(MAC/MAI) Mycobacterium Avium Complex Pulmonary Disease: Join us
I am new to Mayo online .. I was hoping to find others with .. MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX PULMONARY DISEASE (MAC/MAI) and/or BRONCHIECTASIS. I found only 1 thread on mycobacterium accidently under the catagory "Lungs". I'm hoping by starting a subject matter directly related to MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX PULMONARY DISEASE (MAC/MAI) I may find others out there!
I was diagnosed by a sputum culture August 2007 (but the culture result was accidentally misfiled until 2008!) with MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX PULMONARY DISEASE (MAC/MAI) and BRONCHIECTASIS. I am now on 5 antibiotics. Working with Dr. Timothy Aksamit at Rochester Mayo Clinic .. he is a saint to have put up with me this long! I was terrified of the treatment . started the first antibiotic September 3, 2011 ... am now on all 5 antibiotics for 18 mos to 2 years. Am delighted at the very bearable side effects!
I wrote on the 1 thread I found: If you google NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM COMPLEX PULMONARY DISEASE (MAC/MAI) you will learn a LOT about the disease. But PLEASE do NOT get scared about all the things you read .. that is what I did and nearly refused to do the treatment until after a 2nd Micomacterium was discovered! Educate yourself for "due diligence" .. but take it all with a grain of salt .. you are NOT necessarily going to have all the terrible side effects of the antibiotics! Good luck to you!
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January 2017 Update
One of our great Connect Members .. @Paula_MAC2007 .. had a wonderfully helpful idea that I wanted to share! Her idea .. as you read through the pages to gather information on our shared disease of MAC you can develop a personal "file cabinet" for future reference without the necessity of reading all the pages again!
If you have the "MS Word" program on your computer:
- Document Title Example: Mayo Clinic Connect MAI/MAC Information
- Then develop different categories that make sense to you such as: Heath Aids .. Videos .. Healthy Living .. Positive Thinking .. Baseline Testing and Regular Testing .. Antibiotics ..
Tips for
- As you read the pages .. copy/paste/save things of interest into that MS Word document under your preferred categories for future reference.
Then as you want to refer back to something in the future .. YEAH! You have now created your own personal "file cabinet" on MAC/MAI! Go to it!
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.
Hi Jennifer (@megan123) from Toronto!
Here is information about Mayo Clinic's Billing and Insurance http://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance which includes information about Charitable Care and Financial Assistance at Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/financial-assistance
As a Canadian citizen, here are some frequently asked questions for patients from Canada, including what to bring and how Mayo would work with your provincial plan http://www.mayoclinic.org/canada/faq
Welcome to the forum!
Colleen .. thank you so much for your reply to Jennifer (@megan123) .. this is information that will be so helpful for our pages! You are the BEST! Katherine
Colleen... I am so sad to see that Mayo Clinic does not take Medicare. I wonder how the Mayo Brothers would have felt about this decision? TDrell
@tdrell, you might be interested in this discussion "Medicare and Mayo" http://mayocl.in/2iss7GB
Thanks Colleen...for responding...to my comments. Reading the comments in the link you posted confirms the sadness I felt knowing Medicare/supplement was not covered /accepted at Mayos as it is in many other clinics. At National Jewish Health last week, all I did was show my Medicare card then my supplement card......no other mention of $/payments. I could focus my energy on the rigorous tests without worry about paying for pricey tests....especially as they were added. Tdrell
I'm having a tough time finding the message about Medicare and Mayo. I've been going to Mayo with my Medicare and supplemental plan for 6 months. EVERYTHING has been covered except an appointment with the pharmacist for 250! Mayo DOES accept Medicare, they are great.
Kay strand
Kay i am confused.....the link Colleen posted said it does not accept it....except for instate citizens,...Minnesota...Florida....Arizona...Do you live in one of those states?Did you begin there prior to policy change . Were you granted an exemption? Tdrell
We h yes, I do, I didn't know that.
@kaystrand, Kay, the message was: *From Colleen: Here is information about Mayo Clinic's Billing and Insurance http://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance which includes information about Charitable Care and Financial Assistance at Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/financial-assistance
and
@tdrell, Terri, I would make a phone call making reference to: Mayo Clinic Connect .. Colleen Young, Connect Director who gave you the above information. REMEMBER . you ARE your own BEST ADVOCATE!! Just because you are on Medicare does NOT mean you are second class! Be NICE .. but be persistent! If necessary be persistent in your phone call re: Colleen Young, Connect Director had referred to ' Charitable Care and Financial Assistance at Mayo Clinic' AND you would like FURTHER information on just HOW/WHERE/WHEN you are able to take advantage of it. Be your persistent "climb the wall' self if a wall presents itself! I KNOW you can do it! Hugs to you! Katherine
Dear dear Katherine, I have no interest in going to Mayo Clinic. I am satisfied with NJH and the care I received there ( Without the worry of cost....aside from my Medicare and supplement premium.) As always thank you for your input.Tdrell