Who are the best pulmonologists for MAC/bronchiectasis in Texas?

Just for clarification. My understanding is that Dr. Mehta is female. I does appear she has been practicing for a while. I will be making an appointment with her since Dr. McShane is/has moved onward.
So glad Dr. McShane was able to connect you with Dr. Maselli, closer to home is so helpful considering all things in life require, TIME.
Barbara

Thank you for both of these pieces of information. It helps and I appreciate it.

Since Dr McShane is leaving I am looking into going to National Jewish Health. I don’t know if they can offer anything Dr McShane and my local Dallas Drs aren’t already doing.

Update: I did not end up having MAC and went to NJH in Denver with Dr. Lommatzsch. He is amazing! I have very few symptoms and see him once a year for follow up.

There’s still a chance it may not be MAC. The local and Mayo radiologists and pulmonologists thought I had MAC based on CT’s and then purulent secretions in lingual and Rt middle lobe seen on bronchoscopy, but the cultures were negative.
Hoping the cultures are negative for you, too!

@ninjanana, that's great news - congratulations! So no antibiotics? Did the doctor recommend you continue nebulzing and airway clearance? And will he prescribe Brensocatib for your bronchiectasis when it's available?

You must be so happy you decided to go to NJH!

When they discovered the pus it cultured out as H. Influenza. I took a course of Levofloxacin and the chronic cough, low grade fevers and intermittent achiness I had for months went away. Dr. Lommatszch recommended I nebulize with 7% saline with aerobika and airway clearance (I also play pickleball almost daily which he said was actually another form of airway clearance). He prescribed Azithromycin three days a week as an anti-inflammatory. I am sooo happy I went to NJH. The first pulmonologist in Austin that I saw in 2022 would not prescribe saline because she said it might cause bronchospasm! She only wanted me to nebulize with Duoneb which Dr. L said I did not have to use if my lack of symptoms continued. At my last visit in July he did mention a medication which was being tested that we might discuss in the future but I don't remember the name.

Hello ninjanana I also went to NJH in Oct. 2023 and had Dr. L as the lead doctor. It was reconfirmed that I have BE and then diagnosed while there during the visit that I had a small MAI load and Dr. L did not prescribe the antibiotic medications he did the "watchful waiting". I had not had sputum testing suggested or done by my local pulmonologist to know or find out if I had a MAC infection before going to NJH and that was part of the reason I went up to NJH. I realized after seeing the local pulmonologist two times that I needed the NJH expertise.
When were you there for your first visit? Were you prescribed the Azithromycin on your first visit or a follow-up visit?
I am curious. How long were you on or how long are you on the Azithromycin and how long was it suggested that you be on the Azithromycin for inflammation?
From what I read, if I read it correctly, you are not on any other antibiotic with the Azithromycin? Are your C Scans showing less inflammation? Were you told to send in sputum for testing at NJH after the visit or now?
Barbara

Hi Barbara, I had a very bad URI in August of 2021 (negative for Covid) and was left with chronic cough, intermittent achiness and low grade fevers for months. I finally got a diagnosis of BE with H. Influenza by my local pulmonologist in May of 2022 but by then, because of several interactions, had lost all faith in this pulmonologist. I first saw Dr. Lommatszch at NJH in August of 2022 and have returned once a year for a check up since then. Dr. L did not start my Azithromycin until Spring of 2023 when I had two back to back URIs. My CT scan shows mild improvement at each yearly visit. He talked about keeping me on the Azithromycin for a couple of years. I have been so healthy since my last visit with him that I stopped taking it last month (my decision) and will see how I do. If I don't have to take it I would prefer not to, only because I am trying to keep my gut biome super healthy because I have a strong family history of dementia on both sides. The only time I take antibiotics is when I have an URI, either Levofloxacin or Azithromycin. I have not been told to send in sputum to NJH, I do a sputum test at my yearly check ups and they have been negative. Hope this helps! Dr. L is amazing. Nancy

Nancy
Thank you for sharing the information and explanation. I was confused. With hearing all now I have a better understanding between your case and mine. I have MAI you do not. Glad to hear your reports show improvement.
Hope your decision to stop the medication is the right one. I also hope my decision to still continue with "watchful waiting", per se, turns out to be the right one for me. So far all is good, I feel fine overall with just doing the full therapy routine 2x a day and the results I am getting with Air Way Clearance.
Wow, dementia on both sides. Hopefully it skips over you/your generation in the family.
Wish all doctors had the same type of approach with patients as Dr. L.
Barbara