs and symptoms worth knowing42:00 — Setting up Pancreatic Cancer Ireland47:58 — Where to find Pamela49:25 — Advice for younger people, and the meaning of life51:38 — Blackrock Health Women's Health CentreThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    53 mins
  • Bitesize Moment: "The Second Christmas Nearly Broke Me." — Dr Mary Ryan on grief

    Bitesize Moment: "The Second Christmas Nearly Broke Me." — Dr Mary Ryan on grief
    May 26 2026

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, endocrinologist Dr Mary Ryan opens up about losing her husband unexpectedly while raising three small children, and what grief actually looked like for her in the years that followed.


    She tells Laura about the shock, the anger, and the long fog of those first two years — and the small, practical things that helped: leaning into bonding routines with her kids, accepting help from family, friends and even her own patients, and letting people in when every part of her wanted to push them away.


    🔑 Key Points
    • Why grief, in her experience, takes around two years — and why the second Christmas is often the hardest
    • The "dark hole" she fell into, and what slowly pulled her out
    • How she kept life moving day-to-day for three young children
    • The quiet role of family, friends and patients in keeping her going
    • A gentle, honest take on how you don't really "get over" loss — you come through it


    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    6 mins
  • #170 Caroline Foran | The Nervous System, Anxiety & PDA Parenting

    #170 Caroline Foran | The Nervous System, Anxiety & PDA Parenting
    May 21 2026
    Anxiety author Caroline Foran joins Laura for a deeply personal conversation about parenting a young son recently diagnosed as autistic with a PDA profile, alongside her own long history with anxiety.Caroline talks openly about the years before the diagnosis, the blame she turned inward, and everything she has had to unlearn about parenting. She explains what PDA — Pervasive Drive for Autonomy — actually looks like day to day, why traditional approaches can make things worse, and the social pressure of being seen to "manage" a child whose nervous system is set on high alert.She also shares her own anxiety story, from a frightening breakdown at sixteen in Italy through to the severe physical anxiety that took over her twenties. Caroline talks about medication, CBT, and the years of work behind her new book Everything I Wish I'd Known About Anxiety, and why so much of recovery came from showing her body safety rather than trying to outthink her own mind.🔑 Key PointsDiscovering a PDA profile — Caroline explains Pervasive Drive for Autonomy and what it means for her son's nervous system day to day.Why traditional parenting backfires — Holding firm boundaries can push a PDA child straight into fight or flight, even at five.Lowering the demands — A low-demand, declarative-language approach has reshaped everyday life at home.Performative parenting — The urge to respond to her son for the benefit of onlookers, even with close friends.The years before the diagnosis — A bumpy COVID start, severe separation anxiety and two preschool attempts that left him distressed.Caroline's anxiety story — A breakdown at sixteen in Italy and a severe physical episode at twenty-five.Medication, CBT and self-compassion — Prozac, behavioural therapy and learning to respond to anxiety with kindness rather than self-attack.Showing the body safety — Why walking, rhythm and bottom-up regulation worked better than trying to master her thoughts.The cost of constant stimulation — Social media, the pleasure–pain balance and collective anxiety since COVID.📚 ResourcesEverything I Wish I'd Known About AnxietyOwning ItPDA SocietyCasey Ehrlich (Peace Parents)Dr Anna Lembke — Dopamine Nation⏱️ Timestamps02:00 — "Is he non-verbal?" introducing her son02:30 — Autism with a PDA profile03:00 — What PDA stands for04:30 — Nervous system disability and perceived demand06:00 — Why traditional parenting can backfire08:00 — Performative parenting in public10:00 — A pillow on the grass and what dysregulation looks like13:00 — Blaming herself before the diagnosis17:00 — Sensory overwhelm and rethinking exposure20:00 — Preschool, school and what comes next30:00 — Family life, marriage and never a date night33:30 — Caroline's anxiety story begins in Italy39:00 — A severe breakdown at twenty-five45:00 — Starting medication and what Prozac actually did51:00 — CBT, behavioural experiments and getting her life back56:00 — Showing the body safety59:00 — Social media and the pleasure–pain balance01:04:00 — Caroline's new book01:05:30 — Advice and the meaning of lifeThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
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