@tropauer
Welcome to Mayo Connect. I hope you'll find it as supportive as I have. We all seem to be slightly different but enough alike to share helpful ideas and support. I have BE (bronchiectasis) but so far not NTM (MAC) so I hope others will chime in to help answer your questions especially about the antibiotic regime for MAC.

Most experts think that these lung conditions, NTM infections and bronchiectasis, in otherwise healthy older adults don’t come from just one clear cause. Instead, they likely develop from a mix of factors, including a slight genetic tendency, airways that don’t clear mucus as well as they should, things in the environment you’re exposed to over time. In other words, it’s usually a combination of small issues adding up, and not one single reason.