[Marlene]

Hi Cam,

John had the BK. His bladder was bleeding at the same time. His experience will be different since he did not have a transplant but the cytoxan wiped out his marrow and he had no white cells for 84 days. During this time at the hospital, they tried some antibiotics but it had no effect. His bladder was being flushed with saline 7/24 for about two months at the same time. We were told that once his white count got high enough, it would clear up. He ended up being released even though his bladder was still bleeding. So we were in a "wait and see" mode since there was not much anyone could do.

In the meantime, fresh cranberries came into season and I was making tarts, chutney and preserves. So he was eating them quite a bit over a 3 week period. To our surprise, his bladder cleared up. White count remained the same.

So this was our experience with BK and bleeding. I don't know if it's a good strategy for you to try also but I don't see how it could hurt. Cranberries, as well as blueberries have a compound that prevents bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. There is also a product that you can get that will do the same. It's called D-mannose. It's the natural sugar in the berries responsible for their action. I get it in the powdered form and add it to water. Very simple to take.

I haven't kept up with new pharmaceutical for viruses so there may be some new meds out there. Back in 2002 when John was treated, there were none.

Hope this helps.