You are so right !! People say that to me too! Putting on weight for many of us with MAC and BE is difficult Barbara because our bodies are fighting these diseases and quickly using up whatever calories we take in to fight disease! At your age with some hearing loss I would say you are doing ok. I just bought my husband OTC hearing aids and they are way better than the $3500 ones he lost!! We had gotten those expensive ones before I was told “ there’s an app for that”, and I could have had it on my phone and would have found those expensive ones!! Ugh! I have the app now! We live in Dayville, Connecticut in the quiet eastern corner of the state. UMASS is only 40 minutes away . My ID doctor and pulmonologist are there. My husband has sarcoid so he has a pulmonologist there as well. I did go to UMASS, Amherst for college in the 60’s and my brother went to Williams and lives in Leverett so I am familiar with that beautiful and safe state. One of our ten kiddos lives in Webster which is only 18 minutes away so that is a wonderful thing . I hope you do well on the meds. Two sounds like a plan. Leaving Rifampin out is now becoming the norm as apparently it isn’t needed my ID doctor and others have said. If the meds don’t work for you I hope you can get Arikayce as it is excellent for curing MAC. BE has no cure yet so we all have to be careful and do what we can to not get other bacteria and viruses. Last year at this time I was in the hospital with RSV!! That was a tough fight!! My mom always said, “It’s all in the attitude “. I try to be positive always and keep putting one foot in front of the other and trusting the good God with the big picture! Best, Irene