Working and holding a job while suffering from NTM (MAC)

@haiku I too find all the coughing embarrassing That plus fatigue keeps me away for many social interactions. I hate the mucus, most especially when I get into bed, longing to sleep and I start coughing. I have to get up and bend over to help drain the mucus, sometimes 2or3 times. This happens most nights and takes the pleasure out of going to bed.I nebulizer twice a day, helps some. My cat scan regularly show very little progression of the MAC...I guess it's the bronchiectasis, in part that is causing the coughing. No body seems to really know..

I had same thing terrible cough and phelgm. Doctor put me on symbicort. Wonderful no more cough or phelgm

@flib Hi. Have you been tested for pseudomonas recently? Turns out, that is what caused me to cough for so long. Was put on tobramycin to get rid of it. Can't assume current antibiotics would have killed it; I caught mine while on cipro and doxycycline.

@haiku444, Good morning. I see that you are new to our site. Welcome to our group. It is a pain in the neck to cough so much; I did it for nearly 10 yrs. Went on tobramycin and got rid of it in 2016. There are other treatment options besides the 'Big 3'. My dr at Mayo doesn't use that method to treat mac. He said it is over-kill and that 18 months isn't long enough to kill out the mac completely. He uses alternating monthly single antibiotics for years. It took me a yr to knock out mac in 2013, but stayed on the meds for two more yrs to keep it away. Then caught pseudomonas in 2016 and started a diff med regimen. Knocked out the pseudo in 30 days, but continued the meds up to the present to keep it away. If you saw me 11 yrs ago, you would not believe that I was the same person that you see today. Girl.....I was SO sick. I was so out of breath that I could not walk 10 feet without sitting down, I coughed literally non-stop 24\7. That cough caused me to pull just about every muscle in my torso, stressed my bladder, stopped me from going to movies, restaurants, the mall, etc. Today, I breathe clearly, never cough, can walk big blocks at a time and ride my bicycle endlessly. I have permanent damage in my lungs that cause me some shortness of breath, but, overall; my quality of life has improved greatly. I believe we can all get there with the right treatment. Many people freak out when they get diagnosed with MAC; so I am glad that you posted that you have been living with it for 20 yrs. I know when I had it, I thought I would be dead in 2 yrs. I went out and had my Living Trust set up, (which we should all do anyway).

Hi Terri, thanks so much for your input! Your story is inspiring. Its so easy to let any health challenge get you down. I am interested in knowing more about the regimine you describe. Wonder if I could have a phone consult with your Dr. at Mayo? The pulmonologists and infectious disease doctors I have seen over the years are dead set on the 3 antibiotics for 18 mo. protocol. I'm on Maui, so there are not a lot of choices here. My doctors say that this is what the National Jewish Center recommends. I finished a round of cefpodoxime a couple weeks ago and that really helped. Started Dulera, but I dont like the mouthfeel. I'm much more into the natural holistic approach to health and healing, but I also know that when I'm drowning in mucus and exhausted from coughing, there is some relief to be had from a short course of an antibiotic. I do try to limit it to twice a year. Please let me know if you think your doctor might be available for a consult. Aloha, Sharon