Bladder Irritants

Bladder Irritants

On the day of BCG, the day of surgery and probably a week after surgery, you should avoid all these foods, drinks, and medications. 

 

If bladder irritation continues (which does with BCG for me... for months after the treatment!), you might want to avoid everything on the list, and slowly add them back into your diet, seeing how you respond to them.

Don't Drink / Eat / Take:  

🔶 Acidic foods - tomatoes, limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruits

🔶 Smoking - nicotine is a bladder irritant, and can 

         cause bladder cancer

🔶 Caffeine - anything with caffeine in it

🔶 Coffee (including decaffeinated)

🔶 Alcohol (beer, wine, liquor)

🔶 Tea (herbal is okay) 

🔶 Carbonation - Anything that is carbonated including 

         soda, and sparkling water

🔶 Avoid spicy foods - vinegar, pepper, chili, salsa, chilies, onions

🔶 Alka Seltzer (it creates carbonation) 

🔶 Chocolate (it has theobromine in it which is just like caffeine)

🔶 Ibuprofen (see below)

🔶 Fruit juices like cranberry

🔶 Artificial sweeteners 

🔶 Natural sweeteners 

🔶 Processed foods

 

Alka Seltzer for BCG - NO! 

When I was desperate for pain relief on BCG #11, a dear bladder cancer friend of mine, told me that she heard that Alka Seltzer could help with the pain.

I immediately sent my hubby out to get me some, and took it along with anything else that I thought that could help. I was not familiar with this stuff, but we saw on the box that it has aspirin in it. 

I took it along with all the other meds I could possibly have. 

The next urologist visit I had, I mentioned this strange sounding "remedy" to her. She was shocked. She clearly told me that Alka Seltzer is a bladder irritant and DO NOT TAKE IT WITH BCG! 

 

There is a pain medication in Alka Seltzer (Aspirin) that might be confused with helping. Better choices for pain medications would be Tylenol, probably not ibuprofen. Please see below. 

 

 Decaff Coffee, Caffeine, Carbonation, Ibuprofen

 

Caffeine is a diuretic, making you urinate more. It is also a bladder stimulant, so it makes the bladder squeezes more strongly at smaller volumes. BCG is already going to be causing these issues, you don't want to compound it! 

 

Decaffeinated coffee is better than regular, however doctors and other healthcare providers report that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and tear can trigger bladder irritations because of the acidity in the products. It's best to kick the coffee and tea habit, and find alternative ways to find energy throughout the day.

 

Carbonation, made with carbon dioxide or CO2 is an irritant to the bladder lining. So no soda or Alka Seltzer. 

I found this great article that talks more about this, written by a urologist. Click here to see the article. 

 

Yes, you see ibuprofen on this list. A bladder cancer patient in a Facebook group said that she had heard that Ibuprofen is also a bladder irritant. I had never heard of this. There is some research out there that does point that that fact.

I found this information about Ibuprofen: 

"Bladder problems: This medication may cause bladder pain, painful or difficult urination, or increased frequency of urination. If these symptoms occur without an explanation (e.g., infection), stop taking this medication and contact your doctor." Accessed 19/9/21 from here.

From what I've read, the majority of people do not have these issues with Ibuprofen. Just keep this in mind as a possibility as a bladder irritant.

 

Sweeteners and Processed Foods

 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, there’s some evidence that both artificial and natural sweeteners can increase bladder irritation. As with other foods, you might not have to cut out sugar altogether, but it might be wise to experiment and see if your symptoms lessen when you limit these in your diet.

 

How Much Fluid Should I Drink?

How much fluid you drink can influence your bladder habits. As with everything in life, balance is key. 

Too much fluid

Drinking too much fluid makes you urinate more often. Drinking too much too quickly can overwhelm your bladder, creating a strong sense of urgency.

Even if you need to drink more because you exercise a lot or work outdoors you don't have to drink all fluids at once. Try drinking smaller amounts throughout the day, such as 16 ounces (473 milliliters) at each meal and 8 ounces (237 milliliters) between meals.

If you get up several times at night to urinate:

• Drink more of your fluids in the morning and afternoon rather than at night
• Skip alcohol and beverages with caffeine, such as coffee, tea and cola, which increase urine production
• Remember that fluids come not only from beverages, but also from foods such as soup

Too little fluid

Drinking too little fluid can lead to a buildup of body waste products in your urine. Highly concentrated urine is dark yellow and has a strong smell. It can irritate your bladder, increasing the urge and frequency with which you need to go.

 

Keep a Food Diary

Because the effects of food on the body can be different from person to person, it’s impossible to say for certain that you should or shouldn’t avoid each of these foods. A food diary can help you identify which foods cause your symptoms to worsen.

In the diary, note what foods you ate, when you ate them, and any symptoms you experience after. This will allow you to see any patterns or connections between the foods you eat and bladder irritation.

 

Using a Strict Elimination Diet

 

If your bladder symptoms are due to your eating and drinking, a strict diet that gets rid of the products listed can give you relief in 10 days. Once your symptoms get better, you can add things back in. 

 

Do this one at a time. This way if something does cause you to have more symptoms, you will be able to tell which product is the problem. 

 

When you do start to add foods back, you need to keep drinking the 6 to 8 glasses of 8 ounce glasses of fluids a day, the majority being water (no carbonation). If you follow the strict diet for 10 days and do not have any changes in your symptoms, your problem may not be due to diet and you can go back to your normal eating habits.