Hello, and welcome - receiving this kind of news is very upsetting, especially when you begin to read about MAC - just remember that you have this community to share your questions and concerns. As Jennifer (@megan123) told you, there has been some change in treatment protocols for MAC over the past few years, especially in looking closely at the number of "colonies" identified in the cultures when deciding whether to start antibiotics.

That said, since you are seeing the pulmonologist today, if the recommendation is the same - watch and see - you may want to ask about using increased airway clearance and hypertonic saline (7% vs the usual .9%) to try to keep the bacteria under control. Here is an article for you, with links to the underlying studies: https://bronchiectasisnewstoday.com/bronchiectasis-experimental-treatments/hypertonic-saline-solution/

Many on this group, including me, have managed to forego the rigorous "Big 3" and stay healthy... I managed to avoid any exacerbations for 18 months, my recent setback has been brought under control within a short time without antibiotics.

Good luck today!
Sue

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