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ID doctor as part of Bronchiectasis team?
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Nov 9, 2025 | Replies (9)Comment receiving replies
@wsbme74 Hmm. I would use the old, ugly saying "It depends..."
In my experience, the ID doc is only important if you have an active infection and are using or considering antibiotic therapy - that is their forte.
If you have no infection, it would be more important to know if your pulmonologist has a working relationship with an ID doc. Then, if you get into the situation of considering antibiotic therapy they can be added to the consultation.
When I had an active MAC infection (back in 2018-2019) I started with just pulmonology. After I did not convert for 12 months, I asked about an ID doc and my pulmo said it was "not necessary", but I consulted one, within the same clinic, anyway. He suggested changes in my med routine, which I did. The next time I visited my pulmo, he said "Well, if you have an ID doc you don't need me." Ad he walked out. Wow! The ID doc referred me to another pulmonologist who "played nicely with others" .
Do you have NTM/MAC or Pseudomonas? Are you taking or considering antibiotics?
Replies to "@wsbme74 Hmm. I would use the old, ugly saying "It depends..." In my experience, the ID..."
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@sueinmn hi, Sue. As always, thank you for your thoughtful input.
I have had staph and klebsiella infections and seem to have to be on antibiotics 3-4x per year, even with all of the airway clearance, etc. tools being used. My BE is moderate, but the lungs also seem to be a sponge and I have asthma. I mask almost all of the time when out. But, it’s not enough.
The infections cleared with antibiotics. But, if they hadn’t, the pulmonogist it seems was just going to determine that I was “colonized” and essentially out of luck. I am also a staph carrier (as u understand now a lot of people are) so am prone to infections even when my skin gets scratched so I wonder if that’s also a way the staph is entering my lungs. It seems that would be the domain of an ID doctor and a lot of the “official” BE literature speaks to the importance of having a multidisciplinary team. I am aghast that your (former!) pulmonologist didn’t see it that way. However, I have now been turned down twice to see the one and only infectious disease team in my area, so it’s a moot point. And this with referrals and a letter of explanation from my PCP. They don’t see the same merits of this team approach!