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When beer-loving Andy Young suddenly went off the idea of a pint, he knew it was time to see a doctor.
The 62-year-old had just retired after nearly two decades without a day off sick.
But after a couple of months, the former financial controller, who liked a pint at the weekend and brewed his own beer, started feeling under the weather.
He said he had mild flu-like symptoms in the run-up to last Christmas which he assumed would improve with time.
But when he 'suddenly went off beer', the father of three decided to visit his GP in January.
After blood tests showed his kidneys were not functioning properly, further tests in March revealed he had the blood cancer myeloma and he was told it was 'treatable but not curable'.
After weeks of chemotherapy, Mr Young, of Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is now showing improvements and looking ahead to a stem cell transplant in
October with the hope of reaching remission. He added: 'I can drink a beer now, so I think that shows that the chemotherapy is working and my kidneys must be improving.'
Andy Young (pictured) found out he had cancer when he lost his taste for his home brewed beer
He said he had passed a health check-up at 60 with 'flying colours' and was OK till he 'suddenly went off beer'.
'I'd have a couple of beers in an evening or at the weekend – but this particular time it took me nearly three hours to drink a beer,' he said. 'There was something about the taste because I really wasn't enjoying it. It was an effort to get through it.'
He felt this was 'strange' as his hobby was brewing his own beer.
He said his GP did not clarify whether losing his taste for beer was health-related but he was referred for blood tests.
They showed his kidneys were not working properly and he was advised to drink more water. Further blood tests in March, plus electrocardiograms, ultrasounds and a bone marrow biopsy, showed he had myeloma.
Mr Young added: 'The consultant came in to break the news and said, 'You've got myeloma, it's a blood cancer, it's treatable but not curable. Any questions?'. It was a huge shock and then
I thought: 'How do I tell my loved ones?'
'It took almost three months to finally diagnose me with blood cancer. I was thinking it was a kidney problem.'
The charity Myeloma UK says symptoms can include fatigue, recurring infection and kidney damage. Despite it being the third most common blood cancer, it is difficult to detect as symptoms are often linked to ageing or minor ailments, the charity says.
Mr Young said: 'If something doesn't feel right, or something changes, then it probably isn't right. Get it checked.'
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