11. Neurology in action...

It was at this point that the paper trail began. I still have the ream of paper that constitutes all of my medical correspondence. Initially these were kept simply as records of my treatment...now, however, they represent a chapter in my life.

Within a couple of weeks of my latest appointment with my GP, I received a letter confirming an appointment to see Dr Gunther Wihl - a consultant neurologist at Harrogate District Hospital. As I sat in the waiting area, my fear and trepidation had been replaced with a sense of defiance. I felt I had a grip of the situation for the first time, and was confident that I was on the right lines for getting myself sorted. When I entered the office, Dr Wihl got up from his desk and shook my hand. He was a warm character, fresh faced and younger than I had expected. He carried an air of confidence, and reminded me of some of the more positive attributes synonymous with Germany. He spoke clearly, concisely, and efficiently. He wasted no words, and made every point understandable. We spoke about my history, my symptoms, and moved quickly onto the co-ordination tests I had already undertaken. I felt like I was being taken seriously, and the fact that I had been referred seemed to carry weight. Like Dr Brook, Dr Wihl was unable to see anything that concerned him, although he accepted that I was suffering from some troubling neuropsychological symptoms. We discussed the way forward. Dr Wihl decreed that he would send me for an MRI scan, but in the same breath, told me that he doubted that it would show anything sinister. I was soaking up information for the first time in what seemed like an age. I was over-joyed that he seemed prepared to embark on expensive techniques to find out what was wrong, and was buoyed by his enthusiasm to find out what was wrong. "What if nothing shows up?" I asked, clinging onto his doubt of there being anything sinister. "I'll refer you to a psychologist, and see where we go from there." He answered. We discussed the processes and time-frames involved, and the appointment ended as it had started - with a hand shake. It was fair to say that I felt in safe hands.

I left the appointment feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was no longer trying to swim upstream, and felt like I was getting genuine value for money from the NHS for the first time.