SO MUCH for good intentions. I last wrote in August, and this is meant to be a monthly column. I make no excuse for this, due to recent events.

I awoke recently to find that I was unable to reach over to turn on my radio. I was unable to control my left arm, which seemed to have a mind of its own, and was flailing around.

I tried to sit up but found that my left leg would also not do as I wanted.

All I could do was lie back and try and call out to my wife for help. I tried to shout but nothing came out and I found myself locked-up and trapped within myself.

It was a terrifying experience.

I passed out, and when I came round I found my wife standing over me talking to the emergency services on the phone. The ambulance arrived very quickly and in no time I was being rushed through the morning rush hour traffic to the JR with ‘blues & twos’ going at full blast.

I was impressed with the expertise and professionalism of the paramedics. They were keen to get me to hospital quickly as they suspected a stroke.

At A&E we were met by a stroke team who immediately subjected me to diagnostic tests. However, they concluded that I had not suffered a stroke and I had to wait until early evening for a brain scan.

This confirmed my worst fears that my kidney cancer had spread. My right frontal lobe was swollen and a tumour identified. This was enough to have caused the seizure I had suffered earlier. However, I was reassured by one of the doctors who said “no worries we will soon have that out.”

My thanks must go to all the team in A&E for their care.

I was admitted to the neuroscience unit of the JR and a week later my tumour was successfully removed by some pretty clever surgery.

I was relieved to learn that my surgeon had removed the tumour complete, which is not always possible.

Four days later I was considered well enough to be discharged and with no sign of a headache. In fact, although I was offered painkillers, I had no need for them.

It is mystifying to think that a surgeon can drill into your skull, remove a tumour from within the brain, replace the small piece of skull and close the skin incision all without any painful after-effects.

We’re very fortunate to have such a well-respected facility as the neuroscience unit here in Oxford.

I met several patients who had received remarkable life-enhancing brain and spinal surgery.

The nursing care was second to none, despite the time pressures they were all under, due to the added complexities of dealing with patients with neurological problems.

It goes without saying that I am truly indebted to the team at the JR, for they have given me valuable additional time.

However, I have since discovered that our local NHS is considering withdrawing brain surgery for patients with cerebral metastases due to cost implications. More on this later...