Breast cancer survivor, now I have MAC and bronchiectasis

@pinkwarrior Hi Pink, welcome. I'm so sorry you have already been through so much and now you're looking at another challenge, more medicine. However, you have come to the right place. There's a lot of information and a lot of hope here. People more knowledgeable than I will give you advice about how to navigate this site to find the information you're looking for. My advice (having dealt with a bronchiectasis diagnosis since 1997 and MAC diagnosis since 2008) is make sure your doctor is experienced when it comes to these specific conditions. Some pulmonologists don't know much about either condition. It all depends on how advanced the bronchiectasis is and whether the MAC is simply present or doing damage. National Jewish Health in Denver and Mayo Clinic are the places that offer the best resources related to bronchiectasis and MAC. But there are many excellent providers throughout the country. I would say, chin up. This is not the end. There is help for you. Be willing to find the best care and be your own advocate. Eat well, rest, exercise, practice good lung hygiene and you can maintain a good quality of life despite these conditions.

Thanks for the encouragement. I really got help from the breast cancer blogs I joined. My oncologist sent me to the pulmonologist when my CT scan didn’t clear up. It kept showing small noodles. The pulmonologist suspected MAC but waited to rescan me. I finally had a bronchoscope and the culture grew MAC in 8 weeks. It said +1. I have no idea if that’s good or bad. I have a follow-up in a month. I am also supposed to see ID doctor. From reading the posts, they are the doctors who push for the antibiotics. Can you stop and start these 3 drugs everyone mentions or are there no breaks in the routine once you get started?

@pinkwarrior- Welcome to Mayo Connect. Have you had a biopsy performed to see what the nodules are? ID doctors specialize in infectious diseases. How long have you been having problems?
If you are having problems getting around Connect this might help https://connect.mayoclinic.org/get-started-on-connect/

I had a bronchoscope which tested positive for MAC. He was pretty sure that's what I had without the scope but wanted to confirm.

@pinkwarrior Hi, and welcome to our site. Are you having any symptoms from your mac?

I am not having any symptoms. I walk 3 miles about 4 times a week. I know this is a life long disease.

Hi pink - Any other symptoms? Like cough, with or without sputum, chest pain, fatigue, fever, shortness of breath, weight loss... Absent any other symptoms, my pulmonologist chooses to wait and watch (closely), but with symptoms he treats.
MAC grows slowly, so he said the downside of waiting and watching is minimal. In my case, I had multiple symptoms, as well as evidence of expanding nodules, so we are treating.
Although this reatment regimen is not pleasant, I have to admit I feel better, and just survived a major cold with lung involvement without requiring additional antibiotics or hospitalization - just additional rest and nebuliser treatments - something that I have not been able to manage for several years.
The +1, +2, etc diagnosis has been used in wound care and TB testing to quantify the amount of bacteria detected. In past, it was used to determine whether or not to treat, but now doctors tend to treat if there is evidence of infection and symptoms...
I will reiterate what others have said - make sure your lung doc is experienced with bronchiectasis, and if not, find someone who is.

Thanks so much for the information. I am slowly learning.

@sueinmn- Good morning. It sounds like you have struggled through a tough time, but came out on top with your cold. Would you kindly explain +1, +2 mean?
My Pulmonologist is new but considered the best in the state. My other one retired. I've had one appointment and love the set up that they have.

Writing to welcome you and send positive energy your way. You must be a very strong person now, having braved your way through breast cancer, and now facing MAC. You will find a lot of help on this site and learn that the disease is controllable - especially if you attack it early. It is recommended you see the local Infectious Disease doctors and get on a plan of antibiotics. Of course, a bronchoscopy will reveal the exact strain of bacteria, if you haven't had that done yet.