People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett has said his treatment for cancer has been successful.
The Dún Laoghaire TD announced in April that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer and was stepping back from politics.
Speaking to RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Mr Boyd Barrett said he underwent a scan in the last week or so which said his treatment had been successful and had eliminated the cancer.
He said the treatment was "harsh" and came with "a lot of side effects".
Watch: Richard Boyd Barrett says his cancer treatment has been successful
"I'm not 100% but I'm recuperating. I'm a lot better than I was. The substantial issue of the actual cancer - the treatment has been successful in removing it. I've got my life back, it's fantastic," he said.
Mr Boyd Barrett said he is planning to "ease back" into politics and he hopes people will understand that he will not be operating at full capacity for a while.
"You wonder at that time will you ever eat normal food again. Your appetite is gone, you can't hold anything down at periods"
He said he is still dealing with side effects from his treatment and his voice can get tired over the course of the day.
"You can get a dry mouth and dry throat, which is a problem for speaking," he explained.
"It's a problem for eating. One of the biggest side effects you're dealing with as the treatment impacts on your body and in the aftermath of treatment is trying to eat. I didn't eat any solid food for about three to four months. I was living on nutridrinks and shakes. It was really not fun.
"You wonder at that time will you ever eat normal food again. Your appetite is gone, you can't hold anything down at periods. The nausea, all that stuff. It's tough."
Mr Boyd Barrett paid tribute to the healthcare staff, describing them as "amazing".
He said updated radiotherapy machines are needed, adding that there are new ones available which target the cancer with fewer side effects.
"They are looking to get those machines ... that's certainly something I'm going to advocate for," he said, adding that he "kept an eye" on the news when he felt able.
"You are conscious of your constituents. They elected you to be there to represent them. I am very glad to get the opportunity to say I'm on my way back."
Mr Boyd Barrett said it would "absolutely" be useful to have a substitute TD system to have someone who could step into the role.
"I think it's a very good idea, and to be honest, until this happened, it wouldn't have occurred to me. When I think about the fact that I've been basically out of things for six or seven months, yeah, I think it would be an extremely good idea," he said.
"For the European Parliament you can have substitutes so I certainly think that would be a good idea. I'll just beg the indulgence as well of the public and my constituents - I'm going to be coming back in over the next few weeks but it will be on a phased basis and I hope they'll be a bit patient with me.
"But I'm keen to get back doing my job and representing the people who elected me."
Well-wishes from across political spectrum
Mr Boyd Barrett said he experienced "amazing" good will with letters, messages and emails and he believes the "vast majority" of people are decent.
He said people from "across the political spectrum" and all across Irish society wished him well.
"There's a lot of positives to take out of it," he added.
Mr Boyd Barrett said he kept "a very close eye" on the Presidential election and he was "very" frustrated that he could not be a part of it.
He said People Before Profit had consistently argued that if the left came together and presented a united front, they could "be more than the sum of our parts".
"We saw in the Catherine Connolly campaign that we can unite and I hope that that lesson will be taken forward. Not just for the next election to give us a first left government this country has ever seen, but also in campaigning," he said.
"We've seen the left unite around particular campaigns very successfully over the years and I'd like us to do it on things like the cost of living, on the issue of housing. I think there's a potential to really unite to push forward on these issues which are so urgent and affecting people.
"We've seen how people have come together around Gaza and the demand for solidarity and sanctions on Israel for the genocidal crimes they're committing against the Palestinian people. That has mobilised huge forces in Irish society putting pressure on the political system.
"That potential for, particularly the left, to come together and create a movement for change, I think we've seen that now with the presidential election and it should be taken forward and applied on some of the many urgent issues facing us in our society."
