{"id":490,"date":"2025-02-23T12:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T13:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=490"},"modified":"2025-03-19T21:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T21:34:17","slug":"i-thought-i-had-a-uti-then-my-gps-voice-grew-serious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/23\/i-thought-i-had-a-uti-then-my-gps-voice-grew-serious\/","title":{"rendered":"I thought I had a UTI \u2013 then my GP\u2019s voice grew serious"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Adil\t<\/div>
Diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma \u2013 stage 3 kidney cancer \u2013 I faced my biggest opponent yet (Picture: SHXRPSHOOTRS for Wrestling With Cancer documentary)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the world of pro wrestling<\/a>, when both your shoulders are pinned down flat on the ring and the referee counts to three \u2013 otherwise known as a three-count \u2013 you\u2019ve lost that match.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a pro wrestler and my shoulders have been pinned down in that way many times. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve often been unable to \u2018kick out\u2019 \u2013 using my legs to break out of the pin and get my shoulders off the mat \u2013 before gingerly walking backstage to shake my opponent\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

I expect it in the ring; but I would have never thought my shoulders would be flat on a hospital bed instead, as I was wheeled into an operating theatre to remove a tumour from my kidney<\/a>. Diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma \u2013 stage 3 kidney cancer<\/a> \u2013 I faced my biggest opponent yet.<\/p>\n

It started on a perfectly normal evening.<\/p>\n

I was at home playing Call of Duty: Warzone with the boys in lockdown 2020. We were all joking around, waiting for the next game to start. I got up to use the bathroom, and that\u2019s when my world shifted.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Adil\t<\/div>
I could barely eat half of what I normally would \u2013 I had always had a big appetite from lifting weights (Picture: MONKEY FLIP Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blood. In my urine.<\/a> A vivid, unmistakable red.<\/p>\n

What was happening? My thoughts raced but I convinced myself it wasn\u2019t worth spiralling yet.<\/p>\n

That was the beginning of my journey with kidney cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After that initial shock, I went back to my game, trying to shake the unease. \u2018Hey, something weird just happened,\u2019 I said casually, as if downplaying it might make it less real.<\/p>\n

When I told my friends about the blood, the joking around stopped. Their concern was immediate, but so was their advice: \u2018You need to get that checked out.\u2019<\/p>\n

But the macho wrestler in me decided to leave it for a few more weeks, ignoring the daily image of blood in my urine. It became increasingly red but I continued to brush it off. Google told me it could be a UTI, so that was the narrative I stuck with.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tKidney cancer symptoms \t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Symptoms can include:<\/strong><\/p>\n