Two years ago insurance broker Allan Donnachie decided to take up the offer of a free medical check up through his workplace.
The then 54-year-old from Abernethy felt perfectly healthy.
But he had no idea that his health MOT would lead to him being diagnosed with bladder cancer.
“I was working as an insurance broker for Marsh Commercial in Perth at the time with 27 years service,” he explains.
“Fortunately I was provided with private healthcare through my job so took up the offer of a health check up.
“I had my cholesterol, blood pressure and everything else checked.
“But because I was over 50, the doctor asked me if I wanted to check my prostate.
“To be honest I didn’t know what was involved but I said yes anyway.
“He then phoned me the next day to say he was a bit concerned about my prostate.
“And he suggested I should get it checked out as soon as I could.”
So Allan, who is now 56, made an appointment at Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh so further investigations could be carried out.
But after some scans, tests and an operation, Allan was shocked to discover he had three cancerous tumours on his bladder.
Today Allan is sharing his story to mark Bladder Cancer Awareness Month.
And he is grateful his bladder cancer was caught in the early stages.
When did Abernethy’s Allan discover he had bladder cancer?
After deciding to opt for private health care, Allan made an appointment at Spire Murrayfield Hospital.
This was after concerns were raised about his prostate.
“The doctor carried out more checks and asked me to measure everything I drank for the next ten days,” he explains.
“He was concerned about the number of times I was needing to visit the toilet.
“So I did that and went on to have an MRI scan which found a shadow on my prostate.
“Then then did more tests and one of them was a cystoscopy.”
A cystoscopy is a procedure where a thin, flexible tube with a camera (cystoscope) is inserted into the urethra to examine the inside of the bladder and urethra.
It’s used to diagnose or treat various bladder conditions, including detecting bladder cancer.
Allan continues: “They looked at my prostate first and said it was fine.
“But they said I would need to go in for an operation as they had found something on my bladder.
“Less than two weeks later, in August 2023, I had surgery.
“After the operation I was told the surgeons had found three cancerous tumours on my bladder.”
What was Allan’s reaction after discovering he had bladder cancer?
Allan is one of nearly 1700 people who are diagnosed each year in Scotland with bladder cancer.
The main symptom of bladder cancer is blood in your urine.
Other symptoms include: pain, burning, stinging or itching when you go to the toilet, getting lots of urinary tract infections, needing to urinate very suddenly or more often, losing your appetite and losing weight without trying to, tiredness and pain in your back and lower tummy.
Yet he had none of the typical symptoms so had no idea he had the disease.
And the diagnosis was the last thing he expected to hear.
“I have never been sick in my life,” he says.
“I just thought maybe there was a lump they had seen on the MRI, but I never thought it would be cancerous.
“They were able to confirm it was cancer after the tumours were removed and analysed.
“My doctor reckoned the cancer had been in my bladder for nine to 12 months.
“According to the NHS, one of the main causes of bladder cancer is smoking but I don’t smoke and I never have.
“So that’s why the diagnosis came as such a shock.
“But at the same time I was pleased it had been caught early.”
Treatment for bladder cancer
After the operation Allan was given his first chemotherapy treatment straight away.
“I was given this right after the operation and was told this was the most important chemotherapy treatment,” he explains.
“After the tumours were removed the chemo would start working straight away and prevent any more tumours from forming.
“Once the tumours had been analysed I was told there was a low grade, intermediate risk of the cancer returning.
“So on the back of that I was given six shots of chemotherapy.”
After the first round, Allan went on to have the next few chemotherapy sessions at the end of October.
And he finished the treatment on December 28, 2023.
Further check ups
Allan had his first check up – which included having a cystoscopy – after finishing treatment in February 2024.
And the results came back clear.
As part of his recovery he took part in a wellness nutrition course at Maggie’s Dundee.
“It was good to chat to other people who had had bladder cancer, just knowing that there were other people who had been through the same experience.
“But it made me realise how fortunate I had been.
“There had been other guys at Maggie’s with the same cancer as me but they had had their bladders removed.
“It made me glad I had gone for that medical when I did.”
Allan continues to have regular check ups and so far, remains clear of cancer.
“I have to have four cystoscopies a year for the first two years.
“This means I will have another in August, then one more in November. From then it will go down to two a year.”
Family support
Allan, who has two daughters Natalie, 14 and Rosie, 10, is grateful for the support of his family, particularly wife Marie, 50.
“It was my wife who encouraged me to go to Maggie’s and sign up for the wellness course. She went to Maggie’s with me a couple of times.
“She has been very supportive and really helped to keep me going.”
Allan is now looking ahead to the future.
“I am grateful it was picked up early because I could still be sitting here today not knowing I had the disease because I never had any symptoms.
“I might have ended up having my bladder removed or worse.”
He adds: “I feel extremely lucky.”
Conversation