Hello @lauriejw and welcome to Connect. There seems to be a wide range of individual reactions to the BCG treatments. My husband started his after a partial cystectomy and chemo, as his tumor was muscle invasive. Catheterization comfort depends on the nurse's ability and experience but application of a local anesthetic made it more comfortable for him. The first treatment we spent the 2 hours there but he had a regular hospital bed at the infusion center and was not uncomfortable. After that we left right after the infusion and he did his turning at home on the couch. He had minimal reactions to BCG, just an increase in urgency for the first 12-24 hours afterward. No burning, pain, or bleeding. He was worn out but he was also healing from previous procedures. Unfortunately his cancer was very aggressive and returned during the maintenance BCG treatments. He ended up with a radical cystectomy with Neobladder to be cancer free. The new normal now includes self catheterization 3-4 times a day and Depends at night but it's a far sight better than cancer.
This form of immunotherapy seems to be fairly tolerable compared to some others, despite the invasive catheterization. Always address any symptoms that you have with your medical team and you will get through this next step successfully. Be strong.