BCG maintenance

5 years 10 months ago #55333 by sara.anne
Replied by sara.anne on topic BCG maintenance
"Redness" in the bladder could very well be irritation from the BCG. I did have "BCG-cystitis" so we postponed additional BCG treatments until it healed.

Good luck!!

Sara Anne

Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
Forum Moderator

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5 years 10 months ago #55332 by pmwilliams1
Replied by pmwilliams1 on topic BCG maintenance
Had 6 initial plus 3 maintenance infusions. Side effects mainly frequency and urgency of urination. Biopsy after 1st round of BCG showed NED! Cystoscope after 3 maintenance infusions shows redness in bladder. Scheduled for biopsy 6/14/18.

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5 years 10 months ago #55331 by sara.anne
Replied by sara.anne on topic BCG maintenance
I moved your post here where more people are likely to see it. "How To" is more how to use the Forum!!

There is a LOT on BCG here on the Forum. Go to the top of this page and at the right is "Search." If you click
on that you can find more than you want to know!

You asked about side effects of maintenance BCG. Have you had the induction course? The side effects of maintenance are just the same, although they do tend to increase the more instillations you receive. The usual side effects of BCG are fatigue, urinary urgency, occasional bleeding, burning. These usually go away within a few hours or days. If they become too burdensome your urologist can reduce the dose since there is no real reason for the doses used. One of the pioneers in the use of BCG, Dr. Donald Lamm, has stated that as little as 10% the intitial dose can still be effective. I was down to 1/3 dose by the time I finished my BCG.

Hope this answers a few of your concerns.

Sara Anne

Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
Forum Moderator
The following user(s) said Thank You: pmwilliams1

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5 years 10 months ago #55330 by pmwilliams1
BCG maintenance was created by pmwilliams1
Any side effects to BCG maintenance treatments?

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