@blm1007blm1007 "Hindsight" as they say. What happened, is at about age 70 (7 yrs ago), I got diagnosed with Bronchiectasis. That pulmonologist didn't educate me much at all - wanted me to give sputum samples, but I had so little sputum and didn't know how to cough up then. Did a breathing test, and did fine. And I felt passable, for the most part, just fatigued. Pulm still should have suggested mucinex or respirator therapy to get a sample, but that's water over the bridge. Well, ignorance is bliss, and I did not follow up, because she did say something at that consultation about the remedy being 18 months of antibiotics, and at that point, I thought, uh-uh, not for me. I gradually, and I mean very gradually, developed more sputum. But I was very active and walked and it would come up when I would bend over, I'd spit it out a few times a day and all was good. That went on for about 4 years. Then about three years ago, I started getting an infection a year. I'd get treated, feel better and kept walking - a little more fatigued each time, and with more residual dark mucus to deal with, but in general all was ok. Should have gone back to pulmonologist, because this April and May 2026, I had a major exacerbation with oppressive, persistent pneumonias, fevers, sepsis, the works. Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Lot's more damage has happened, which is what you do NOT want, if you want to keep on trucking in style - which, after reading all your posts and contributions, I hope you do! I don't know what my score was on the MAI reading. Everything else is visible, like "2+ gram positive cocci and 2+ gram positive bacilli and 3+ Haemophilus, and 4+ pmns which I guess is exceedingly high Neutriphils, so yes I was in a major flare and very sick. But I can't find anything that says what my MAI load was/is. I have a long way to go yet, but I've lost a lot of ground that I'll never regain.