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← Return to In shock after MAC diagnosis
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@sueinmn I have no symptoms. They found what they originally thought was pneumonia because I had a chest CT. So I am not coughing, except a tiny bit because of post nasal drip. When they did a follow up CT 6 weeks later one area was a tiny bit worse. Because some other doctor gave me that news and didn’t want to say much I had my doctor call me, I thought I needed to do something right away. Like take another round of antibiotics. It was on the phone that she briefly told me about what she called and what the CT report said, MAI. And she suggested a biopsy this week. I have an appt with my doctor not long after the biopsy which I expect she will discuss in more detail what I have. Although I do not think she will have biopsy results that quick! So it’s been 4 days since I got this news. Thank you for telling me how you are handling it.
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I'm VERY curious about what you hear. MAI cannot be diagnosed by CT as far as I am aware, but someone else may know something I do not. NTM/MAC/MAI is a very slow-growing bacteria related to TB, and is diagnosed through a culture grown out in a specialized lab. The process takes at least 6 weeks, and for proper treatment is followed by exposing the bugs to various combinations of antibiotics to see what will treat your strain. The sample may be procured via a cough, or a bronchoscopy. There are other bugs that can cause the pneumonia as well. I was treated for pseudomonas pneumonia after cultures were taken (that culture only takes 2-3 weeks, and usually a shorter course of treatment - mine was 2 months with Levaquin, then inhaled Tobramycin). Then the second set of cultures came back confirming MAC and I have been on that treatment over a year, first 3 times weekly, now daily. My husband, who also has bronchiectasis, had neither pseudomonas nor MAC, but yet another bacterial pneumonia (I don't remember specifically) and was treated with 4 courses antibiotics (2 different ones at different times.)