REDDITCH cancer victim Keith Bernard had his life transformed thanks to some ground breaking super microscopic surgery - which he discovered for himself on the internet.

The 60-year-old software developer from Winyates Green was at his lowest ebb after surviving surgery for an aggressive prostrate cancer in August 2014.

Within three months of the surgery, Keith had developed lymphoedema which caused his right leg to balloon 45 per cent bigger than his left leg.

Keith said: "It was a struggle just to bend down and put my socks on and I had difficulty finding trousers and shoes to fit.

"My wife told me I was getting really depressed. You don't expect to survive the cancer and then get something like this."

The situation was made much worse as Keith was finding it increasingly difficult to take part in the great passion of his life, Lindy Hop dancing.

He said: "I would go around the dance floor and people would keep asking me how the leg was, it was that obvious. The swelling went all the way from my foot to the thigh and I was carrying around three and a half litres of extra fluid in my leg at one point.

"I was back dancing within four weeks of my surgery for prostrate cancer, but within six to eight weeks, the infection set in."

However, Keith had a card up his sleeve.

Prior to being a software developer, he'd been a pharmacist.

Having some medical knowledge, Keith set about finding a solution.

He'd already heard of pioneering microsurgery and discovered the Oxford Lymphoedema Practice and got himself referred to them by his GP.

It took two surgeons six hours to perform the super microsurgery known as Lymphaticovenular anastomosis, which is performed beyond the limits of human sight as the small sub dermal veins are treated using satures a fifth of a diameter of a human hair.

This allows the lymphatic fluid in the limb to flow back into the blood stream, by-passing any blocked lymphatics higher up the affected area.

Within three months of the treatment, Keith's right leg began to improve dramatically and is now just marginally bigger than his left.

Keith added: "I had to pay for the treatment, but it was worth it. I would recommend it to any lymphoedema sufferer.

"We need to spend more money researching lymphoedema and hopefully we can raise more awareness for men's health issues like prostrate cancer."