Welcome to our helpful group. Can you tell us a bit more about your lungs - have you got bronchiectasis, asthma, Cystic Fibrosis or another lung condition? Do you have a history of pneumonia or other lung infections?

If I were you, I would certainly seek a pulmonologist experienced in treating MAC - this is a rare infection, and extremely rare for someone your age, so it is important to get the best help possible to beat the infection and learn how to avoid reinfection.

The hole in your lung is referred to as a cavity, and these sometimes close up when the infection is controlled, so unless it is particularly severe, or the infection is isolated to only that area, I would hesitate to do it before trying antibiotic therapy.

Finally, yes, 18-24 months is the typical length of time to take the 3 or 4 antibiotics for MAC. Mycobacteria are very slow-growing, and good at hiding in biofilm where they are difficult to kill.

This discussion contains lots of good links to information about MAC:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/resources-for-the-abcs-on-bronchiectasis-and-mac-ntm/