Leaving town, finally!

Adverse events following intravesical BCG therapy are related to strain virulence, allergic reactions or to nosocomial urinary tract infections. Low grade fever and irritative symptoms are common side-effects of BCG. They subside within 48 hours and do not require any specific treatment, apart from standard painkillers and antispasmodics. Further instillations should be postponed until symptoms have resolved completely. If symptoms do not resolve, complementary investigations are recommended including urine culture, and isoniazid may be prescribed for 15 days. The BCG dose should be reduced if symptoms increase after subsequent instillations. Complications of BCG infection - either local or systemic - have been reported with an incidence of 10-15%. These complications include: granulomatous prostatitis or epididymitis (treated with isoniazid and rifampicin for 3 months), contracted bladder may occur, mainly during maintenance courses, systemic infection such as granulomatous nephritis and abscesses, pneumonitis, hepatitis, osteomyelitis (treated with isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol for 6 months), and life-threatening adverse events may be related to septicaemia or to immunoallergic reactions, the onset of which may be delayed several months after the end of BCG therapy. Such conditions require urgent treatment with standard antituberculous antibiotics and prednisolone. These complications are an absolute contraindication for further BCG instillations. Despite its toxicity, the risk-benefit ratio favours the use of BCG in patients who have moderate- and high-risk tumours.

Pat

rudyskier wrote:
rudyskier, how did they determine & what treatment did you get, for the TB infection of the prostate. You are correct, as I have scrotum & gonad pain as well:woohoo:

after my 24th BCG I had BCG Cystitis. Of course, yours could just be a reaction to the BCG period. But with BCG Cystitis it is not uncommon to be on an antibiotic for a coupe of months - sometimes two different ones.
You are doing the right thng by changing Uro's. Mine did not listen when I told him how terrible I felt and all my symptoms, so I knew it was tie to move on.
Good luck

Nancy

I wish you the best of luck. I had the same trouble on the after the 5-6 th insertion of BCG. Nasty infection of my entire lower region (scrotum) terrible pain, constipation, could not even sit down and wound up with TB infection of the prostate... which I did not find out until months later.

Good Luck,
Rudy

I woke up today with symptoms of just having had a BCG-treatment. Burning and near unbearable pain when I start a “stream” and bladder spasms when I finish. I feel like I have a rusty “rail-road” spike stuck up my butt.

So, I am leaving my small-town Uro, finally, and have made an appointment with an Oncology Urologist at the University of Virginia, for Oct. 30 @ 9:00am. Getting an appointment at UVA this soon is a “miracle equal to the parting of the Red Sea” a real blessing from the Lord. I just pray things do not get worse before then. Keep in mind I have been on an antibiotic for 2-weeks, having got an infection after each of my last 2-series of BCG’s. Will keep you good folks informed as things change!

Dr’s info is below.

Dan Theodorescu, M.D., Ph.D.
Paul Mellon Professor of Urology
Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics
Director, Paul Mellon Urologic Cancer Institute
Department of Urology
P.O. Box 800422
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0422

Clinical Practice:
Minimally invasis and robotic oncologic surgery for prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. Prostate brachytherapy and prostate cryotherapy. Continent urinary diversion and orthotopic (neobladder) diversions

Research Interests:
Molecular Biology of Prostate and Bladder Cancer