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River Rat: Does where you live affect MAC?
I live in a house right on the Mississippi River. We love this life but as we get older we go out on the river less plus it has flooded four times this year. It has never got to our house. We are strongly considering moving "into town". Do you think this will help with my MAC/Bronchiectasis? I'm also considering going to Arizona for at least 3 weeks this winter. Any thoughts?
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Hi @tinasims the idea of where you live affecting MAC and potentially making it worse has been discussed periodically in different discussions in the group. It is a great idea to bring this to a discussion here. I edited the title of the discussion you started to reflect that topic. Do you agree with this title: River Rat: Does where you live affect MAC?
Fellow members @windwalker @boomerexpert @irene5 @jkleimen @ling123 @lindam272 and @heathert have mentioned how where one lives or how a location may affect MAC. Some members also live in areas, like Florida, that experience flooding.
I also wanted to share this article that @windwalker posted, discussing how the greatest potential for contracting MAC is most likely from our water: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.5b00496
Tina, are there other reasons that moving into town attractive for you and your husband?
I like the title. Another reason is we have a huge yard and a steep bank to the river. It's the not the easiest to take care of and we are not getting any younger.
Is there a reason Arizona is on the list of places that there is a greater potential for contracting MAC?
Two I can think of - MAC is more prevalent in the water & soil there (which can blow around a lot because it is typically not covered by vegetation) and the existence of desert fever, which can damage lungs and make you more susceptible. But my lung doc says MAC can be contracted anywhere, and whether or not you get it can be a mystery - I got it either in Texas or Minnesota...but my husband, who also has bronchiectasis, and travels with me, doesn't have MAC. And he's the one who did the yard work, and was the main hot tub user...go figure.