My lonely battle with disease

Now that this column appears with personal views I feel empowered to reveal my own medical problem. It was not an easy decision. I thought hard about the effect that this might have on those close to me. Admitting to sickness invites prejudice, even among doctors.

It all began two years ago. I was sitting at my desk and staring out of the window, an important activity for us academics. During it I sometimes touch my ear lobe but one day, for no particular reason, I touched both simultaneously. With a shock I realised that the left was bigger than the …