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No symptoms or health problems
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (29)Comment receiving replies
My pulmonologist says at a low dose it acts as an anti-inflammatory, not as antibiotic. He really insists I take it because I declined steroids due to also having osteoporosis. Occasionally I do experience mild shortness of breath and know it is a sign that I need to ramp up my airway clearance.
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I too have Bronchiectasis in both lungs and must use airway clearance / drainage to rid my lungs of mucus twice daily. An infection last winter left me with inflammation and I started low dose Azithromycin 3x / week to decrease inflammation. I will be on it for 5-6 months. It seems to be working.
CT scans have shown fairly extensive signs of Bronchiectasis but I don’t have obstruction. I’m told that I have very mild Bronchiectasis. The presentation of the disease varies so much in each individual.
I use NAC to thin mucus, drink a fair amount of water, and do nasal irrigation due to chronic sinusitis. I don’t have MAC or NTM so far. As others have written, I too wear good masks during the winter months in situations where there are large groups of people. We have travelled and I use some protocols to try to prevent infections. Good air circulation is important. I’m careful with the water I drink.
My BE likely started (or progressed quickly ) after infections were not treated properly by family doc. I suffered but was told that there was nothing wrong. No sputum tests were done despite requests and eventually I needed to see an ID doctor. Those infections have cleared.
Thankfully I’ve had no exacerbations for many months and my lung function is normal. I know I’m fortunate with that.
Dealing with mucus clearing is challenging at times. We have to schedule it into our daily lives. It’s not pleasant or easy, but it is necessary and so far it is working. My body can ache as well which might be related to BE? During exacerbations, I was tired, produced more mucus and was very achy among other symptoms.
I keep up-to-date with flu and Covid vaccines. I’ve had the pneumonia vaccine as well.
This site is so informative. Like others, I’m grateful for the sharing and tips. We need to be vigilant and good advocates for ourselves. In an ideal world, more physicians will eventually have this chronic lung condition on their radar. The colour and thickness of mucus coupled with other symptoms should be a red flag for a number of possible respiratory issues.
Perhaps AI assisted and other research will lead to more vaccines and targeted antibiotics to help us deal with this chronic disease. That would be a game-changer for many.