BCG Treatment

8 years 6 months ago - 8 years 6 months ago #49197 by mclabhran
Replied by mclabhran on topic BCG Treatment
Good luck Jay. As a suggestion, you might want to pay attention to your daily diet. I have stayed away from anything that has sugar completely. No dairy products and much less acidic foods. Cancer feeds on sugar and hates oxygen and alkaline body.

Hi there Ustabee.

In response to your question. Initially I followed the guidelines that were given me and in one of my sessions I was in discussion with one of the nurses that was administering the BCG. She suggested making the lack of having water a little a longer and I decided I would make it much longer for experimental purposes. It occurred to me that one's body is going to seek out the whole body for liquids to output and that can come from food and any residual liquid. The reason for not having too much food the day before is that the bowels become full and lean against the bladder. So a full bowel along with liquid trying to occupy some of the bladder and to include the BCG, how on Earth is one's bladder going to hold the treatment for 2 hours. The bladder is not exactly a Zepplin! Not having food or water for 24/36 hours is not going to kill anyone. As a society we are too programmed that we must consume at every 4-6 hour interval. There are people out in the world who go on these fasts of no water or no food for a much longer duration of time and whose health is far greater than those feeding their faces (so-to-speak).

Each person really needs to understand how their body functions and I notice will follow to the "T" what doctors will tell them. The problem is doctors just like every "technician" will diagnose, but does not always know the full function of any one body. Sometimes they are so "texted booked" and that is why I think it is important for people to really educate themselves as best they can about their own body and what they are experiencing. Not that they should self-diagnose themselves and become a doctor. We live (even more so) in a global market where information is at our finger tips. We are able to find papers, test trials, break throughs and the like by researchers from other countries that can give us some insight about our own illnesses. As human beings there is nothing that is unique from one to another...at the end of the day it is bones, flesh and fluids that are contained in a cover called skin that makes up our anatomy. Oh, and some electrical current so we can get charged!

I am in touch with a few other people who have survived some 10+ years Stage IV bladder cancer and they have been providing me information as well. Read, educate oneself and make appropriate decisions.

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8 years 6 months ago #49196 by Jay
Replied by Jay on topic BCG Treatment
Good information here. This sounds crazy, but I wish I had another BCG treatment coming up so I could try some of this stuff out. I'm almost positive my last BCG problem was drinking a sip or two of water each time I got up during the night, which is sometimes 4 plus times, mostly thinking of the urine sample they always want before hand, each time I go for the treatment. Even though they drain my bladder before the treatment, that sip or two of water throughout the night shows up later. Mid November will be my next testing grounds. Jay

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8 years 6 months ago #49194 by ustabee
Replied by ustabee on topic BCG Treatment
mclabhran, I'm glad to see I have found at least one person who understands why not drinking fluids for at least 24 hours is great help for those who have a problem holding the BCG. Makes sense to me.
Did your Doctor tell you to do this or did you do it on your own?
Ustabee (Marty)

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8 years 6 months ago #49191 by ustabee
Replied by ustabee on topic BCG Treatment
Followup on my "fasting" before the BCG procedure blog:

I did cut it back by fasting time to 24 hours and it's still adequate to clock two hours with the wash.. My doctor explained that the incontinence and urgency problems I likely acquired during my two resections make it difficult for me to retain the BCG. That will probably improve over time and will let me do without the fasting. However, right now, this works for me and fasting for a day is not unhealthy but does make room in my blatter. He did not "bless" my fasting but then again he didn't give me any advice as how to hold in the BCG. Thinking out of the box is sometimes necessary when all else fails.

I found this tidbit from a Cancer Care organization on the web tonight:
"You’re usually asked to limit the amount of liquid you drink before the treatment. This helps to increase the concentration of BCG in your bladder. Plus, drinking too much beforehand can make your bladder feel uncomfortably full. If you normally take water tablets (diuretics), take them later in the day. Your nurse or doctor will give you advice about preparing for your treatment".

So there is support for the idea of limiting the intake of fluids before the BCG treatment, but no mention as to how long to do it beyond "the night before". (If you have a morning appointment this doesn't mean a lot). Food with a high concentration of water such as fruit is just like drinking water so I treat that as liquid. I also avoid food which will give me gas and I try to have an empty stomach, for obvious reasons.

From my limited experience and knowledge, I understand that BCG is the gold standard for cancer of the bladder. If you're having trouble with it and your doctor can't help, look for a Cancer Treatment Center or Doctor who will help you. Get another opinion. Don't settle!

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8 years 7 months ago #49189 by Martin47
Replied by Martin47 on topic BCG Treatment
A fifteen minute drive home after the application of BCG will not cause any problems, because I have been driven for 20 minutes after each of the eight applications! It must be something else. Martin47

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8 years 7 months ago #49146 by Jay
Replied by Jay on topic BCG Treatment
All good information! I'll have to wait for my next BCG treatment and see what works best, but surely won't dehydrate myself that much, will just cut myself off around 9:00pm instead of midnight. Jay

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