Hi Jen,
I was diagnosed with MAC and Bronchiectasis a little over a year ago (at 58) and did the year of the "big three" antibiotics. I made it through them with no real problem but learned a lot from reading these pages and especially from our guiding angel, Katherine, who is out sick at the moment. It's so different for everyone. I felt very fortunate that I made it through. Mine was found by accident through a breast MRI if you can believe it. A very good radiologist said he spotted something in my lungs and even said he thought it looked like
bronchiectasis. Long story short, after a CAT scan and a pulmonologist looking at me and saying I bet you have MAC and HE was right also! I was like a deer in headlights. It was very frightening and depressing at the same time but I didn't let it get me down for long because I have my own business and had to get through it. I have never had any mucus so I had to have a bronchoscopy to find the MAC and now in July I will have another CAT scan to see if my lungs look any better after the year of drugs. I split my drugs up at three different times during the day. I took the Rifampin on an empty stomach but the other two I didn't worry about as much on an empty stomach. Some people take the drugs all at once but I was too scared to do that so I put a few hours in between each one of mine. I also drank a lot of water and I took two probiotics a day and ate yogurt everyday along with other food that had probiotics...kefir, sauerkraut, etc. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck to you. This forum is the best. Nan

Jen,
I forgot to say in the post above this one that I just wrote that I was also just diagnosed with a sliding hernia and have terrible GERD. There's so many similarities in all of us. I'm thin,59, live in SC, have slight scoliosis....textbook for Lady Windermere's syndrome as they call it. Nan

@jennifernicole....Hi Jennifer! My name is Amy. I am 46 with an 8 year old and ten year old. I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis and MAI in December 2015. At the time my MAI was not active so they did not start the drugs on me. This past December of 2016, the MAI was active and the B. was getting worse. I also have no symptoms. (I knew I had something wrong 4 years ago when I threw up blood.) I have been on all 3 drugs for almost 2 months. I have had no side effects, except for a little insomnia and occasional tiredness. (The tiredness is one where you could push through if you have too, but if you have nothing else going on a short nap feels great. Just for reference I probably have taken a short nap about 5-7 times since being on the drugs.) I am so thankful that so far I am showing no reactions to the drugs...I, of course, still need to get my kidney, liver, and eyes checked monthly for the next 5 months.

If anyone sees anything crazy about my schedule below please let me know: 🙂

5:30am= 2 probiotics (You have to take antibiotics 2 hours apart from probiotics. I didn't realize this fact for the first month and a half, so I recently just revised my schedule as written below.)
6:00-6:30am= eat breakfast
8:30am= Rifampin (you have to take antibiotics 2 hours after eating)
9:30am= Clarithromycin and Ethambutol (I may end up taking all 3 antibiotics at 8:30. Others have taken all at same time.)
10:30am= can eat again (you can eat one hour after the antibiotics)
3:00pm= daily vitamin and D3 supplement (many of us have low Vit. D...vitamins have to be taken I believe 4 hours apart from the antibiotics).
8:15pm or so= 2 more probiotics (the number of probiotics you take seems like a "guess", but whatever works for you.)

I have never had an upset stomach from drugs, or a period of diarrhea, or thrush etc. I have just recently starting going gluten and dairy free to help my gut heal, and any inflammation that I have going on. I was just diagnosed with a slight bit of Barrett's esophagus...I had no idea that I was silent refluxing, but almost all of us have acid reflux to some extent.

If I was you, I would buy the book Beating Bronchiectasis on Amazon. The man that wrote the book just released last November. He had severe asthma his whole life and developed Bronchiectasis and he was so bad that he thought he was on his death bed. His story is amazing and uplifting bringing hope to those of us who are able to be regimented enough as he was. He gives his daily regimen and said his CT was perfectly clear after doing his regimen for 8 months. I believe we have hope!! I am going to try to beat this too!

Please feel free to contact me for any additional questions. I know it can be scary, but reading books about how we can keep our bodies healthy has given me a lot of hope for the future!

Beating Bronchiectasis by Daniel Pecaut is an incredible book, I learned a lot. Have started the nasal rinses, meditation, drinking 64 ounces of water per day and breathing exercises. He gives the reader a lot of hope. I bought my book on Amazon for $3.99. I was just recently diagnosed with Bronchiectasis (March 2017) and trying to be proactive. Informed by NJH yesterday that my cultures for MAC etc. were negative, so relieved.

Thank u for sharing this xo

Thank you! This pill regimen is very helpful! Out of curiosity, any ideas about how anybody got MAI?

From what I understand from reading about this condition, it has to deal with the suseptibility of the host. MAI is endemic:you can pick it up anywhere if your lungs and immune system are vulnerable. Given that the profile for MAI is: Thin, white women in their 50-60s, a diminished immune system seems like one of the ingredients. Am newly diagnosed, so would appreciate what others have learned re this process.

From what I've read, it also seems most of us have acid reflux or GERD.
Gina

@ginak I have Barrett's Esophagus but never had an acid reflux problem or gerd! I was just hoarse all of the time.
JK

@contentandwell I never knew I had acid reflux either. I never felt anything. I had a slightly hoarse voice and constant throat clearing. I had a professor suggest I go to an ENT and that's when I was told acid reflux. That was about 10 years ago. It never bothered me, hardly ever had acid indigestion, so It wasn't treated. Maybe a Tums now and then. Neither the ENT nor my Dr ever suggested it could lead to nodules, bronchiectasis, or MAI. Which is what I've been reading about now. I was diagnosed with MAI in Dec 2016 after coughing up blood. I think they didn't know too much about it back then.
But it doesn't make a difference how or when I got it, it is what it is and I just have to take some precautions now. I haven't gone on any antibiotics yet. Hopefully I can avoid it for a while.
Gina