@doberdoo This is a "which came first" scenario...

Bronchiectasis is a disease where the small airways in the lungs become stretched and stiff, so your lungs do not work as well. There are MANY opinions as to the cause - chronic asthma, repeated pneumonia or bronchitis, serious lung infections, exposure to irritants - either once in a large dose (like an anhydrous ammonia leak) or over time in many small doses (irritating dusts or minerals.) There is some evidence that a very low Body Mass Index (BMI) GERD (Reflux disorder) and some genetic anomalies also make one more susceptible to Bronchectasis.

MAC or Mycobacteria Avium Complex is an infection. NTM or Non-tubercular Mycobacteria is the generic name for Mycobacteria Avium, M. Abscessus, M. Fortuitum and a number of others - these are not contagious. Then there are Tuberculosis and Leprosy, caused by other Mycobacteria, TB is quite contagious, Leprosy can be transmitted through long, close contact. NTM IS in the soil...and the air...and in water...it's everywhere. People with already compromised lungs are susceptible to it, but it is not a problem for most people with healthy lungs.

So, if you have Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, COPD or other diseases that affect the function of your lungs, your are susceptible to infection by NTM. Likewise if you have a compromised immune system, take immuno-suppressing drugs, smoke or vape, you are more susceptible. Finally, IF you are exposed to a lot of NTM over a long period of time, you can become susceptible, especially if you get a bad cold or other respiratory infection.

Here's the bad news for professional or serious amateur gardeners - certain soil types and peat moss harbor a huge amount of NTM. Desert (volcanic) type soils seem to be one of those with a lot of NTM, and worse, we tend to work with it dry, so a lot of particles are flying around. But Northern gardeners are not "off the hook" either - warm humid environments like the greenhouse, where pretty plants are potted, watered and misted, usually have peat in the potting mix, and the NTM spores suspend in the warm moist air to breathe in.

My personal history is on of bronchitis and pneumonia reaching back into childhood with asthma diagnosed as an adult (although I probably had it much longer.) The I became an avid gardener and hiker, so I was exposed to NTM in numerous environments. After I retired, I also begasn to garden in South Texas, sharing my little plot with feral chickens and migrating birds, all of whom I fed.

About nine years ago, I came down with a bad case of bronchitis and a chronic asthma attack that never went away. After two years of non-stop coughing and declining health, I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis, MAC and Pseudomonas. I will never know which came first - but it really doesn't matter. Learning to live my best life in spite of it is my goal.

Where do you think your journey started? Was it previous conditions that disposed you, or your life in the garden?

Can you keep on gardening? Many of us in this support group do! We take some precautions like masking, keeping garden shoes and clothes out of the house, and having others do the dusty tasks while we stay away. I water soil thoroughly before I work in the garden to minimize dust, have mulch or compost laid, raked and watered in by a helper, and buy and prewet my potting soils (for many years I mixed my own, which creates a lot of exposure.)

Have you continued to garden since your diagnosis?