Jodie, I will try to answer your questions. There are multiple protocols for giving BCG, but the "usual" one is to have 6 instillations, a week apart, for 6 weeks. Then about three months later you have three more, and this repeats for a total of about 2 years. It has been shown that the maintenance regimen improves the outcome, especially with CIS.
Mitomycin is often given in the rare cases where a patient cannot tolerate BCG. Now, with BCG in short supply, it is being used instead of BCG. It is not as effective as BCG, but is a good substitute.
The side effects of BCG tend to increase over time as the treatments continue. You are trying to stimulate the immune system in the bladder and the side effects indicate that this is happening. The first that you generally notice is fatigue a day or so after the treatments. Burning when you urinate blood in the urine, and "having to go" are the most common. If the side effects become too severe, the dose can be drastically lowered. By the time I finished I was on 1/3 the original dose and even 1/10th has been shown to be effective.
Dr. Donald Lamm is one of the pioneers of BCG and his web page gives a lot of information. His schedule of treatments is not quite the same as the one most of us have had. But it is interesting to read.
www.bcgoncology.com/treatment/bcg.html
My checkups have been cystoscopy every three months for two years, then every 6 months until the five year mark, and NOW once a year. Every five years my uro wants to do a CT urogram. Of course, if a "bad" spot appears, a biopsy is indicated.
As for diet, as in all things, moderation is the key. Whenever I hear of someone going on a special regimen (juices, paleo, gluten-free) I fondly remember the number of times my father sat down at the dinner table and said "what are we not supposed to eat today?"
Sara Anne