Just Diagnosed with GERD, Bronchiectasis and MAC

A CT scan alone is not sufficient information with which to begin treatment - the culture will show the type of MAC (there are several) and what antibiotics it is sensitive to.

Have they done a sputum culture yet? Recommended using airway clearance with saline to try to stop/slow the infection? Are you seeing a pulmonologist or ID doc experienced in treating MAC? MAC is still quite uncommon, so many do not have experience treating it.

Sorry for so many questions, but you might want to do a little studying before you commit to treatment with antibiotics.
Here is a link to a recent educational conference at the Medical University of South Carolina where "To treat or Not?" is discussed in the first session
Defining NTM lung disease, Patrick Flume, M.D.

I will be getting the bronchoscope in January as well to determine type. I do see a pulmonologist that specializes in MAC. Up to this point he has not recommended any treatment, but now that there are changes to the scan he will be moving forward with treatment. No airway treatment has been discussed yet as I have to symptoms not a cough or anything.

Just to be clear, the airway clearance process (via PEP device and nebulized saline) is to mitigate the progression of your bronchiectasis. It's not to treat your MAC infection (although a small percentage of people have been known to clear their infection via airway clearance).
This process also mitigates the risk of 'exacerbations' such as pneumonia that could land you in hospital. Airway clearance for bronchiectasis patients is recommended regardless of being asymptomatic.

Unfortunately, a large number of pulmos in the US are not aware of the importance of airway clearance and, consequently, fail to educate their patients accordingly. Insmead currently have a bronchiectasis drug under trial and plan to do a nationwide educational roadshow to socialize this concept with physicians.

Is there a reason they're getting a sample via bronchoscopy vs sputum induction? If they don't know about sputum induction, I recommend you go to a specialist who does. Bronchoscopy is expensive, time consuming, and not without risk (both from the procedure and from the anesthesia). For the purpose of obtaining a sample to determine AFB status, a sputum induction is considered standard per NTM diagnostic guidelines. Once they have the sample, they should be able to tell you the following if you're AFB positive:

1. Species
2. Colony count
3. Drug susceptibility

If you do go on treatment, standard protocol recommends getting monthly sputum samples.

@sueinmn
Hi Sue,
What exercises do you use to get the mucous moving?

Thank you!

@bethfjohnson33 I do very little "exercise" for the sake of exercise - there is plenty of normal physical movement that serves the same purpose. The exceptions are brisk walking and 20-30 minutes of gentle yoga every other day.
The same applies to airway clearance. Fast walking, yoga, vigorous housework and gardening get my mucus flowing.
On a typical day, I am actively moving for several hours and often travel 10,000 steps without leaving my house and yard.

Hi Sue,

I am fairly new to airway clearance and trying to get better at it. I find that I rarely cough up anything during clearance, but I do sometimes later in the day. I will try adding movement right after nebulizing.

Thank you!

@bethfjohnson33 One thing for me that I feel helps to loosen and move the mucus , besides nebulizing and the air way clearance techniques, is ...keeping me hydrated. I try to get in at least 6 cups of water in a day one way or another. I am still trying to get up to the eight glass of water a day by having a glass every hour approximately, that many doctors tell us to do. Have you been able to do the eight glasses of water a day???
Also the doctor at National Jewish specifically wanted me to know that I might night get anything major up in the morning etc. put it would come up later in the day.
Barbara