Thanks for taking the time for such a thoughtful response. My symptoms haven't really changed much -- my fatigue is less, I can still walk our mile and half each evening, but shortness of breath continues as does the colored sputum.

As a happenstance, my sister-in-law was visiting last week. She's an OBY_GYN, and although it's surely not her area she read through it all and helped me reframe the questions. I did send them to my Pulmonary doc who gave me a one line reply saying my questions required an appointment. So, I'm waiting for my April 8th appointment. Hoping she'll take the time to help me understand. My first appointment she was double booked and was leaving the country the next day so time was limited. The waiting isn't a big deal to her, but patience isn't my strongest suit. This condition really requires a team approach with support folks like patient educators and respiratory therapists and such that can answer our day to day questions when we really only see the doctor every few months. Thank goodness for this patient driven support group.

I was heartened to see the latest Bronchiectasisand NTM newsletter announcing the development of specialized care centers across the country over the next 3 years. Maybe the increasing prevalence of this condition has finally caught the eye of the drug companies who are funding it.