I just came across a medical article that stated M. abscessus lung disease can actually progress slowly and not always even need treatment.
Here is a paragraph from the article "M. abscessus lung disease may progress very slowly; furthermore, some patients do not require treatment, whereas others require combination antibiotic therapy, including parenteral agents. After discussing this information with the patients, we implemented an observation period of at least 6 to 12 months without antibiotic treatment. When the disease was clearly recognized as being progressive, the patients received a standardized combination antibiotic therapy after hospitalization. In patients with substantial symptoms and/or advanced or progressive radiographic abnormalities, antibiotic therapy was initiated immediately"
The full article can be viewed here https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.200905-0704OC