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If medication worked for you, did you begin to feel better right away?
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: 13 hours ago | Replies (14)Comment receiving replies
Hi Mary, what was the pain like that you are experiencing? I was diagnosed with MAC almost 2 years ago and have not started the big 3. Dr. doing a wait and watch. Since Christmas I have had this pain under my right shoulder blade that comes and goes. It sometimes feels like someone pinching me on the inside. It seems to be related to when I eat, and I do have a lot of indigestion and belching. My pulmo Dr. said you don't get pain from MAC disease. Just wondering what this could be. I see him in March, and might decide to take the meds. Thank you. Barbara
Replies to "Hi Mary, what was the pain like that you are experiencing? I was diagnosed with MAC..."
The pain I experienced was in my chest/lung area and was very bad before diagnosis and got better after being on the meds for awhile. I have also heard that there is no pain with MAC but I do know what I experienced and I do know it went away after being on the big 3. I also had body aches which have gone away .
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Barbara, it’s possible this pinching is related. Hope it’s not an infection.
I actually thought I had unbearable back muscle, etc., pain and quit a job I had because of it, and within three weeks I discovered the pain that also went UNDER MY RIGHT SHOULDER blade was related to me having Pneumonia. In fact, two days after my NTM diagnosis came back from a bronchoscopy to rule out lung cancer, (I had breast cancer and bilateral mastectomy in Jan 2023) I ended up in the hospital coughing up blood and really unwell. Flash ahead a few months, PICC line removed, indigestion/reflux calmed down—cause I’m on twice a day pantoprazole and have the head of my bed elevated, and my CT shows the pneumonia infection is almost gone but MAC had taken over its place.
I am positive the back pain I felt was related to the pneumonia. The large cavity was directly under where my pain was. I don’t see how that pain magically disappeared when massage and physiotherapy didn’t help it. Haha.
Make sure to inquire about this pinching pain. Rule out stuff.
As for your pulmonologist’s mention of there being no pain, I disagree.
On smoky days, when the chimney smoke hovers around my neighbourhood, my chest hurts. I know the reflux made this feeling worse too. Also, my muscles and joints hurt most of the time now. I’m sure our fellow patients with Bronchiectasis can offer up a little bit more of their info about pain and their situations too but in my opinion, if MAC doesn’t cause pain, its symptoms and side effects do. Cause aches and pains are in my portfolio.