Hi Jennifer,
I was diagnosed with MAC about 3 years ago. I have not experienced any pain. I also have bronchiectasis (BE) which causes mucus to accumulate in my lungs. I do not know if you have BE but research indicates that MAC infection is more frequent for those with BE, so you might want to consider asking your provider to check you for bronchiectasis. That being said, what I have found to be incredibly helpful is nebulizing with 7% hypertonic saline. Research indicates that saline provides an uncomfortable environment for the MAC bacteria to thrive. It slows it down. And, for me, thank goodness, I've been holding steady without any antibiotics. When I nebulize with the saline daily, it helps me to cough up mucus. Mucus is what we want to get rid of because bacteria thrive in the stuff. Airway clearance (home techniques to clear mucus) is very important as well. I learned an infinite amount from this group. Information my doctor never provided to me...not out of malice but because a lot of drs are not that familiar with MAC and they may tend to go for the "big guns" i.e. antibiotics because of their limited experience with this condition (just my opinion). If you have other questions please reach out. I wish you the best of luck.