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mch (Marycarol) avatar

Any success with saline only and no meds?

MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Aug 17, 2025 | Replies (37)

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Profile picture for Sue, Volunteer Mentor @sueinmn

I understand different philosophies in life, and in managing our health. I also understand if people want "do whatever I can to avoid NTM's if we lived solely by "only protocol" ", but I have a laundry list of other conditions to manage as well. If I did everything, every day to treat each condition optimally, that would be the sum total of my life.
I have been blessed with over 70 years on this planet, so my attitude may be a bit different than others', but I operate on the 80/20 rule. I follow the most important 80% of my personal health guidelines pretty faithfully, and ignore the other 20%.

Top of my list:
Diet
Exercise
Rest
Airway Clearance
PT for my many ortho/arthritis issues
Take my meds as ordered
Air filtration (HEPA filters indoors, masks when warranted, stay in during poor air quality)

Not on my list:
Boiling drinking/veg washing/cooking water (.2 micron filter at tap, drink that or bottled spring water)
Concerns about outdoor swimming & recreation (any germs highly diluted)
Concerns about infrequent, incidental exposure (eg steam from dishwasher or boiling pot)
What I drink when I eat out
Showers (water heater set above 135F, rainfall shower head)

Are you a "belt and suspenders" person - following every recommendation, or do you pick and choose? What does ypur list look like?

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Replies to "I understand different philosophies in life, and in managing our health. I also understand if people..."

Thanks for your thoughtful response. I too have reached the point of taking an 80/20 approach. My list is actually very similar to yours in terms of the things I do vs the things I make reasonable life compromises about. Another I would add is that when I travel, I do stick to my two times a day nebulizer saline as much as I can, but if a busy schedule limits me to one a day, I don’t beat myself up over it. I also don’t worry about boiling my Neb cup when traveling. I soak in hot soapy water for 15 minutes, rinse, thoroughly, and my final rinse is with water. I have filtered through a sawyer filter which meets necessary criteria.

You just articulated MY life and priorities, and methods! Thanks for the reassurance - but I didn't really need it. "Be sensible and enjoy life!"