Hello. I am new to this forum and hoping that someone might have some thoughts to help.
My father, 83 years old (will be 84 in a few months), was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer back in November of 2004. He went through an intial 6 weeks of BCG in spring of 2005 and since then, has had TURB about every 6 months to remove the tumors. This last time, the urologist took my Mom and me aside and suggested my Dad go on maintenance BCG ... first 6 weeks, then three weeks more in three months, etc., for the next three years.
My Dad currently has trouble making it to the bathroom on time and often has accidents. I don't really think he could hold the BCG in his bladder for 2 hours ... and then, of course, there's the risk of the bacteria being present should he have an accident ...even, say, on the way home from the doctor's office.
Along with this, he is already weak and tired all the time and I'm very concerned that being a patient for so much of his life might make him even more depressed. I've read that the effectiveness of the treatment goes down after age 80, as well, as the body's immune system is slower as it ages.
Has anyone had any experience with an elderly person receiving maintenance BCG? Any thoughts or additional links of information would be much appreciated. Thank you so much.
