I too,dyed my hair dark brown for many years. I greyed early. It is hereditary but I blamed raising 4 sons (only kidding!) I am convinced the dye contains chemicals that put one at risk for BC. I also learned from the uro that spoke at the Calgary Patient conference in October 2011 that certain people have a genetic type that causes one to eliminate toxins at a slower rate then average. There isn’t a test available yet for that. So I figure in my case if I do have that genetic thing combined with use of dye, exposure to chemicals, pollution, childhood exposure to lots of second hand smoke and I also wonder if my long use of post surgical meds for urological surgeries in childhood had anything to do woth it as well. If it were to turn out that all of these things play a role then I inadvertently set myself up for this ticking time bomb.
Some suggestions for BCG as a female with experience… The drug burns like a b**** on the first void (does for the guys too) but what I found helped with this was to pour cool water over the genital area as I was peeing. I also found applying Lanacaine cream to the genital area helped as I experienced irritation in the genital area from the BCG. Wash yourself carefully afterwards too. Make sure that you keep any washclothes used for washing yourself away from family members. Drink lots of water post treatment to flush the reamining drug out of your system. I also suggest avoiding caffeine consumption as well as caffeine tends to irritate the bladder.
Try to rest as much as you can if you are still bleeding. Rest will help you heal faster. No heavy lifting or cleaning for 4-6 weeks. If you work reduce your hours for a bit especially during BCG treatments. Try to go for short walks. Don’t worry about boot camp exercise regimes. Walking will build up your physical strength. I suggest trying a beginner yoga class when you are healed. It will help build up care body strength without a lot of undo stress on your body. I do acupuncture as I believe that it helps with healing and I know it did help me recover from the side effects of BCG.
If nothing taught you to say no before this will. You have an excuse. You are now the priority. I too, used to push myself too hard. Use this time to learn and grow and do stuff for yourself. I made time to participate in support programs at Wellspring Calgary. It is a cancer support center for anyone with cancer and their families. The programs along with yoga, support from this site helped me deal with it. I hope my suggestions give you some “food for thought”.
