I'm also 78 years old and just recently diagnosed with bronchiectasis. I saw the pulmonologist this week, he showed me my lung scans and said there are not very many areas. I don't know how much is enough to cause problems. My main problem is fatigue and shortness of breath. He has me taking a short regiment of Prednisone and an antibiotic for 10 days. I'm supposed to take three different sputum samples but I can't get anything coughed up. I can feel it's in my lungs and I wheeze but nothing will cough up. Does this disease progress or will it stop with the few that I have now? I also the breast cancer, chemo and radiation in 2013. I don't know whether to declare myself not serious or keep ahead of this. I see the pulmonologist again it two weeks, I was so overwhelmed with questions from the doctor that I forgot to ask if it progresses . He has also ordered a heart valve echo cardiogram but that won't happen until the end of December. Janice