“I had been having problems with pain in my knees, jaw pain, and swollen hands for some time, but I had been to the GP quite a few times without any satisfactory diagnosis. I had also been having trouble sleeping, and my wife mentioned that I was snoring a lot.
Then I was on holiday in Italy, and I had a cycling accident, which led to a minor head injury. I had a CT scan to check that there wasn’t any brain damage, and the scan showed up a previously undiscovered tumour on my pituitary gland, completely by chance.
My GP referred me on to an endocrinologist who ran some tests that showed that I had something called an acromegaly. This is a condition which means I was excreting too much growth hormone because of this tumour.
A clear explanation of the treatment options
I spoke to several consultants about treatment, but I found that they were not very good at explaining my condition to me. My GP recommended the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery as the best place to have pituitary surgery, and I spoke to Ms Anouk Borg. She was able to explain my condition to me really clearly and answer all my questions honestly, which left me completely reassured.
keyhole surgery
I had something called transsphenoidal surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. This is a type of keyhole surgery that doesn’t leave any scarring. Ms Borg assured me that this is a very common type of surgery for my type of tumour.
My surgery was successful, and I just had a two-day stay with no complications. The nursing staff on the ward were wonderful, and I constantly felt reassured and in good hands.
Long-term follow-up
I had further follow-ups with an endocrinologist after my surgery, and happily, they confirmed that I was in remission from my acromegaly. I will continue to have long-term follow-up with annual MRI scans and blood tests, just to make sure it doesn’t return, though. My joint pain has gone away, and I am no longer having problems sleeping.
Ms Borg has made such a difference to my life, and I can’t thank her enough.”
