Chemotherapy and clothing.

Hello Mangrasan and welcome to the community. Sorry for a delayed response. Not like me to miss a post. When you say chemo, do you mean the BCG in to the bladder or intravenous chemo like Gem/Cis. If BCG, the someone should be along with advice. I had Gem/Cis and didn't have to take any real precautions other than general hygiene. Best wishes.

Thanks for that, I've had the intravenous chemo and your reply has settled my anxiety, 

Hi again Mangrasan. Yes, with the general chemo, just general hygiene needed. It is the BCG direct in to the bladder that needs all the extra toilet and clothes cleaning, as the drug is passed out as urine. Hope All goes well. Best wishes 

Hi Mangrasan, although I'm not a man I thought I'd share my experience.  When I had chemo for breast cancer over a decade ago I was quite worried with all the hand washing, & bleaching of toilet ...  No disrespect but I kept off the American sites as they jogged & wore full make up during their chemo, which made me feel very inadequate.  I slept for 18 hours a day & didn't do much else,  but that was when I had the chemo for breast cancer.  I've had MMC & Epirubicin for bladder cancer & I just used a wipe after going to the toilet, & poured bleach down the toilet.  All the best with your treatment!

HI Mangrasan, I've had both Myctomicin and BCG (in fact just started a new treatment yesterday). In VERY  practical terms... ;-) I sit down to wee, and have a wad of toilet paper that i use to push down near the top of the penis. I make sure it doesn't get wet from the urine, so the paper is not in the stream, but it does help to stop side/back splash onto the genital area. After weeing, another quick wipe of the tip to make sure there's no last drip before I stand up. then over to the sink to wash hands and penis with regular soap. You might want a seperate towel to dry yourself. Then a quick rinse of the sink.

I drink a lot during chemo so wee at least 6-8 times per day, I don't change my underwear after every wee, and don't wear pads or anything like that.  When I had my first Mytomicin, the nurse did give me a post-treatment pad, but never again since, and my urologist/nurse never asked me to wear one again either. Underwear and towel goes into the regular wash with the rest of the family.

If you are having BCG, you may know that you'll need to put 2 cups of bleach into the toilet for 15 minutes before you flush the wee away. The bleach needs that time to kill the BCG. Also, if you do have multiple toilets in your place, and if you wanted extra peace of mind, you can also decide to use one toilet just for you on the day of BCG (but just the 6 hours after the treatment). If you have one toilet then not to worry, as the bleach kills everything.

Using this method I have not had any issues.

I will be starting gem/cis next week so am interested in the replies.

Does it really take 4 hours? If so, during the treatment, are you sitting, laying down? ARe you as the patient capable of doing anything such as reading, music etc?

Hi Coojee. The first day can take up to 8 hours. You are not being pumped full of drugs all that time. Most of the time it is just saline solution to keep your kidneys functioning. Wear loose and comfortable clothing. You may be in an armchair, or some hospitals have adjustable beds. Take snacks and drinks and something to keep you occupied. You can get up and move around, but things may be a bit more restricted these days owing to covid. The chemo lounges are usually friendly and upbeat and usually some wanting a chat. Best wishes with it.

Hi there, it’s completely normal to have many questions after your first chemotherapy session. While you don’t need to change underpants after every pee, wearing a sanitary pad or using old underwear is a good idea for safety. Chemotherapy drugs can be excreted in bodily fluids, so it’s smart to wash clothes separately and wipe down surfaces. You don’t need to completely isolate, but basic hygiene practices, like using gloves for cleanup, are helpful. Always follow your doctor’s specific guidelines for your safety!