Hi, I'm new to this forum. I was first diagnosed with MAC in 2001 and was treated with the 3 antibiotics and prednisone for a year. I recovered, but now it is back. I had radiation in 1988 for stage 4 breast cancer which pretty much destroyed my left lung. I beat the cancer but the radiation made my lung vulnerable. This year I was first diagnosed with chronic bronchitis, then bronchiectasis, and COPD. I'm still waiting for the lab report for the MAC bacteria. My symptoms are lots of mucous, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, periodic low fever and chills. I am now 89 years old and trying to learn to live with this. I mostly sleep a lot. The doctor says he won't treat me because of the severity of the antibiotics. Also, I read that a recurrence is very hard to cure. I live close to Stanford, but they seem to be working with Amikacin (antibiotic) which has serious side effects. They have been running clinical trials. I might ask for a referral to them if I thought they could help minimize my condition. I'm hoping that a minor antibiotic might help. Does anyone have any information about someone in my position? The Kaiser doctor says that the MAC won't kill me but pneumonia would. So I am staying close to home. Thanks for any input. Robyn

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