Muscle and joint pain following BCG?

14 years 3 months ago #29740 by sandie
Replied by sandie on topic Muscle and joint pain following BCG?
I had severe pain and stiffness in both knees after my 33rd BCG treatment (last September). My urologist discounted this as being from the BCG so I changed urologists! My family doctor could not figure out a cause....he put me on a prescription NSAID and the pain went away after about 2 months.

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14 years 3 months ago #29697 by blb
Replied by blb on topic Muscle and joint pain following BCG?
Steve,
After my 4th BCG treatment I had one wrist, both knees and my hips in severe pain and my eyes even swelled shut. My Uro would not acknowledge it - however it was finally decided that it was rhumatoid arthritis, triggered by the BCG. Unfortunately they took me off of BCG - but I have not had a reoccurance either - Good luck bobbi

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14 years 3 months ago - 14 years 3 months ago #29692 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic Muscle and joint pain following BCG?
YEP...its a side effect that the uro's generally choose to ignore and blame on other factors.
www.rxlist.com/theracys-drug.htm
you might see an infectious disease specialist if uro won't acknowlege.
There are some new protocols regarding reactions with BCG if only MSK and MD Anderson would share!!
Here is a case report regarding this
OBJECTIVE: To delineate the characteristics of aseptic arthritis induced by intravesical BCG immunotherapy. METHODS: Review of a personal case and 26 cases from the literature. RESULTS: Mean number of intravesical BCG instillations at arthritis onset was five. Arthritis onset was within two weeks of the last instillation in 90% of cases. Half the patients had fever and half had conjunctivitis or uveitis. Symmetric polyarthritis was the most common pattern (n = 19), followed by oligoarthritis (n = 7). One patient had monoarthritis. The main targets were the knees (81%), ankles (48%), and wrists (40%). Twenty-six percent of patients reported back pain and 11% had sacroiliitis manifesting as pain or radiological changes. Mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 89 mm/h and mean C-reactive protein was greater than 70 mg/l. HLA B27 was positive in 56% of cases. Joint fluid usually exhibited inflammatory properties with polymorphonuclear neutrophils as the predominant cell type. Synovial membrane biopsy showed nonspecific synovitis in the six patients who had this investigation. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory therapy was effective in 75% of cases. Three of the six patients given isoniazid and/or rifampin responded to this treatment. CONCLUSION: Although arthritis induced by intravesical BCG immunotherapy is more often polyarticular than oligoarticular, it shares many features with reactive arthritis.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10084173?ordinalpos=1&itool=PPMCLayout.PPMCAppController.PPMCArticlePage.PPMCPubmedRA&linkpos=4
Pat

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14 years 3 months ago #29691 by stevegrimes14
Replied by stevegrimes14 on topic Muscle and joint pain following BCG?
Thanks for moving it. I have to go in for another cysto on 1-22. I plan on asking about this then. My homework shows that it could be rhumatoid myalgia. I don't care what they call it, it hurts. If I sit for 20 minutes or so I have difficulty getting up. Most of the pain is in my hips, knees and feet with some in the shoulder.

Any comments most welcome.

Steve

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14 years 3 months ago - 14 years 3 months ago #29683 by Cynthia
Replied by Cynthia on topic Muscle and joint pain following BCG?
Moved from Life between Cysto's this deserves it own topic.

Cynthia Kinsella
T2 g3 CIS 8/04
Clinical Trial
Chemotherapy & Radiation 10/04-12/04
Chemotherapy 3/05-5/05
BCG 9/05-1-06
RC w/umbilical Indiana pouch 5/06
Left Nephrectomy 1/09
President American Bladder Cancer Society

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14 years 3 months ago #29680 by stevegrimes14
Muscle and joint pain following BCG? was created by stevegrimes14
Hi guys,

I have not posted in some time. Surgery is done, Had about 24 BCG, last cysto was clear. I have developed some joint and muscle pain, some say associated with the immune system working overtime.

anyone out there with something similar? Opinions?

thanks in advance.

Steve

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