Arthritis after Treatments

[prairygirl43]

Hi all ,

Have any of you developed  severe pain in knees, wrists, & hips after a few treatments with BCG ?

I am having rather severe pain at times in these areas and have had xrays which determined that I now have Arthritis . I have done a lot of surfing online to see if this  is a side effect from these treatments and have found that there is , but according to others who have it, the urologists are hesitant to say that this is an actual side effect . I am due for 3 more maintenance treatments in April and Im not sure what to do . If I mention to my oncologist that I have this , will my treatments be cancelled . I would think they probably will and I dont really want that to happen so Im not sure what to do .

This will be my 4th series of treatments , which run 3 consecutive  weeks , one treatment per week . I had surgery in August of 2017 and treatments started Oct  /17 . So far so good . 🙂

Thanks

Sharon

• This topic was modified 6 years ago by Jack Moon.

[Jack Moon]

Hi Sharon

During the latter part of my maintenance BCG treatments I did encounter severe joint pain but Arthritis was ruled out by a specialist. I discussed with my Uro and he thought that this was a side effect of the BCG. I did finish my final 3 treatments. The joint pain did improve over time and was completely gone about 6 months after my final treatment. So my Urologist was correct.

I wish you all the very best. Sorry I could be of more help.

Jack

[GerryW]

I have not had experience with BCG, although there is some research on some of its possible side effects including joint discomfort….

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24510697/

Kingston and the 1000 Islands

[marysue]

Hi Prairiegirl:

I did experience a lot of muscle and joint pain while doing BCG treatments and it took a better part of a year for the pain to go away completely.  I would have days where it would flare up for some unknown reason. I still get mild flare ups when the weather is really cold or damp.  That being said, the pain/discomfort now is not at a level I feel I need to see a doctor about so I don’t know if it is arthritis or not.  It may also be part of the aging process for me as I’m now over 60.  Regular exercise seems to help.   ((((HUGS))))

[petertg]

Hi Prairiegirl,

I am wondering how you have fared with your BCG arthritis issues and if you have been able to complete your planned BCG treatment regim.

About nine months into my BCG journey I began to experience knee and hip pain. I remember at one treatment my nurse asked how I was feeling and I mentioned the joint pain. She quickly shut down the topic by saying that a I shouldn’t complain because I wasn’t doing “REAL” chemotherapy. That stopped me from even mentioning it to my urologist. I have relied on BCC for info and help since. I will hopefully be having 3 maintenance in February as long as Covid doesn’t shut things down again. This will bring me to 15 of 27 planned treatments, unless I have another recurrence.

Maybe BCG is not real chemotherapy but nonetheless the side effects and struggles are real enough. I pray my treatments continue as I believe that it is working for me.

Hope to hear how you are doing.

Thanks for sharing,

Peter

[JoanneO]

This is so interesting to read these experiences with arthritis pain following BCG    I was diagnosed with Non Muscle invasive bladder cancer in Oct 2018   To date I have had 18 treatments.   Following treatments in Jan 2020 I experienced bilateral hip pain and one finger became swollen and painful.   It took about a year to resolve .   Then covid hit and my treatments were cancelled until I had a series of 3 in Dec 2020.   Following that I developed a severe pain in the base of my L thumb, to the point I could not use my L hand for much.  Too much of a coincidence I say.   Both Family doctor and urologist ruled out that there was any connection and offered me no further advice .   I have been cancer free following all scopes and my urologist is suggesting more BCG at the 3 year mark.   I am feeling torn as BCG seems to be working for me .

Any thoughts out there ?

Joanne

[marysue]

Hi Joanne:

Have you thought of consulting a rheumatologist?  They specialize in all kinds of things related to inflammation and joint stuff.  I have no medical proof, nor am I a doctor and only my own personal experience to go by but I’m thinking that a potential reason for the arthritis is that it is part of the immune inflammatory reaction response to the BCG. I think it would be worth the ask of a specialist.  They may have some medication that they can give you to reduce the inflammation.

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