"The brain op at Southampton saved my vision, valve repair at Royal Brompton Hospital saved my life!"

My mitral vave repair was carried out on 3/3/2006 by Mr DeSouza at the Royal Brompton Hospital, Kensington, and I was placed on a morphine drip to keep me asleep for 24 hours. In the event, the nursing staff couldn't wake me for 3 days! This was a puzzle to all concerned, but my subsequent bloodwork showed some deficiencies in my endocrine levels, and I was receiving saline drips until the day I left in an attempt to rectify this.

During my rather prolonged stay in Elizabeth Ward, I was looked after with great kindness and professionalism by an exceptionally fine nursing staff. I cannot commend them too highly, or thank them enough for their sterling efforts in raising me back to rude health.

Eventually I was released into the custody of my local hospital, which has an endocrinology department. Here it was discovered, following an MRI scan, that I had a benign tumour surrounding my pituitary gland, which neccessitated further surgery in Southampton. Tumour was cut away, and I am now in long-term recovery, and required to take medication including Hydrocortisone and Levothyroxine Sodium.

My highest praise also to Mr De Souza, a fine surgeon and a thoroughly nice man, whose daily visits raised my spirits with his humour and encouragement.

In conclusion, I do not have the words to adequately express my immense debt of gratitude to these amazing people, who gave me back my life. I have since become a member of the Foundation Trust, in the hope that I may at some point be able to give back some small measure to the hospital of the wonderful care I received. JB.