What and when were the first signs of your illness?

I had my regular sight checkup in December 2007 and my eye specialist thought my lateral vision was deteriorating. I hadn’t noticed it – only a little, perhaps – but he wanted to investigate it further. I went for a CT scan at the I-Scan centre in Tunbridge Wells in December but the results weren’t clear enough, so then I was sent for an MRI at Pembury Hospital.

How was it diagnosed, and by whom?

The MRI revealed a tumour on the pituitary gland on the 20th of December and I was then referred to an endocrinologist locally.

How did you come to Mr Bullock?

I was sent by the Endocrinologist Dr Barnes.

What has your treatment involved and how long did it take?

Mr Bullock showed me the pictures from my MRI and said there was a possibility that the tumour would grow, though slowly, and press on the optic nerve. I’d had no pain or headaches but he said that if I lived long enough, it would damage the vision. I decided to have surgery at The London Clinic. Mr Bullock said it could be done via the the nose, with the help of ENT surgeon Mr David Roberts. The actual operation was performed at Easter 2008 and took something like three hours. I was in the clinic for seven days but only because it was Easter weekend, so it was a bit longer than normal.

Then I had checkups to follow with both Mr Bullock and Professor John Monson the endocrinologist, but no radiotherapy or chemotherapy – I had blood tests and thyroid tests, and took thyroxin for a few months: that ended in October. And I had a nasal spray for my nose. There was no real pain, though it was sore, obviously.

What has been the outcome?

I’ve had four subsequent MRIs and they’ve all been perfect. At first they were every six months but now they’re annually – I think it goes on for five years. The first three were covered on my health insurance so they were at The London Clinic, but now they’re at King’s, still under Mr Bullock.

How have you found your time as a patient with Mr Bullock?

My experience in hospital was all very positive – I was very well looked after from the point of view of the staff and how they help you. Mr Bullock is a very courteous man and Professor Monson transferred me to a local specialist so I don’t have to travel so far. My last checkup was in March and Mr Bullock showed me the pictures and gave me a CD with the results. I would recommend him to other people. He told me he does 50 of these particular operations a year, so I wasn’t worried about it – but after all, it is your head!