My journey with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment

Posted by ggarrepy @ggarrepy, Nov 9, 2022

I’m a 77 year old female. I just started the first of six BCG treatments for T1 high grade bladder cancer. I was so worried that I would not be able to hold it for the two hours but I did it with no problem at all. Turned over every 15 minutes and felt fine. I’ve been back home now for a few hours and feel perfectly normal. So grateful!

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Congratulations, that’s well done. You may start to feel things as you journey through the 6 weeks.
I just finished my 30th installation last Friday and to make sure I came through it OK I took two Buscopan for cramps and contractions and then two Panadol Osteo for pain after it was all over. My first 24 installations didn’t work as my immune system was out of action as I am also fighting metastasized prostate cancer as well as the most aggressive form of leukaemia.
I am confident it will work this time as my health is much improved and BCG has around 90% success rate.
Good luck with your treatment.

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@plugger

Congratulations, that’s well done. You may start to feel things as you journey through the 6 weeks.
I just finished my 30th installation last Friday and to make sure I came through it OK I took two Buscopan for cramps and contractions and then two Panadol Osteo for pain after it was all over. My first 24 installations didn’t work as my immune system was out of action as I am also fighting metastasized prostate cancer as well as the most aggressive form of leukaemia.
I am confident it will work this time as my health is much improved and BCG has around 90% success rate.
Good luck with your treatment.

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Yes I wondered about that. I expect it will change a bit over the course of six weeks.
Bless you with all you have been through. How hard that must be. Hang in there. I will pray for you. You are a plugger and an inspiration.

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@ggarrepy

Yes I wondered about that. I expect it will change a bit over the course of six weeks.
Bless you with all you have been through. How hard that must be. Hang in there. I will pray for you. You are a plugger and an inspiration.

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My husband in starting his first next week. It took a little while for the clinic to acquire it for him, so it will be 7 weeks post TURBT and take him to the end of December. It’s good to connect with others who are on this journey, too.

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Yup we have to just get through it. I’m sure the reaction is different for each individual. The two hours went by fast for me and it was actually fine. Have him bring AirPods and a phone with him to help the time go by. Hang in there!

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When I was having my BCG treatments, I used to short myself on sleep the night before. I’d ask the nurses for a warm blanket and I’d get really comfortable and I’d literally fall asleep every 15 minutes and then turnover. I had a really busy life so this was a really relaxing enjoyable time for me, if you can believe that!

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@momforbracknkik

When I was having my BCG treatments, I used to short myself on sleep the night before. I’d ask the nurses for a warm blanket and I’d get really comfortable and I’d literally fall asleep every 15 minutes and then turnover. I had a really busy life so this was a really relaxing enjoyable time for me, if you can believe that!

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Hah I did the same thing. Warm blanket, my AirPods and phone, and just relaxed and turned every fifteen minutes. I have had zero reaction to it so far this week. We’ll see how next week goes.

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I had my first BCG treatment last week and my second tomorrow. I am a 20 year old female and my first went really well! Hoping both of ours in the future continue to go well!

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Having my second one as we speak, holding and turning. So far so good. Just on my phone. 😊

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@ggarrepy

Having my second one as we speak, holding and turning. So far so good. Just on my phone. 😊

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Scheduled for my third BCG Tuesday this week. Today I just had quite a nosebleed. This is rare for me. Could this be a side effect of the BCG treatments? I messaged my doc just in case.

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@ggarrepy

Scheduled for my third BCG Tuesday this week. Today I just had quite a nosebleed. This is rare for me. Could this be a side effect of the BCG treatments? I messaged my doc just in case.

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Third treatment canceled due to hematuria. Small amount is okay but I had a moderate amount so that was enough to cancel. We'll see how next week goes.

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