Fungal culture

Irene 5, Hi.
This is a quick reply.
I googled: Can you have a MAC infection and Aspergillosis at the same time.?
It appears from what came up it is something that can happen. What do you think?
Barbara

My fungal culture returns from NJH after a month

You are correct. But aspergillosis which I had after having years of MAC is a fungus. I had pseudomonas last year after having had a bad bout with RSV. Aspergillosis is usually treated with Vfend or the pricier Cresemba. Pseudomonas was treated for me with Levoquin long term. Irene5

I have learned in life that anything is possible. Generally I have found one follows the other. - just replacing one gift with another. But aspergillosis is easier to treat than MAC. Reminds me of the book “TheMitten!” Move over I’m coming in! Irene5

Barbara, I don't know, and I rather doubt, that the MAC meds treated the aspergillus infection. Maybe the doctors didn't treat it because it wasn't very severe or because they wanted to treat the MAC first or something else, who knows? I see my local ID doc in a month and I'll ask him to clarify.

I don't know how common it is to have the fungal and the MAC infection concurrently, but I certainly did.

I am not on any medications for MAI and have untreated "apiotrichum mycotoxinivorans" yeast/fungus. My doctor at NJH and I had decided not to treat, as there didn't seem to be a major progression in late July of last year.

I have a 6 month check up in 2 weeks at NJH: CT scan, spirometry, sputum culture and the doctor consultation. My most recent sputum test (January 8) shows "abnormal" fungus culture and came back in a little over a week after NJH received the sample, but it took about 2 more weeks for the lab to report the kind of fungus it is (consistently the same), which has been a typical time frame over the past year.

I too often failed to ask the doctors, why this, why that etc. , at the time they are saying what they want me to do or why they said what they said. Hope I get better 'on my feet' with that aspect of working with doctors now that for the first time in my life, these last couple of years, I have had to visit and converse with doctors, the professionals who are not necessarily 'teachers,' with my first chronic health problem.
Barbara

I would love to hear what you are doing to "keep it that way" or negative.
Thank you,
Aida

In answer to Aida's question of how I'm working to keep from getting MAC again:
1) diligent airway clearance, with 7% saline twice a day, using an Afflovest once a day
2) purifying my drinking water in a LifeStraw pitcher
3) wearing an N95 mask when outside gardening
4) taking short showers with the bathroom vent on with shower door and bathroom doors open
5) using GERD precautions (since I have GERD) like sleeping with my head elevated 30 degrees and not eating or drinking for 3 hours before bed
6) minimizing stress , exercising and eating well to keep my immune system strong

I don't know what else I can do, because NTM is everywhere in the environment and I'll most likely find it in my lungs again, but we can only do what we can do. God bless!

You're on the right track - I have had very good luck using my precautions and being extremely "lung aware" - I made an exacerbation plan with my pulmonologist, and have managed to stay free of all but minor exacerbations (except when I got Covid in September) for over 5 years, including through 2 surgeries & recoveries. When I do feel a respiratory illness threatening I jump right to my increased clearance protocol, load up on clean protein & vitamin C rich foods and try to rest a little extra.