Asthma, COPD, CVID and MAC

@joelars - @benn023.
There are variants to all of these diseases and some can be fatal.

Pneumonia is a virus or bacterial infection that usually goes away with treatments.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumonia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354204
COPD is a chronic inflammatory of the lungs which restricts breathing. Right now there are no cures and it is progressive.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679
MAC is a bacterium that can hit people with immune problems.
MAC is primarily a pulmonary pathogen that affects individuals who are immune compromised (eg, from AIDS, hairy cell leukemia, immunosuppressive chemotherapy). In this clinical setting, MAC has been associated with osteomyelitis; tenosynovitis; synovitis; and disseminated disease involving the lymph nodes, the CNS, the liver, the spleen, and the bone marrow
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thanks @merpreb so I can probably rule out MAC (unless I have hairy cell leukemia and I think that would come up in blood tests?) what about cvid? (Assuming the next ct scan I still have the infection, what would you call pneumonia that responds to antibiotics but keeps returning or a small portion remains? ANd what if the infection was greatly reduced by the antibiotics but a vestige remains? Do I just continue with another round of antibiotics?

@j oelars- I'm not a medical professional so I really can't give you professional medical advice. It will be up to your doctor to decide whether you need more medicine, depending on what didn't work. Did you have the same antibiotic both times? Sometimes it take a while to clear up pneumonia, depending on whether it's bacterial or viral. Do you know what the names of the medicines that you have taken?

@merpreb I know I had viral and bacterial pneumonia in March (the only other time I had pneumonia, 3 years ago, it was just bacterial) I don't know the names of any of the antibiotica. But as I stated in my previous post, I'm feeling much better (actually normal) so the antibiotic must have done some good. I realize my subjective feelings aren't the acid test, the upcoming ct scan is. (still, if I can feel as good as I do now, I'd declare myself cured).
what I neglected to mention through this is when I was hospitalized in March I walked out against doctor's orders because I felt so much better. The hospital did give me orals to take when I left, but my walking out early may have had something to do with this problem which I created in its inception by heavy smoking. Of all my life's challenges it turns out I was my worst enemy. That ain't easy to live with.

@joelars- I think at time we all are our own best enemy! Best thing to do is to try not to do it again and listen to your doctor! You are a lawyer not a doctor so you aren't the professional here, lol. But really leave the medical stuff to him, can you do that and stop worrying?

@merpreb I'd like to say yes to your rhetorical question, but I'd only be lying. This time, rather than stick the script for the lung scan in the glove box and ignore it for months, I scheduled a ct (with contrast) for thursday (just got the script today). I already regret that act of naive optimism. Man plans, God laughs.

Mac is mycobacterium avium complex which is a different bacteria than the ones that cause pneumonia

@joelars - This cliche might be trite but it's true-"Better Safe than Sorry."

@merpreb
I get the "sorry" part but "safe"?

@joelars - Safe to mean, in this sense, that by getting tested you rule out an immediate concern instead of not being tested and chancing being ill and not knowing. I think that we disagree on this matter. But that's fine, don't you agree?