Pensioner thought he had fallen from his bike because of his age - he was actually hours from death

A pensioner blamed falling from his bike on his age, but he was actually hours from death and was only saved thanks to Nottingham medics. John Catt, 73, was rushed to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre for emergency surgery after he collapsed at his home in Loughborough.

The keen cyclist’s health had been deteriorating in the few weeks leading up to his hospital admission, but Mr Catt had incorrectly put it down to ageing. Despite regularly cycling 5,000 to 6,000 miles a year he was finding it increasingly difficult - on recent bike rides, he was constantly veering to the left and even fell off his bike on one occasion.

The truth behind his alarming decline in health only surfaced when his wife Ariadne found him collapsed on their bathroom floor. He was originally taken to A&E at Leicester Royal Infirmary but was transferred to QMC for emergency surgery following a brain scan.

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The scan revealed blood had been leaking from a vein into John’s right cranium, putting pressure on his brain. Nottingham University Hospitals' medics then operated on stricken Mr Catt and saved his life.

He has now emotionally thanked staff, in particular the neuro trauma team at QMC, for solving the potentially fatal health issue. He said: “If they hadn't operated on me I’d have died. I am immensely grateful for the help I had.

“The nursing and medical staff were superb. They were all extremely kind and helpful and I want to make sure that the people involved know how grateful I am for the care provided.”

Following successful surgery, Mr Catt is now back recovering at home. He said: “I’m recovering pretty well. I’m a lot better than before and I can’t wait to get back out on my bike.”

Mrs Catt, who had been shocked to learn her husband was within 24 hours of death, added: “I’m relieved he’s getting back to normal. He’s recovering amazingly."

In total Mr Catt spent five nights at the QMC recovering from his surgery. Dr Keith Girling, medical director at NUH said: “It’s great to hear John is recovering well at home. We are very happy he had a positive experience at NUH.

“It makes such a difference to our staff when people go to the trouble of saying thank you. We wish John a full recovery and hope he gets back out on his bike soon.”