Pneumococcal Vaccinations against pneumonia

@jkiemen Jo Ann...Thanks for your input. Appreciate it! Kate

I like you have been adverse to taking vaccines. I am 67 and have MAC and Bronchiectesis. Having a lot more breathing issues lately so got my first flu shot in years. I also got my first pneumonia shot. She said the flu shot is a hit or miss every year so was more concerned about me getting the pneumonia shot. I had both shots on September 16th and only experienced some soreness in the arm with the pneumonia shot. I am hoping I will notice a difference by taking the shots. Only time will tell.

Hi, Alleycatkate and Windwalker and everyone else.

I hope this is the right way to post this.Anyway, I saw my pulmonologist yesterday. I really really like him. He told me my nodules had mildly improved which he had told me before.
He said MAC never goes away. That's what he thinks, Kate. He says MAC progresses very
slowly. I am doing well...85, walking two miles a day, short of breath and fatigue but
that's it. If I get sick with the chills, fever, weight loss, etc., he would refer me to a
infectious disease doctor. He suggested a breathing rehab clinic his practice has but I
declined. He then gave me an inhaler to be used once a day. But when I got home
and looked up the side effects it can cause glaucumo. So being the smart ass/bad
Scot/Irish patient that I am, I am not going to use it. I ordered a spirometer instead. Thank you
so much for that tip Kate. I will use it diligently. I will also get NAC.
My doctor and I laughed a lot and I return in two months. But honesty I think my
sympathy plays are not going to work much anymore. I am doing great and I
wish that for all of you. Elizabeth

@bibes ....Dear Elizabeth...I loved your post...you smart ass bad Scott Irish patient!! How great is that? Please do let me know how you make out with the spirometer...I started out slow and just built up my volume. I am glad to hear you are doing so great and I hope that continues. Kate

Dear Kate, After doing a lot of research and looking the the specific side effects of my inhaler, I have
decidedI am being ridiculous. I will use the inhaler and the spirometer. With both, of course, I will
soon be perfect. Love to your kitties. Elizabeth

@bibes...Dear Elizabeth, I had to chuckle when I first read your message about the inhaler....being a badass Irish/English headstrong gal...I did the exact same thing with my inhaler. It sits in my drawer, unused. Kitties send greetings and meows. Please carry on striving for perfection! With appreciation, Kate

@fdixon63 Wow! That is an awful reaction to the shot. I can understand your reluctance in going forward with the flu shot .. I am going to get the pneumonia but not the flu as last year’s flu shot was not very effective against many strains. Thanks for relating your experience. Hope that was the second shot for you and that you are up to date now. Kate

I generally stay away from flu vaccine and pneumonia vaccine, though I did have one pneumonia vaccine a year or so ago, just to appease my then primary care physician (because I had rejected other things he'd recommended. I've never had pneumonia and I can't tell you how long it's been since I've had the flu, and it's true that there are many different kinds of flu, so getting vaccinated against one is a shot in the dark at best, in my opinion.

Hi,@bibes. Kudos to you for taking control of your health as you see fit. Two miles a day, Wow! I haven't worked up to 2 miles a day yet, but working on it. I hadn't heard that MAC never goes away, though supposedly bronchiectasis doesn't. Are you on the Big 3 antibiotics? I am, for almost 6 months now, but I'm afraid of how they might be affecting my eyesight and other body functions. Funny you should mention getting a spirometer. I've only just read about its use for improving lung function, and I plan to try one.