During 2021, I started to experience an urgency to go to the toilet. I would often have to run to the toilet only to find nothing came out. Over time these symptoms started to get worse: I was having to get up three or four times in the night, which really disturbed my sleep.
I went to the doctor, and they suggested I had prostate issues due to my age. I did a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to screen for prostate cancer, but that was normal; again, the doctors put it down to my age. It steadily got worse and I started to develop urinary tract infections (UTIs) regularly.
I knew something was wrong. The symptoms put on a massive strain on my marriage, and on my ability to work.
My symptoms continued to get worse until one night in February 2024. I was out with my son at football practice when I needed to go to the toilet. I went, and pure blood came out. It was very strange, as I didn’t feel unwell — but clearly something was seriously wrong. I took my son home and then went home myself. (By this time, my marriage was over.) The bleeding continued through the night. But I was still not in any pain.
The next day I decided to go to my local emergency department, armed with a video to show them my symptoms. By this time, I was unable to pass urine, so they catheterized me. I was later moved to a ward. The nurses performed several bladder flushes, but blood was still coming out.
The next day I was seen by one of the consultants (or medical specialist, to those outside the U.K.). He instantly suggested I had bladder cancer! He said I would need a cystoscopy to prove it 100%, but given the level of bleeding he was convinced it was bladder cancer.
I was shocked to be told I had cancer without any form of test. It was very clear the consultant was very experienced and had seen this level of bleeding before. I was kept in the hospital for a further two nights until the bleeding stopped. Later on, I was told the bleeding is caused when the tumors grow or break down.
Two weeks later I came back to the hospital for my cystoscopy. This would give me a confirmation of my diagnosis. It is a very simple and quick procedure, certainly nothing to be worried about and not painful. As the camera entered my bladder, I was able to watch the pictures on a large screen in full color. The consultant said, “There is your cancer Mr. Mills.” You could clearly see the tumors on the screen; they were yellow in color. It really helped, as it 100% confirmed my diagnosis. I had bladder cancer, and I had seen the tumors firsthand!
He told me next steps would be a trans urethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) to do a biopsy. This would confirm if the cancer was muscle invasive and what treatment I would need next. It was clear it was not going to be simple to beat it. It would take mental and physical strength, and I was in some serious trouble. I was in the toughest fight of my life!
Please if you see any blood in your urine go straight to hospital and get checked. It may just be a UTI, but it could be cancer.
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