Former teacher on how early cancer diagnosis saved her life

Despite only spotting blood in her urine once, Pat Butson decided to visit her local GP to get checked.

The doctor immediately referred her for blood tests and further examination, which confirmed that she had bladder cancer.

Thankfully, the early detection has allowed Pat, who lives in Haddington with husband Iain, to continue living an active life.

Pat Butson has encouraged people to get an early diagnosis after finding out she had bladder cancer (Image: Contributed)

She told the Courier: “In July 2022, we had just moved into our new house when I spotted blood in my urine.

“I had absolutely no symptoms other than this one-off experience of blood in my urine, so it was very tempting to ignore it, but I am so glad I didn’t.

“I took a deep breath and phoned my GP practice.

“She was brilliant and immediately arranged blood tests and informed me that the blood could be a symptom of a urinary tract infection but that it could also be a sign of bladder cancer.

“She referred me for a flexible cystoscopy to examine the inside of my bladder.

“This revealed that I did, in fact, have a small tumour in my bladder and I was promptly referred for surgery to remove it.”

The early detection meant the tumour had not penetrated the bladder wall.

Pat Butson highlighted how the diagnosis had stopped her from enjoying life (Image: Contributed)

An operation resulted in an overnight stay in hospital before Pat, who previously lived in Midlothian, was discharged the following day.

Unfortunately, Pat, has had to undergo further treatment.

She said: “It was very straightforward and I had no pain or side effects following surgery.

“For many people, including a good friend of mine, that is the end of treatment and the cancer never returns.

“Unfortunately, I was not quite so lucky.

"I was told I had an aggressive strain of cancer which was highly likely to return.

“At the first review meeting with my consultant, he recommended a radical cystectomy (i.e. removal of the bladder and insertion of a stoma for urine).

“Because the disease had not penetrated the bladder wall, he said that this would give me a 90 per cent chance of remaining cancer free.

“So once again, early diagnosis and prompt treatment were key.”

Pat Butson was diagnosed with bladder cancer not long after moving to Haddington (Image: Contributed)

Pat, 75, has now got involved in a Scottish Government campaign urging people to get checked early.

People across Scotland are being encouraged to ‘Be the Early Bird’ as part of the Scottish Government’s awareness-raising campaign to empower people with possible cancer symptoms to contact their GP practice.

In recent research conducted by the Scottish Government, more than four in five people in Scotland (83 per cent) said that they would report an item missing from a delivery order within a day, but nearly a third (32 per cent) of people in Scotland said they would wait days, weeks and even months to contact their GP practice about any unusual, persistent symptoms.

Pat said: “It took a few months to get my energy back and living with a stoma takes a bit of getting used to.

“However, ultimately, it’s a life saver and doesn’t prevent me from doing anything I did before.

“I’ve had several scans and blood tests, and everything indicates that I have remained completely cancer free for over 18 months.

“Because the cancer didn’t have time to spread beyond my bladder, I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and I don’t carry any day-to-day anxiety about the disease returning.

“At 75, I still swim, go to the gym and walk an average of around five miles per day.

“Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about going away from home.

“However, since my surgery, I have been on several holidays, including air travel and a cruise.

“With just a bit of thought and preplanning, it has all been fine.

“If you’ve got any symptoms or are worried about cancer then I’d definitely recommend contacting your local GP practice and visiting getcheckedearly.com”