@kate2025,@picartist, sue, @irene8
Sue...liked your words of "was pressured to begin an antibiotic regimen".
I felt that for a year when I kept putting off going on the antibiotics when Tyler was 'pressuring me' to go on them. I was agonizing about what to do because 1. I know myself 2. No fever, 3. no exacerbation, 4. no fatigue etc. and 5. a low count of MAI. Thanks to you and @Irene8 I finally felt comfortable with my decision of not starting the antibiotics.
For me I am overall doing fine even with the MAI infection....meaning I feel fine. The nebulizing to loosen the mucus and all Airway clearance techniques appear to be a great answer to helping keep at bay or away the infection. P.S. Diet and masking in public for me has also helped. I believe my BE goes back a good several years before being diagnosed when I had the first local pulmonologist read an XRay by saying "you just have large lungs", that was 2015 and I was finally diagnosed in 2022 with BE due to my constant saying 'something is wrong."

What I would like to ask and say...
if we do not bring up a mucus plug and the sputum vile is sent in wouldn't that mean they wouldn't get a good enough sample to determine an infection.

I say that because now with all I know that is what I believed happen to me with my original local pulmonologist in 2021 who didn't give any directions or understandings of how to get a good sputum sample. When the test came back he indicated the test was negative for an infection. Yet at that time I would once in a while bring up a deep green 'pus' like piece. I finally came to understand after going to National Jewish that what I was bringing up was a mucus plug. So to me we have to be sure we understand how to produce a good sputum specimen and that what which we are looking to bring up from the lungs is a mucus plug.
Am I correct in my thoughts????
Barbara