Lets talk about wee! This month is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. Blood in your wee is a primary symptom of bladder cancer. It is the 5th most common cancer in Europe. It is the most expensive to treat, but nobody wants to talk about it. Maybe it’s time we did as bladder cancer is not rare, it’s diagnoses in 20,700 people each year in the UK and affects all ages and sexes!
What does the bladder do?
The bladder is the organ in your body that stores and then releases your wee. The wee comes down from your kidneys through the ureters into the bladder through the day and night. It is held in the bladder until it sends a signal to your brain telling you that you need to have a wee.
It is an efficient system that we never really think about until we get a problem. For most people, the system works very well throughout their lives, with only maybe the occasional UTI (urinary tract infection) that would need a course of antibiotics, to worry about.
However, sometimes a problem can be more serious than this. You are probably reading this because either you or a loved one has been told that they could have bladder cancer. Or there are some worrying symptoms which you are looking to explain.
Symptoms of bladder Cancer
Blood in your wee is the most common symptom of bladder cancer. It can be obvious for example, when your wee is bright red, rusty or pink. Sometimes it can be invisible and can only be found by your doctor by testing a sample of your wee. Blood in your wee is also a symptom of many less serious medical conditions so further tests will be needed to make a diagnosis. Other symptoms can include:
Support
Having a support group that you can talk to openly about your cancer can really make a difference and enhance your quality of life. We believe it’s important to share your bladder cancer journey with other bladder cancer patients, so you can talk about your worries and fears with other people on the same cancer journey openly and in confidence.
For more information, visit fightbladdercancer.co.uk.