Hi km6, I've had cultures that are positive for M. Abscessus since 2018. I was living in Miami at the time, and was about a year out from completing treatment for the third MAI infection. All the doctors I've seen about it--pulmonologists and infectious disease--agreed to a watch-and-wait scenario. As those of you with it know, the antibiotics are severe and don't guarantee success. So as long as I didn't get sick, they didn't want to treat.

Almost two years ago, I began to lose weight insidiously, and became weak and had increased digestive issues by this time last year. The question of treatment arose and sensitivities were done to see which antibiotics would work best. The assumption was that these symptoms were an indication of infection. But I thought to treat the weight loss and digestive issues and then reassess. Between gastroenterology and functional medicine, I am slowly turning it around, and am able to resume exercise. There was some malabsorption, SIBO and candida.

I have a vest but it has not worked well for me. It doesn't bring up sputum even with albuterol and saline in a nebulizer and using a PEP and other respiratory gadgets. I appear to have dry bronchiectasis now. Bottom line, I've been free of treatment for NTMs since 2017 (seven years) and have mostly managed living with M. Abscessus colonization. I couldn't manage a full-time job and only now feel that I could do some remote part-time work. I'm dragging myself to a space where I accept that I'm probably going to live with this going forward and indefinitely.