{"id":5224,"date":"2025-09-14T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=5224"},"modified":"2025-09-17T21:34:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T21:34:08","slug":"i-knew-i-should-start-worrying-when-my-pee-looked-like-ribena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/14\/i-knew-i-should-start-worrying-when-my-pee-looked-like-ribena\/","title":{"rendered":"I knew I should start worrying when my pee looked like Ribena"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Umesh\t<\/div>
I found out I had a 6cm tumour on my right kidney (Picture: Umesh Patel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The urologist looked me in the eye and uttered: \u2018We\u2019ve found something on your kidney that\u2019s going to need treatment.\u2019<\/p>\n

My brain scrambled.<\/p>\n

\u2018Is it cancer?\u2019 I asked<\/a>, already breaking down.\u202fI needed my wife,\u202fEllen because I knew I couldn\u2019t handle this alone.<\/p>\n

So\u202fthey ushered me into a separate room with the kidney specialist nurse, who sat with me, made me a cup of tea,\u202f and\u202fwalked with me around the hospital while I waited for my wife. I just felt numb.<\/p>\n

When she finally walked in half an hour later, I started crying. Then we had to go back into the room for the rest of the news.  <\/p>\n

They explained that I had a 6cm tumour on my right kidney. I didn\u2019t yet know the tumour was cancerous \u2013 but that was the moment my life changed forever.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n

My first symptom came in 2021; lower back pain\u202fthat\u202fI blamed on badminton. I didn\u2019t think of this as anything other than my age creeping up on me \u2013 after all, I was 44.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Umesh\t<\/div>
When my tumour was discovered, I knew needed my wife,\u202fEllen \u2013 I couldn\u2019t handle this alone (Picture: Umesh Patel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I suppose there were times where I was urinating more in the night and the odd time my urine was cloudy, but I didn\u2019t realise this could have had any serious consequences. I wasn\u2019t really concerned about these symptoms because I was generally quite healthy otherwise.<\/p>\n

But then things escalated in October 2024.\u202fI went\u202fto the loo before bed\u202fand the entire stream of my urine was red with blood.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t actually that worried because I just dismissed it as kidney stones<\/a>, even though I\u2019d never had anything like it before.<\/p>\n

Ellen was already asleep so I decided I\u2019d tell her in the morning. Sure enough, she was very pragmatic \u2013 her advice was to call the doctor and get an appointment.<\/p>\n

At the GP, I gave a urine sample that resembled the colour of Ribena and I was sent straight to A&E for further investigation. That\u2019s when I properly started to worry.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Umesh\t<\/div>
I needed another scan to check if the cancer had spread elsewhere (Picture: Umesh Patel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next few\u202fweeks were a whirlwind of scans, waiting and more tests, and on a cold November morning, I got the news about the 6cm tumour on my kidney.<\/p>\n

The days following that news was a whirlwind. At my lowest, I found myself planning Ellen\u2019s life without me.<\/p>\n

I needed another scan to check if the cancer<\/a> had spread elsewhere, so waiting for the results of that was the single most anxious moment of my entire life. They call it \u2018scanxiety\u2019. <\/p>\n

Thankfully it hadn\u2019t and I was given two options<\/a>: a partial nephrectomy – which is a surgical procedure to remove a portion of the kidney while preserving the remaining healthy kidney tissue to try and save some organ function – or a full removal.  <\/p>\n

For me, it was a no-brainer. They might not get all of it if it was the former so\u202fI decided to have the kidney removed.  <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tSpotting the early signs of kidney cancer: What to look out for\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Despite being the sixth most common cancer in the UK, kidney cancer<\/a> is often called a ‘silent’ disease \u2013 its early symptoms can be vague, easy to miss, or mistaken for other health conditions \u2013 making it difficult to diagnose.<\/p>\n

The symptoms of kidney cancer often vary from one person to another and in many cases, kidney cancer is only discovered through tests for unrelated conditions or a visit to A&E. This is why recognising the potential warning signs can be lifesaving. Here are some key symptoms to be aware of:<\/p>\n