Immunotherapy for bladder cancer is also know as BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin), which is a weakened tuberculosis vaccine that has been found to be very effective in treating non invasive bladder cancer and CIS. The use of BCG for bladder cancer was developed by Dr. Donald Lamm and his research led to the approval by the FDA for bladder cancer treatment. You normally have 6 treatments, once a week and prior to each treatment, they check your urine for infection. Each treatment is a little rougher on your bladder and usually gets really rough around the fifth or sixth treatment. But, everyone is different.
Procedure: The instillation is usually done my a medical assistant inserting a small rubber catheter into the bladder so the BCG can be administered directly into the bladder. You are asked to hold the solution in the bladder for 2 hours while changing position every 15 minutes. E.G. back, right side, tummy, left side. In my case I also held my legs straight in the air so the solution could reach the dome of my bladder. After the first few voids, you must pour a cup of bleach in the toilet and let stand for 15 minutes before flushing. Gloves and masks are recommended as precautionary measures.
February 20 - #1 treatment went fine. I had flu like symptoms and felt like I got hit by a Mac truck. On the fifth day post treatment, I was voiding blood. On the sixth day I was passing blood clots. I went to the doctor’s office with a blocked urethra. I had a catheter inserted and a bladder wash. I skipped the next week’s treatment.
March 6 - March 13 - Treatments #2 and 3 went as expected. Bed rest to control the bleeding.
March 20 - #4 treatment was a little more intense, what other BCAN members warned me about. The first 6 hours were the toughest. Sudden urgency, cramping, some bleeding and discomfort. On thursday I woke up with a pounding headache and took extra Tylenol for relief.
March 28 - #5 treatment. The first two hours went well. But after the first void I began passing blood followed by intense bladder pain. I finally had to crack open the Percocet I had on hand just in case. What a huge difference! Then I switched to extra strength Tylenol. Already I am dreading my last treatment but I am holding on to my six weeks of recovery time after treatment 6.
April 3 - #6 treatment scheduled. This week I was due for my last treatment but they decided not to do it due to a large amount of leucocytes in my urine. Instead, they did a urine culture and postponed my treatment until next week. And the medical assistant told me it is not uncommon to get an infection when being catheterised each week.
April 10 - #6 treatment. Urinalysis revealed reduced to moderate amount of leucocytes, no trace of blood was found. Doctor gave ok for my final induction of BCG. I was grateful that I had a week to rest between treatments 5 and 6 as these caused bleeding, small clots, bladder spasms and extreme urgency every 15 minutes. My last treatment was the worst. Holding the solution for 2 hours was never an issue and the pain always started after my first void. This time I was unable to control my bladder for the first few hours after my first void. It was as if someone turned the faucet without my permission. I remember watching the clock knowing that, given time, the symptoms would decrease. Now I can rest for 6 weeks before finding out if the treatments worked.
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