Best Shower heads for MAC

Several members on this site have ordered copper showerheads that are hinged and open up to thouroughly empty and dry. I would imagine that they are pricey. They are made from copper as that metal is naturally anti-microbial.

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First visit in Nov. the NJH gastro doctor prescribed 40 mg Prilosec in am and 40 mg of Pepcid before bed for the GERD. Followup visit in June he added another 40 mg of Prilosec at night plus the Pepcid and not much of an explanation other than he wants to do a BRAVO test again with me on the meds which doesn't make sense to me. My local gastro doctor of 20 plus years said it's overkill and also a few other of my doctors. For years I took Previcid 20 mg with very little symptoms. With the 40 mg of Prilosec no acid symptoms so don't know why he would add the extra dose. I have osteopenia and PPI's can cause bone loss so I'm trying to just take Pepcid 40 mg in am and 40 mg in pm. I have had some heartburn so I take Gavascon and Prilosec in the am if I know we're having a meal that might give me symptoms. After watching a NJH gastro video where NJH's top ID doctor, Dr. Huitt, said PPI's do not get rid of GERD just the acid and if you don't have symptoms don't take them and you can still aspirate even with PPI's. She said PPI's reduce acid in the stomach and it's good to have acid because it can reduce gut bacteria. She also said PPI's can cause community acquired pneumonia. I won't see the gastro doctor on my 6 month NJH follow up because I'm not following his recommendation. He also recommended LINX surgery. I don't want to have surgery because there is only a 50% success rate which he did tell me. I have a local gastro surgeon who also told me only 50% success rate. He's highly regarded and pioneered gastro surgeries. As for the dysphagia, I was instructed to do swallow exercises which are hard swallows 10x's in a row, 3 times a day and another one holding your tongue and swallowing which I can't do. I haven't been doing them too often because I'm always bringing up mucus instead of swallowing. I have silent aspiration so no way of knowing if and when I aspirate. The barium swallow indicated it was liquid that went into my lungs. Lots of frustration dealing with all of this.

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@cali2142 I too have picked up on differences in the school of thought between NJH gastro docs and MAC theories.

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@sueinmn Spot on, Sue! I do the same thing as you. I do soak my shower-head in a baggie of vinegar as an added pre-caution since that is where there are the heaviest with colonization.

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If it makes you feel better that you are "doing something" by replacing your shower head, then do it. But that doesn't help with exposure to MAC prevalent throughout the environment.
After reading everything I can get my hands on, I would say the science isn't there yet to prove a conclusive link between your MAC infection and specifically, your shower. And even less that replacement of the shower head will "cure" the problem or prevent reinfection. As I understand this disease, once your lungs are colonized with MAC, it is not totally eradicated by treatment - just knocked down to undetectable numbers, so trying to "prevent infection" may be a moot point.
All of the studies cited are of very limited scope, with small sample sizes, and only one (from Japan) compared strains of mycobacterium found to the strains infecting residents of the homes. The results showed that only a few of the NTM found in the showers matched the strain the patient was infected with. None of the studies went as far as to evaluate any treatments like disinfecting or replacing the shower heads.
From a microbiological perspective, the biofilm that is formed surrounding NTM is tough, and I don't know what you can do at home to dislodge it & disinfect. That should certainly be subjected to thorough study as part of NTM research. That biofilm readily attaches to plastic - hmm, maybe the increase in infection is linked not to the shower heads, but to the replacement of copper plumbing and metal fixtures with plastic fixtures and pipe (PVC & PEX.) That would certainly be something to study as well.
As for myself, I have chosen to take the path of living a normal life, with reasonable precautions. I eat, rest, exercise, take my meds and do my breathing treatments to stay healthy. I wash my hands (a lot) and keep them away from my face. I avoid close contact with sick people. That means taking care when handling soil (avoid dust, wear gloves, wash thoroughly afterward.) At my Texas home, where I am pretty sure I contracted MAC, I have covered all the soil near my patio with ground cover, have a gardener mow, weed, rake & fertilize my yard & wash the patio while I am away & the house is well closed. I only garden there in pots with sterile potting soil. And I avoid blowing dust.

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Hello Sue - I am curious as to where you get sterile potting soil and how do you know it is sterile?
Thanks so much.

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I'm replacing our two shower heads and know there is much wisdom out there! Does a hand held version (with the hose) present an even greater opportunity for mycobacteria growth? Is it best to go with a simple model, sans the hose? Thanks in advance!

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