Papillary Transitional Cell Carcenoma stage I/II

I was a smoker until I heard the words, “we found something in your bladder, and it was cancer”. I quit right then. I was having a scope of my bladder to remove a stuck kidney stone that was discovered in an x-ray follow up to the infected prostate

The Prostate is fine; one of my three kidney stones was removed, along with the tumor. I under went six weeks of BCG therapy. I am having another scope this October. I have been handling the whole thing pretty well, but I now have what feels like Arthritis in several of my joints. I am trying to figure out if this is side effect from the BCG’s.

About 1 month after the last BCG, My joints began to ache. I first thought I had Lyme Disease, (Its major symptom is swelling and pain in major joints). Both hips, one knee, one finger, both thumbs, all of my toes, both ankles and occasionally my sternum are extremely achy. I have tested negative for rheumatoid arthritis, lyme disease, lupus and gout. I am posting this here because the nurse at my urologist office said that a very small percentage of BCG recipients experience joint pain. I have been getting run around and am currently waiting to get in to see a rheumatologist but it is taking three weeks. Has any one else experienced anything like this as a side effect of the BCG’s.

It has been a busy three months and I was relatively healthy up to that time! The cancer was found early, so I am confident or at least very hopeful and optimistic we can lick it. I will let you all know after the appointment in October.

Steve Leahy