David had no idea that his “ripped” muscles could be a sign of something deadly.
“I never expected when I first had back pain that this would be the cause, it was the furthest thing from my mind,” the 66-year-old father of four explained.
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In May, after suffering from black pain in his lower back, David, who works as a lawyer in New York, US, consulted a physiotherapist.
He said: “For about a month and a half, I was stretching and what not but there was no relief.
“I thought it was age or a tight muscle.”
After his symptoms failed to improve, David was referred to a spine specialist.
Read more about kidney cancer
They found that David had accidentally broken his back 40 years ago, most likely during one of his adventurous ski holidays.
“I played a lot of sports as a kid and skied a lot, so it could be due to a number of amazing skiing accidents,” he explained.
The paramedic said the fracture had healed on its own and that something else was causing the pain.
Further tests revealed a baseball-sized tumor suspected to have been growing in David's kidney for the past 10 years, which turned out to be cancerous.
“I was ready to be told I had six months,” David said.
“My wife and I have this goal of seeing all the continents and all the national parks, and my biggest struggle is not being able to do that.
“We still want to do it. I was nervous about the idea of my wife being alone. She was very supportive.”
The diagnosis came as a shock to David.
“I'm in good shape, I never smoke or drink. I live a very healthy lifestyle, so I thought why me? I was doing all the right things,” he said.
The father underwent surgery to remove the cancerous tumor and fortunately his kidney was saved.
David was told the pain was caused by the tumor and a condition known as cardiac amyloidosis, a rare disease that occurs when abnormally folded proteins called amyloid fibrils build up in the heart muscle, impairing its function.
David said: “Back Pain has helped save my life.
“I really thought it was just a tight muscle.”
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“The doctor actually told me that back pain saved my life.
“If it weren't for that pain, the tumor would have continued to grow and the conversation would have been completely different.
“I feel great and so grateful and lucky.”
The 'silent' symptoms of deadly kidney cancer that strike at night — and 6 other signs you should never ignore
Kidney cancer often has no obvious symptoms, so it may be difficult to detect.
But experts say there are some signs of the deadly disease you can look for.
The most common is blood in the urine, known as hematuria, according to Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
It won't necessarily be there all the time, but you should always see your GP if they are.
One of the more unusual indicators is “very heavy” sweating.
These strange symptoms, which often appear at night, can occur along with a high temperature or fever.
While most people with this will not develop kidney cancer, it is important to get yourself checked.
Other symptoms worth paying attention to include:
- A lump or swelling in your back, under your ribs, or in your neck
- Pain between your ribs and waist that doesn't go away
- Anorexia
- Lose weight without trying
- Feeling tired or lacking energy
The kidneys are two small organs on either side of your spine, just below your ribs.
Kidney cancer, also called kidney cancer, occurs when abnormal cells begin to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.
It is more common in people over the age of 60, and is diagnosed in men more than women.
Smoking and being overweight or obese increase the risk of developing it.
CRUK says around 13,300 cases of kidney cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year.
There are about 4,700 deaths a year – or 13 deaths every day.
It is the seventh most common type of cancer in the UK.
How it is treated depends on the type of kidney cancer you have, its location, its size, whether it has spread, and your general health.
Surgery, cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, targeted medications, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are all options.
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