So the good news is that I'll be having brain surgery next week (probably).

This is the opinion of the neurologist who studied the results of my MRI this morning, although this decision still has to be confirmed when we see the neuro-surgeon on Monday.

It really is good news in fact, because when I saw the neurologist yesterday he was pretty much of the opinion that I'd had a stroke.

In fact the cause of the problem is a benign cyst in the brain lining (so it's only sort-of brain surgery; they won't be hacking around with the interior brain tissue). It's a balloon of fluid about 2cm long, putting pressure on the brain stem and affecting touch and coordination on my left side.

Apparently it is a 'straightforward' surgery. A six-figure straightforward surgery. (That's about 10 pounds, for those of you living in the UK.)

The sensations this thing is causing are extremely unpleasant. Like thousands of needle points. Or electric shocks. All over the left side of my body. And my left arm and hand is quite uncoordinated. Holding Stephen to feed him is dreadful. Peter has been doing pretty much everything around here. I do love him.