Edinburgh GP diagnosed her own blood cancer after spotting unusual symptoms

Dr Judith Milligan first realised something was wrong while training for a 10k race in 2012.

The mum of two, who was 45 at the time, said she had been feeling unusually exhausted, a symptom she first put down to her busy work and home life.

But when her ankle swelled up out of the blue after the race, she became more concerned.

She decided to take a urine sample, which revealed she had protein in her urine.

“At that point I realised I had leaky kidneys,” said the now 58-year-old.

“A year before, I had had a couple of vertebral fractures but I was told it was caused by a congenital issue.

“In retrospect I wonder if they collapsed because I already had myeloma at that stage. I’ll never know.”

Within less than two months, Dr Milligan was diagnosed with both the incurable blood cancer myeloma, and another, related incurable condition called AL amyloidosis.

Her husband was also experiencing serious health problems at the time.

She said: “I didn’t know much about myeloma and, from my student days, I thought it was a death sentence.

“The prognosis was described to me as being in years rather than decades.

“I worried that I wouldn’t be there for my children as they grew into adults.

“I remember going to the primary school and speaking to the headmaster, explaining we both had serious health issues and that it was possible that our children could be orphaned.

“I have a letter to Santa from my daughter from that time asking for drugs to make her mummy well again.”

Thirteen years on, Dr Milligan is “living for today” and, thanks to her early diagnosis and a stem cell transplant, she is in full remission.

“I’m sure I was diagnosed early because I was aware that my vague signs and symptoms could be serious,” she said.

“If I hadn’t been a GP, it would have been easy for me to ignore them as a busy working mum and for my GP not to have pursued it if I hadn’t already dipped my urine at work and found it contained an unusually high amount of protein.”

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Dr Milligan is now taking on the London Paris Ride in aid of Myeloma UK on May 14.

Speaking of the charity, she said: “Myeloma UK have been there for me and my family throughout.

“Through their work they help develop the drugs that help many patients like me live long and full lives.

“Raising money through doing the London Paris Ride is a small way for me to say thank you and help them continue to do all they do.”

The doctor has already fundraised £2,500 for Myeloma UK ahead of the challenge.

She also completed the London Marathon for the charity back in 2019, and has taken on an activist role co-creating a guide for GPs to help them spot the tell-tale signs of the condition.

Myeloma currently affects over 35,000 people in the UK, with over 2,400 people living with the condition in Scotland.

Although the condition is a relatively common type of blood cancer, the charity says its symptoms, which include back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infections, are often dismissed or put down to general ageing.

Currently more than half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis, and around a third are diagnosed through A&E.

While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases, which can allow patients to live for years after their diagnosis.

Dr Milligan said she’s incredibly grateful for the extra time she’s been given to watch her children, now aged 23 and 21, grow up.

“I’m coming up 13 years in remission and I feel fit and healthy,” she said.

“It’s only changed my life in terms of the fact that now I’m making sure I maximise the opportunities I have.

“Live for today but plan for tomorrow is my motto. I’m going trekking in Nepal in November.

“I have my children’s graduations this summer and we’re planning a lovely family holiday together.

“I absolutely didn’t think I would see them go to high school, let alone graduate. It feels like such a massive milestone.”