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 excited to be doing something I love at a new company. I was less thrilled, however, that I was also experiencing urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms.

I had the classic signs: pain, pressure and an urgent need to pee. But the symptoms came and went, and I had no blood in my urine. Even more surprising, when I went to see my doctor, my urinalysis was normal. No sign of UTI. However, given the symptoms, my doctor said it was a UTI and prescribed antibiotics.

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

On the third trip to the doctor, I was desperate for relief. The urgency had increased. I couldn’t get through an hour-long meeting without making an excuse. And the pain was getting worse too. I was embarrassed by all the bathroom breaks — what 35-year-old woman can’t get through a meeting — but what else could I do?

Actually, no one said anything, but I knew I had to be close to my boss. I told her I had a health problem — I just didn’t know what it was yet. So on that third trip to the doctor’s office, I asked to see a specialist (urologist).

By the time I saw the urologist about two weeks later, the pain was so bad at times I couldn’t stand up.

I was hunched over the exam table when he said my symptoms were not normal. I was so relieved when he said it was no way to live and committed to finding out what was causing all the pain.

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

Amazingly, all the blood tests and scans came back normal. It sounds weird to say I was disappointed, but I was. I was devastated. I knew this pain was not normal – none of this was normal. Even my urologist was confused. He ordered a tissue biopsy of 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 swift punch to the gut. I felt all the air leave 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? Must Should I tell my boss? They will fire me; 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 through treatment and shared my schedule, including the 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 work was important to me (so was health insurance) and that work was the best thing for me.

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

In the following months, I had procedures to remove the tumors and six weeks Bacille calmette-guerin (BCG) treatment for bladder cancer, which involved injecting TB bacteria into my bladder and keeping it there for two hours so 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’m on a maintenance plan that includes BCG treatment six times a year.

I continue to be an open book about bladder cancer and how it can affect work. Sometimes I tolerate the treatment very well and am up the next day and ready to go. Other times, I’m in so much 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 the time to listen to my body and do what is right for my health without the pressure of getting sick at the last minute or over-promising for the day.

All in all, I’ve learned to give myself grace when it comes to balancing work and bladder cancer. If I need to visit the bathroom five times during a meeting, who cares? I know no one notices as much as I do. And I don’t limit sick time to being unbearably uncomfortable. Could I pass when I fall asleep at my computer after the treatment? Sure. But it’s okay to say, “That’s all the gas I’ve got right now, but I’ll give it 100% tomorrow.”

I know I’m very lucky and not everyone can take time off work or feel comfortable sharing their diagnosis. But there are resources such as Americans with 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 colleagues and plan for the unexpected. I have posted 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 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 support from Astellas and Pfizer.

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