Kathi - I am so sorry to hear how sick you have been feeling.  I have never heard what your doctor told you about probiotics and the meds we take.  All I know is that I have been on the probiotic since starting the meds and I have not had the nausea.. I would try to get some other opinions.  At one point when I was first starting the meds, I went to a doctor who was trained in both western and eastern medicine and does acupuncture .. someone like that might be able to help you with the nausea.  In the beginning when I had little appetite and I could see I was losing weight, I drank Ensure every day, knowing that would help - it is not very appealing but it does have the nutrients. Some staff at certain health food stores can be very helpful when it comes to issues of nausea so you might want to find a reputable place and see if there might be something there you can find to help with the nausea - talking to them also about the use of probiotics could be helpful too. I really hope you can eventually get some relief.  Pamela   

@pamelasc1, Pamela thanks for the idea of the acupuncture .. that is a GREAT idea .. I had not thought of that! I have used acupuncture many times for various things .. like healing from carpel tunnel .. back pain .. and I know it is not a miracle cure but it REALLY helps. Be SURE to check out the practitioner .. I was lucky enough to find one that had taught in China and then had been brought to the USA to teach acupuncture here. He is excellent .. so just check out the bios .. just as you would an M.D. here. Pamela, you were REALLY lucky to find a doctor trained in both eastern and western medicine .. I SO believe in both! A good article on protein shakes is: http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/supplemental-nutrition-drinks-help-or-hype. Personally I did the "Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus Chocolate" .. it had 30grams of protein .. in the refrigerated section of the grocery store .. at $3.69 not cheap but with the most protein and least sugar I felt it was worth it for my health. Pamela, Thanks for jumping in .. you always have such good advice! Hugs to all! Katherine

Thank you, Pamela. I will still try the probiotics. I have read other posts saying the same thing about probiotics as my doctor on this forum, even one by a doctor at Mayo. Im ready to try anything. Im going to push on if i can. Im on my meds tonight and i keep hoping it will be ok. Ive never been a quitter, but this has brought me close. I was able to eat a bit more today and i even took a short walk in the woods. Its 75 degrees here today. I did get " BOOST" supplement, but it was too sweet. I"ll try Ensure. Thanks for encouragement.

Elaine, thank you for answering my question .. really interesting! Hugs! Katherine

<br><br><br><br><br>Hi. I too used accupuncture in the past with great results. Two of the best <br>I have found is one in Manhatten and one in Washington state. I was visiting <br>both areas and both relieved my symptoms in 20 minutes time so that I could <br>enjoy the rest of my trip. I would go to one here, where I live, except I have <br>not found a good one yet.<br> <br><br>

@21042, Kathi, all I will say to you is that two of the highest regarded sources, Dr. Timothy Aksamit of Mayo Clinic recommended I take probiotics when I started antibiotic treatment .. plus this : @tdrell, Terri Dr Gwen Huitt ID MD specializing in NTM at National Jewish Health urges clients on the antibiotics to take probiotics...She earned a masters in Microbiology prior to attending Med school. And has worked with hundreds of NTM clients. As far as I am concerned .. these two sources are the Gold Standard not to be disputed in my opinion .. but each of us must make our own decisions for our own bodies as each of our bodies are different. Hugs to all! Katherine

<br><br><br><br><br>If nothing else, taking probiotics can't hurt.<br> <br><br>

I have been having problems with my gut and all the antibiotics I've been taking. Does the ultra jarro dophilies 50 billion/cap cost you alot. Where can I find this?

@donut .. Donna, AS SOON as I started on antibiotics my Mayo doctor suggested I start on probiotics .. BUT I would also tell you that MANY of us with MAC also have GERD and must take medication for it. FIRST start taking probiotics and DO continue for basic gut health .. but then also Do some googling on GERD and see if your symptoms seem to necessitate a trip to a Gastroenterologist. I have noted the best best price I found for the probiotic below .. if anyone knows better .. jump in! Hope the below helps! Hugs! Katherine

From my File Cabinet:
BUT RECENTLY I FOUND the below.. if I had it to do over again I think I might simplify it and JUST do this one probiotic daily and see if I could get by with just the one .. see what happened. BECAUSE it has 50 Billion PLUS it has 10 different probiotic strains .. ALL in just ONE probiotic pill! Now it does have to be refrigerated .. but I think it is going to be worth it. Even though I am not on antibiotics at this time .. I still take a daily probiotic for basic health .. this is the one I am now taking.
Jarrow Formulas Ultra Jarro-Dophilus, 50 Billion Organisms, 60 Count *, KEEP REFRIGERATED TO MAINTAIN POTENCY 10 Probiotic Strains, Dairy & Gluten Free $30.07 https://smile.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formulas-Jarro-Dophilus-Billion-Organisms/dp/B00B0YCLXO/ref=sr_1_sc_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1499025625&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=ultra%2Bjarro%2Bdophilies%2B50%2Bbillion&th=1

@katemn Hi Katherine. So glad you posted this as I was just thinking of
buying some pro-biotics. I am on monthly antibiotics for the rest of my life, so
I figured that my gut is probably void of any gut bacteria what-so-ever. - Terri
M.