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IMPORTANT: The Bladder Cancer Canada discussion forum is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. The opinions & contents in this forum is for information only and is not reviewed by medical professionals. They are experiences & opinions of patient members like you, and is NOT intended to represent the best or only approach to a situation. Always consult your physician and do not rely solely on the information in this site when making decisions about your health.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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  • #8403
    Paul D
    Participant

    Just finished my 2nd BCG at the local Cancer Care Clinic, all good so far but need to drink a lot more water. Had a coffee and tea and they are playing havoc with my bladder, voided about six times in the last few hours. Again the nurses were brilliant and even had my second visit from the hospital chaplain who does like a talk, not being a god person doesn’t stop her talking the hind leg off a donkey. Let you know how I feel later if my condition changes, I was talking to a lady having Chemo out in the clinic who has had cancer of some type (didn’t ask type) for 12 years and her whole demeanor was positive and told me every day is another precious day and never let your cancer get you down. Wise words.
    Best of luck to anyone having treatment and will post after my 3rd BCG.
    Paul

    #20769
    shelties
    Participant

    Hi Paul, glad to hear that your BCG treatments are going reasonably well. Probably best to limit coffee and tea the first day of having treatments. Lots of water is likely your best bet for getting fluids into you. Also good to hear that you’re being treated well by medical staff, but for the most part, the people who work in the cancer clinics are very good at what they do, and they do it in a caring and compassionate manner. Here’s hoping that everything goes well for the rest of your treatments.

    Take care.
    Lorraine

    #20771
    marysue
    Participant

    Hi Paul:

    A lot of us, including me, that have had BCG treatments found that anything with caffeine in irritated the heck out of the bladder while doing treatment. So anything like coffee, black and green teas, caffeinated soda like Coke or Pepsi or those energy drinks like Red Bull. That for me also included (sigh!) chocolate. I found sticking to water, herbal teas (peppermint and chamomile) and occasionally a little gingerale worked the best. I avoided caffeine for the total time I was doing treatments and didn’t resume any until about 2 weeks post last treatment. For some that might seem extreme but it is what worked for me. My bladder was very spastic from the treatments and the intrusion from the catheters anyhow. I felt it was a small sacrifice to make to avoid making my bladder any worse.

    It is important to drink a lot of water post treatment to help flush out the drug from the bladder. This will help reduce the amount of irritation as well because it keeps your urine diluted. I found drinking hot water first thing in the morning ( an Asian thing I learned from my mother-in-law) has always helped my kidneys and bladder get moving for the day and helps keep me well hydrated. I also found drinking extra fluids a day or so before the treatments helped too.

    Hope this info helps – best wishes going forward with the rest of the treatments.

    ((((HUGS))))

    #20773
    cheryl9
    Participant

    Hello Paul

    Yes, water, water and more water. Not only does it ease the bladder, also helps reduce risk of infection. Going the four hours before treatment without water just about kills me but once the two hours after treatment are done, I start mainlining the water. Roughly 24 ounces between each bathroom visit and those visits can be as frequent as 45 minutes apart. Have found that the more urine there is, the more gentle it is on the bladder.

    Irritation and urgency usually increases through the treatments and can last for some time after.

    Take care
    Cheryl

    #20775
    bluebill
    Participant

    Hi Paul,

    Here is how my first 6 BCG treatments went and what I do and still do each time I have 3 weeks of BCG. My appointments are usually around 9:30 am.

    1st one I didn’t have any reactions.
    2nd I definitely new something was happening.
    3rd, 4th and 5th more of a reaction joint pain, flu like symptoms and fatigue.
    6th didn’t feel great more of a reaction but the symptoms went away like the others did in 48 hours.

    All in all the side effects were bearable but we all react differently. Hope yours will be as good as mine.

    I take 2 tylenol 1 hour before the BCG. 20 minutes before the 2 hours are up I drink 250 mls of water at the 2 hour mark I drink another 250 mls. From 11:30 AM I try and drink a minimum of 2500 mls and take tylenol again if needed.

    I’m coming up to my third anniversary and now get BCG every 6 months for 3 weeks. The only thing I have changed is I have increased my water input to 4000 mls after the BCG. I also avoid coffee and alcohol for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after my BCG treatments.

    Best of luck.
    T1HG

    #20777
    Paul D
    Participant

    Thanks every body and yes yesterday was a very sharp lesson in what “not” to do after BCG treatment, I will stop all coffee intake (so hard) from now on and limit my tea which is chamomile. I had a shocker of a time last evening as my bladder was telling me that it was not happy, I was drinking water at that stage but it was painful to pass that out. I eventually stopped drinking anything two hours prior to going to bed and I had a great nights sleep. Today is another day and I feel good and yes bluebill it looks like I am following your BCG journey, thanks again guy’s and even at my age you never stop learning. I stopped alcohol when I was first diagnosed with BC which has helped me a lot and I don’t miss it “I think”.
    Love and best wishes to all,
    Paul

    #20780
    DDep
    Participant

    G’day Paul

    My reaction has been pretty typical … But, maybe on the more “intense” side as I get all the typical issues. Drink Water, Water, Water … Don’t drink anything caffeinated, or alcohol. For details on BCG treatment, preparation, side effects etc. have a look at this Reference. http://chemocare.com/chemotherapy/drug-info/bcg.aspx

    For me:
    1) 6 week induction (That is once per week for six weeks) – very mild symptoms. Mostly fatigue toward the end. I did drink LOTS of water (about 3 to 5 litres) from 2 hours after treatment. Only real noticeable thing was some very slight burning while voiding (dysuria).
    2) 3 week maintenance treatments (at 3 months and 6 months) – I have to stay home and near the ensuite toilet. Starting about 2 hours after instillation, I drink LOTS of water … (about 1/2 litre every hour until I drink about 3- 5 litres). Nevertheless for about 6 -8 hours thereafter, I feel feverish (37.5C to 38C), cold feet, frequent urination (every 20 minutes), blood in urine, and dysuria. By midnight of the treatment day, it all passes.
    3) Long term for about 2 months after the last treatment my energy level is very low … I feel fatigued. My doctor tells me that this is common. My energy level slowly returns … only to be smacked down with the next BCG maintenance course.

    Bottom line … we all react differently with different intensity. BCG is meant to excite an immune system reaction in the bladder and it takes a few instillations to get it to “kick-in”. “The irritative reactions usually are seen following the third instillation and tend to increase in severity after each administration”. Ref. http://www.rxlist.com/theracys-side-effects-drug-center.htm.

    Its good you are having the treatment. I pray it results in your cancer being put behind you.
    Hoping for continued mild symptoms …

    God Bless

    DDep

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