A High Wycombe gym instructor said she “cried for two days” after finding out she had bladder cancer – and that it had already spread.

Teresa Scott, who used to be an instructor at David Lloyd Beaconsfield, has shared her devastation after finding out she had an aggressive tumour – having previously been misdiagnosed as having a urinary tract infection (UTI) in July 2021.

She was given five rounds of antibiotics for her apparent UTI before her GP finally sent her for an ultrasound because she was still suffering with pain in her lower tummy and back.

The ultrasound, in August last year, showed a polyp in her womb, but medical professionals could not see anything unusual about her bladder.

Teresa then had to undergo a “painful” failed biopsy on her womb – but despite the agony, she says this may have saved her life because it caused the tumour in her bladder to bleed.

She said: “I was shocked by the blood and back on the phone to the doctors but was told this was the polyp. I told them that it was in my pee.

“I was booked in for the polyp to be removed under general anaesthetic; however, I was already in A&E before the operation.

“I remember it was the 4th of October, and I was bleeding so heavily that I thought something in my bladder had burst.

“The A&E doctor was excellent, and I guess he did save my life. He sent the sample off, and in 48 hours, my doctor called and referred me to a bladder specialist. He even said, ‘it was a good job you kept on’.

“I will never forget the 26th of October when I saw the tumour. I had to go alone, and I just cried in the car afterwards. I was in shock.”

Things moved quickly after that, with CT scans, blood tests and then a TURBT – a Trans Urethral Resection of Bladder Tumour – a procedure done to diagnose and remove bladder tumours.

The TURBT, on November 16 last year, removed an aggressive 2cm tumour, and while Teresa “felt fine” and recovered quickly, she was in shock when she got home to see the words “secondary metastasis cancer” on her discharge notes.

The cancer had spread to her lungs and some of her bones.

She said: “Cancer hadn’t even been mentioned, and I was in shock. I called my doctor the next day, and he told me, “Don’t worry”, but of course, I was worried like hell. I was sure I was going to die.

“My cancer spread straight away. On the 1st of December, my husband and I went to see a nurse; everyone kept telling me that nurses don’t give bad news.

“But I was told I had muscle-invasive bladder cancer, which had already spread. I cried for two days. All very small but still secondary cancer. Something you can only hope will stay stable. I went from having a polyp to advanced bladder cancer in one month.”

Teresa started her chemotherapy in January this year, and while she says it has been gruelling and she has her “down days”, she is trying to remain positive and has got involved with the charity Fight Bladder Cancer.

Since her diagnosis, she has thrown herself into fundraising to raise vital awareness for bladder cancer and has already raised more than £2,000.

David Lloyd Beaconsfield has also set up classes to raise cash for bladder cancer research, her close friend Suzie has made a charity bracelet and other friends have also raised more than £1,000 in a fundraiser at the gym.

Fight Bladder Cancer, which has its headquarters in Oxfordshire, said it is “all too common” that symptoms of bladder cancer are misdiagnosed as a symptom of postmenopausal bleeding, simple cystitis, or a urinary tract infection – and said more education and awareness is vital.

Teresa said: “I am scared, but I’m a fighter, so watch this space.”