Therapy for anxiety dealing with Bronchiectasis

I did have to seek therapy. When I was diagnosed with MAC & bronchiectasis, I was pissed off. I was a very healthy person and then it all hit at once. Now I have ABPA. I have to do nasal rinses 2x a day, my Wixela inhaler 2x a day and nebulize 2x a day. Yes, it takes time and sometimes I don't want to do it. I'm really tired of coughing up yucky stuff too. I guess I shouldn't complain.

@jjudah I too was nearly "broken" by MAC and what it did to my life. Then came Covid before I fully recovered, all while dealing with chronic pain. My primary referred me to a pain rehab clinic, which included counseling that helped me to deal with my changed life.
She helped me figure out how to accept the changes - AND more importantly, how to decide what was truly necessary to safeguard my health and at the same time have a semblance of normality.
I have figured out a routine that works for me. The biggest adjustment was to accept that some days airway clearance will be incomplete, and that's okay. The second was to learn to "let go" of trying to eradicate MAC/NTM from my environment. I keep my asthma under control, filter my water, keep my water heaters above 130f, clean my equipment after each use, but only sterilize weekly (unless in an exacerbation.) I have continued traveling, gardening, swimming (outdoors) and hanging out with the people I love. If I miss a day of airway clearance, or start to feel a "bug" coming on, I double down on airway clearance and rest for a few days. Except for during a Covid infection last year, I am exacerbation free for over 4 years, and most recently tested negative for MAC and pseudomonas in September.
This webinar by Dr Jennifer Honda may help you decide what is vital, and what you can choose to give up in terms of managing your disease:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/overwhelmed-by-bronchiectasis-must-dos-watch-this-video/
It took me years to get to this point, but her talk validated my point of view.

I am managing right now but am overwhelmed. From using 1 Kenneth albuterol and sodium chloride a day to twice a day plus flutter valve and airway clearance twice a day. The airway clearance takes forever. It feels overwhelming.

@sharonednaramsey Nebulizer’s… I hate auto correct

Yes you are not alone. After three years since my diagnosis I still have moments when I am angry at my life or cry and hate nebulizing, and huff coughing and making these embarrassing noises when trying to clear my lungs. I tried antianxiety med but had bad headaches so decided against it. I know, I know it’s all about accepting your condition but honestly I try not to think how it’s going to be in a few years with age and lowering energy.

@sharonednaramsey
Managing but overwhelmed says it perfectly!

@sharonednaramsey Many years ago now, before 7% saline nebs, when I complained to my pulmonologist's nurse that airway clearance was taking too long and my lungs were never "clear enough ", she told me to "stop it."

She explained that I was actually "part of the problem" by trying too hard. She said after nebulizing albuterol, I should spend no more than 20-30 minutes using the Aerobika, postural drainage or huff coughing to clear. Also, not every session would be perfect, or even productive. Forcing continued effort was irritating my throat, lungs and vocal chords. Trying to get to "empty" would never work because our lungs are meant to be "bathed" in mucus.
I went home and followed her directions for a few weeks (while I was quite ill battling MAC and pseudomonas.) Wow! I still got out a lot of gunk, but the volume decreased dramatically, my sore throat went away, and I started breathing easier.

Maybe you can reduce tour stress by doing less?

@sueinmn can I ask did you clear the MAC without antibiotics?

I want to echo what Sue said about trying too hard. She helped me immensely with that comment, which she has made before. I have had nodular MAC since 2014. When I developed additional health issues, I began nebulizing 7 percent twice a day and using the Monarch vest twice a day. My sputum production increased accordingly and I had hemoptysis. Based on what Sue said. I went back to 3 percent twice a day with very little sputum and only use the vest four times a week. I do not use a breath-actuated nebulizer—so I nebulize for 10 minutes (albuterol) and 15 minutes saline and then stop. That’s what was recommended by Mayo. That’s pretty much it, although I blow into the Aerobika 10 times, 2 or 3 rounds, sometime during the morning and evening, as I do other things. I also use the Neil Med rinse once or twice a day, which has helped a lot. Focus on easing up a little and see if it doesn’t decrease your sputum production. It did for me but of course we are all different.

@damcipro Not exactly. I was on antibiotics for over 18 months, the last 6 of those daily (did not qualify for Arikayce trial at the time.)
By the 4th month of daily meds, my sputum cultures were all over the place, in a group of 3 one or two would be negative, the others positive - this happened 3 times. At the same time, the daily meds were ruining my health and life, I had no energy, was down by over 20% of my body weight, depressed, daily aches & headache. My ID doc & I, with concurrence of my pulmo, stopped the meds, BUT started 7% daily saline nebs ( they were just becoming the thing to do in US.)
Since then , my cultures twice a year, have been negative for MAC and pseudomonas. And once my asthma was under control, my cough improved and my CT shows the bronchiectasis is stable.