How I Knew I Had Bladder Cancer

As told to Jacquelyne Froeber

About three years ago, I started a new job as vice president of recruiting for a legal services firm. I was thrilled to do something I love in a new company. However, I was less excited because I was also dealing with symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI).

He had the classic signs: pain, pressure and an urgent need to urinate. But the symptoms came and went and she had no blood in her urine. Even stranger, when I went to see my doctor, my urinalysis came back normal. There are no signs of UTI. Still, given the symptoms, my doctor said it was a UTI and prescribed antibiotics.

I took the pills and tried to concentrate on work. My job is 100% remote and requires a lot of on-camera meetings, but I tried my best not to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes.

By the third visit to the doctor, I was desperate for relief. The urgency had increased. She couldn’t get through an hour-long meeting without apologizing. And the pain was getting worse too. I was embarrassed by all the bathroom breaks (what 35-year-old woman can’t endure a meeting), but what else could she do?

No one really said anything, but I knew I had to be honest with my boss. I told him that he had a health problem, but that I still didn’t know what it was. So, on that third visit to the doctor’s office, I asked to see a specialist (a urologist).

When I visited the urologist about two weeks later, the pain was so intense that at times I couldn’t stand upright.

I was hunched over the exam table when he told me my symptoms weren’t normal. I was so relieved when she said this was no way to live and that she was committed to finding out what was causing all the pain.

The next few weeks were a blur of tests, including a cystoscopy, which is a procedure that allows your healthcare provider to see your bladder. To avoid missing work, I scheduled the first or last appointment of the day. If I couldn’t make that work, I told my boss right away so she knew I would be out of money.

Surprisingly, all the blood tests and scans came back normal. It sounds weird to say he was disappointed, but he was. He was devastated. He knew that this pain was not normal; None of this was normal. Even my urologist was baffled. He ordered a biopsy of tissue from my bladder. That’s when the test results came back and I was diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

The word cancer It was a quick punch to the gut. I felt like all the wind left my body. I knew it was a possibility, but how did a UTI turn into cancer?

My mind immediately went to work. I started my job just three months ago. What would I say to my boss? Ought Should I tell my boss? I am going to be fired? Would my new insurance drop me?

Once the initial shock wore off, I knew I had to be open and honest with my employer no matter what happened.

I went to our meeting with a plan to continue working during treatment and shared my schedule, including days I wouldn’t be able to work. I also let them know that I wasn’t sure how I would respond to surgery or treatment, but that work was important to me (as was health insurance) and working was best for me.

Luckily, everyone was very supportive. Looking back, sharing my intentions at the beginning helped me continue working while juggling all the appointments, phone calls, scheduling, and everything else that happened after the diagnosis.

Over the next few months, I underwent procedures to remove the tumors and six weeks of bacillus calmette-guerin (BCG) treatment for bladder cancer, which involved injecting tuberculosis bacteria into my bladder and keeping it there for two hours so that my immune system would attack any cancer cells that might be growing.

The surgery and treatments worked and today my most recent test results show no evidence of cancer. But NMIBC has a high chance of recurrence, so I am on a maintenance plan that includes BCG treatment six times a year.

I remain an open book about bladder cancer and how it can affect work. Sometimes I tolerate the treatment very well and the next day I wake up and am ready to start. Other times I am in a lot of pain and so tired that I can’t get out of bed. Either way, my colleagues know that the day after treatment is flexible for me. This gives me time to listen to my body and do what’s right for my health without the pressure of calling in sick at the last minute or over-promising that day.

Overall, I’ve learned to have grace when it comes to balancing work and bladder cancer. If I need to go to the bathroom five times during a meeting, who cares? I know no one is noticing it as much as I am. And I don’t limit sick time to feeling unbearably uncomfortable. Can I light up when I fall asleep in front of my computer after treatment? Sure. But it’s okay to say, “This is all the gas I have now, but tomorrow I’ll give it 100%.”

I know I am beyond lucky and not everyone can take time off work or feel comfortable sharing their diagnosis. But there are resources like American Disabilities Act (ADA) and Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) that can help.

Each person with cancer has different needs. For me, it was the right decision to share my plan with my colleagues and prepare for the unexpected. I have been posting about managing bladder cancer on LinkedIn and it has helped me connect with other people who are working and going through the same thing. Bladder cancer may interrupt my work at times, but it won’t stop me from accomplishing everything I want to do.

Resources

Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN)

This educational resource was created with the support of Astellas and Pfizer.

Do you have any real women, real stories of your own that you want to share? let us know.