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In shock after MAC diagnosis
I was being followed for a lung problem for 2 years and finally was to have my last CT in June. But it showed pneumonia. I had had a bad cough a month before, they thought I had pneumonia but chest X-rays indicated no, so I wasn’t treated. So after the CT I had 7 days of an antibiotic. 6 weeks later my next CT showed it had gotten a bit worse and now they mentioned something called MAI. That was last Monday. Tuesday I am getting a bronchoscope and biopsy. I am scared. Especially now that I have read so much about this. I don’t have symptoms except maybe if I talk fast I feel like I had to stop and breath. I don’t know what I am in for. Gosh I am scared just about getting the bronchoscope. My doctor said I could have gotten this from gardening, I did a lot...have been doing it for years. This year we had a new mulch supplier...... I could use a pep talk, if anyone has that for this!!
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Sueinmn. Which medications are causing you to need all the monitoring of the vision etc.? Is it the big three or Arikayce??
What is pseudomonas infection?
It is Ethambutol.
Also if anyone is taking thyroid hormone, be careful with rifampin which could reduce its absorption.
It is Ethambutol, one of the big three.
@jenniferhunter Hi Jennifer! I think I need some estrogen to help make me sharper.
@silvermoon8, @sandykayhud, @catalin, @marilynk Hi ladies. May I ask what you all did career wise and what state you live in? I am tracking data for research. Thank you!
@sylvermoon8, I also have been an avid gardener for yrs. I am super careful now not to inhale soil particles, especially from potting soil. I have read that pseudomonas is commonly picked up by handling bush clippings. I now leave that up to my hubby.
Just curious, what kind of research are you doing? I'm from NJ, a research scientist.
Pseudomonas is another bug which invades compromised lungs and can cause pneumonia. May occur alone or in combination with MAC/MAI. It is (generally) easier to treat than MAC/MAI, the course of treatment is usually much shorter, and it (generally) responds to levaquin, doxycycline, and/or inhaled trobamycin. It can also reoccur, and like Terri says, is also often found in yard and garden. Just another one of those things to be aware of if you have bronchiectasis. I wear long sleeves, gloves and an N-95 mask when working in the yard to minimize exposure to both bugs. I can't leave it to my husband, because he also has bronchiectasis, has had pseudomonas (but not MAC) and has really bad allergies. Another commonly-cited source for both bugs is wood mulch (which can also harbor mold spores) so I leave the handling of that to a hired teenager, who also does some of the heavy work in our yard and a lot of the trimming and hauling of brush.
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1 ReactionWe traveled and were transferred often. I was raised on a farm and gathered eggs from a henhouse. After retiring we lived part time in an area with lots of bats. The rest of the time was spent in buildings that had pigeons in the attics and heat/ac systems. This was before my diagnosis. And also a few years ago. I was diagnosed at National Jewish Research Center in 03. With avian Mac I obviously swept and things became air born. I was told that bronchiectasis can be genetic and I also have a CF gene.
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