Cavity close-up in 12 months

If you read all the way to the bottom of the link that Helen provided, you will see thsat it cites many more studies as well. I looked at a couple of them, and cavity shrinkage does seem to point to decreased risk.

Also, as she mentioned, we have a new tool in hand now - Arikayce was only in trial in 2019 when my MAC was being treated - one I could not qualify for. I would have tried it in a minute because I did not convert under the Big3

If you read all the way to the bottom of the link that Helen provided, you will see thsat it cites many more studies as well. I looked at a couple of them, and cavity shrinkage does seem to point to decreased risk.

Also, as she mentioned, we have a new tool in hand now - Arikayce was only in trial in 2019 when my MAC was being treated - one I could not qualify for. I would have tried it in a minute because I did not convert under the Big3

HI Sue, maybe you did not lose anything. Many people converted but recurred. So Arikayce is not a 100% solution. Even with cavity, some people who underwent surgery also have a chance for new cavity. It is really a disease very hard to cure. As long as you do not have symptoms, you are at good hands.

If you read all the way to the bottom of the link that Helen provided, you will see thsat it cites many more studies as well. I looked at a couple of them, and cavity shrinkage does seem to point to decreased risk.

Also, as she mentioned, we have a new tool in hand now - Arikayce was only in trial in 2019 when my MAC was being treated - one I could not qualify for. I would have tried it in a minute because I did not convert under the Big3

@suzyqueen Here is the link: 🙂 Its name is lolamicin.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07502-0
P.s. I pasted the wrong link this morning, 🙂
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240529/New-antibiotic-lolamicin-shows-promise-in-fighting-drug-resistant-infections.aspx#:~:text=To%20tackle%20the%20many%20problems,by%20the%20pharmaceutical%20company%20AstraZeneca.

Also....why wouldn't you qualify for the Arikayce? I've been on it since that date in 2019 as I hadn't converted on big 3 either

Sounds like this is more for gut resistant issues

It is actually for gram-negative bacteria. Mycobacteria is gram-positive bacteria. I think @helen1000 was just giving an example of advances in antibiotic therapy.

Arikayce was not prescribed because my doctors were not in the clinical trials at that time, which were in Phase 3 at that point.

We need to be careful about saying everyone should be treated with antibiotics for their MAC. All the specialists, including those at NJH, use a complex matrix to determine when to start antibiotic therapy. The factors include the severity of infection, presence of nodules and/or cavities, symptoms or lack of them, other underlying conditions, whether a patient will be able to tolerate the 3 antibiotics, and whether conservative treatment - airway clearance with saline - may work to knock down a mild case.

There are many (probably hundreds) of people in this group who have managed to control MAC for years without antibiotics.

For the latest info, you may want to review some of the videos from the NJH patient conference last year, you will find that even there, not everyone is prescribed antibiotics.

It is actually for gram-negative bacteria. Mycobacteria is gram-positive bacteria. I think @helen1000 was just giving an example of advances in antibiotic therapy.