National Jewish Health Appt

@mtinderscott2626 If you can afford the time, travel, and cost, I think you should keep the appointment because NJH with give you the most thorough examination and information you can possibly get.

Here is why - you are relatively young, and in a high risk situation, so you need the best info possible.

Most NJH patients return home to follow with their local docs, and you could do the same - what you learn in Denver will hive you the confidence to follow with your current team, or the notion that you may need someone else.

Is thr current doc treating the pseudomonas? Have you been given any precautions to follow as you care for your horses?

@sueinmn Yes, they put me on an antibiotic for the pseudomonas..............message from pt portal "It can be treated with antibiotics (typically first line would be an oral antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin) given for 14 days +/- a period of inhaled antibiotics with the intent of eradication. I wanted to reach out and see how you were feeling and if you would be interested in proceeding with a course of antibiotic therapy. "

I completed the antibiotic, and I guess that is it unless my next sputum culture shows something. I have no clue as to whether the oral antibiotic has eradicated the Pseudomonas. The local pulmonary specialists have me on a saline inhaler, 3-7%. I asked about cutting grass, and I was told to wear a mask. Otherwise, I have not been given much detail on how to protect myself.

@mtinderscott2626 You may have found information on other threads, on this Mayo Clinic Connect , where others have asked about NJH,.
I went, and as many others who have gone to NJH that come to this site....would say, "I am very glad I went. "
With NJH having dedicated the facility to all things related to lung problems etc., since the late 1800's, they are well versed on the various lung problems and how to handle them.
The tests they do in one weeks visit would normally take months to a year to work out with all the needed appointments in most local areas. They look for other possible problems that may be contributing and related to what is going on, and as well, all things necessary for us to know and do.
So sorry you are dealing with all one deals with once we know we have BE and an infection(s) that can cause us to go on the medications etc.
You are fortunate that you were referred to NJH.
I take it you have done all each of us needs to do in checking with one's insurance to know how all is to be handled so there will not be any surprises. Always good to know and understand. I talked with the NJH financial department.
Barbara

@blm1007blm1007 Thank you for sharing.

Diagnosed with a positive for MAC in Dec 2025, I definitely 100% wanted to go to NJH. However, after my second culture, which was negative for MAC from the bronchoscopy in January 2026, I am not sure it is worth going.

Would you still go to NJH with a negative MAC culture? Will it be worth my time and money to go still?

@mtinderscott2626 I would go. They would evaluate you as a whole case, compare tests, tell you how to proceed. One negative test you had does mnot necessarily mean MAC negative. I would go to have a back up and a good diagnosis

@mtinderscott2626 Have you ever made a decision to not do something and then regretted it because you didn't do it???

You have been told and referred to NJH. You now have three people on the site implying and suggesting for you to go. You have BE, Bronchiectasis and sometimes it feels as if the the infection itself is just down deep and hiding and then flares up again. I say that because some of us get a positive result one month and a negative result next month and then back to positive.

I'm a believer in 'erring on the side of caution'.

Is it worth the time and money.....the reality is, as you know, you will never know unless to go.
I understand what you are going through in the decision making process.
Hope and want you to find your way to making the best and right decision for yourself.
Barbara

A positive sputum culture and negative bronchoscopy doesn't necessarily mean you are clear of MAC lung disease. I would trust the sputum culture over the bronchoscopy. The bronchoscopy comes from 1 small area of your lungs where a sputum culture involves numerous areas/airways in the lungs. I would strongly recommend that you go to NJH. Also, some people have experienced a positive bronchoscopy and a negative sputum culture for MAC or other NTMs, but I believe the flip side is much more common.

@mtinderscott2626 you haven’t said anything about symptoms or CT. Did you have three positive sputum for MAC or only one? I disagree with other comments, I consider bronchoscopy results more specific (which is why only one is required for diagnosis of MAC, where three sputum samples are required). One positive sputum for MAC is hard to interpret, especially not knowing what your CT looks like. Myself, I would be more concerned with the pseudo at this point. I am a patient at NJH and travel from out of state. It’s an expensive hassle to say the least. Is it worth going for a single positive sputum for MAC? That is hard for me to say without knowing more about why you scheduled the consult in the first place. There must be more to your story, I just don’t see it in your post. In terms of educating yourself to stay healthy (I assume you mean from NTM), I got very little education from my NJH doctor: No hot tubs, mask when gardening. That’s it. You will get more info from this list and the other patient resources.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I don’t have any symptoms out of my norm….. coughing up minimal sputum daily but sometimes not enough for a decent sputum specimen. I constantly clear my thought which did get better after my antibiotics for the pseudo. However, I am not starting to clear my through more frequently.

Jan 2026 CT: bronchiectasis and bronchiolectasis in the lingula, right middle lobe and right upper lobes. Similar tree-in-bud opacities in the inferior right upper lobe with decreased right middle lobe tree-in-bud opacities. Subsegmental atelectasis within the lingula. Similar patchy mixed solid and groundglass opacities in the right lower and right upper lobes with minimal new ground glass opacity in the anterior left lower lobe. IMPRESSION: Similar bronchiectasis and bronchiolectasis with similar distribution of the tree-in-bud opacities which may represent mycobacterial infection.

I only had one sputum test come back positive and then a scope was done and it came back negative. I got an appointment with NJH before the negative result from the bronchioscope procedure.

Jan 14, 2026 culture: Colony forming units per mL - 75,000 Pseudomonas species, NOT aeruginosa

I was put on antibiotics for the pseudomonas. But I am clueless if the antibiotic worked. Is pseudo as difficult to treat as MAC? I haven’t heard anything else about it. Is the pseudomonas as bad as MAC? Is this worth the trip to NJH?

@mtinderscott2626 bayarea 58 is the third person that has said they have gone to NJH and one other person above, Sue, suggested you strongly consider it.
Have you read about pseudomonas and tried finding a Thread here on Mayo Clinic Connect where other patients with pseudomonas have discussed it??
From what I understand, I do not have pseudomonas, it is one of the more difficult infections with BE, Bronchiectasis, to treat and needs to be treated correctly as soon as possible.
Like anything else, the sooner one takes charge to correct things or understand all the better we are.
Time and money are often hard to come by but when it comes to our health....we have to sometimes find the time and money and go for it to know if something was worthwhile.????
Going to NJH for me was worthwhile.
Hope you find your way to making the best decision for yourself.
Barbara