1. < MAC & Bronchiectasis

(MAC/MAI) Mycobacterium Avium Complex Pulmonary Disease: Join us

Posted by Katherine, Alumni Mentor @katemn, Nov 21, 2011

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!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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.

cila | @cila | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @tdrell "Cilia my appt period at NJH started at 7am on a Thursday in January....routine blood work....a..." + (show)
@tdrell

Cilia my appt period at NJH started at 7am on a Thursday in January....routine blood work....a 6 minute walk in respiratory therapy to see if I needed Oxygen while there...an aide came down from adult day unit where you will have a room/bed/ to rest in between appts. Most days end at 5pm.you order no cost from menus in room all 3 meals. There are nurses on floor for teaching and meds if they start you there.
So I had appts on Friday then weekend with nothing going on....then appts the next week....Monday thru Friday....except one item I had for Wednesday was cancelled soooooo had a day off.
I stayed in hotels with shuttles since I had no car....so I used the list from NJH re hotels giving rates. If you have a car, you will save money by not having shuttle,.....parking is free at NJH.
They spread the appt over several weeks so they can add tests and appts as needed.
I had had a lot of tests done prior to arrival and had all sent in advance to NJh....none the less lots were added.
What other questions do you have? Tdrell

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Tdrell, is there a shuttles from the airport to the hotel? My husband wants to rent a car but I thought if there is a shuttles from the hotel to the clinic we don't need to rent a car. Thanks for the information. Cila

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cila | @cila | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @cila "Hi Catherine, when you inhale amikacin did you do coughing while your inhaling it? Also my..." + (show)
@cila

Hi Catherine, when you inhale amikacin did you do coughing while your inhaling it? Also my throat is hurting and I'm losing a little bit of my voice. I'm not informing my pulmonary Dr. b/c I called NJH and I got an appt. there. Thanks for everything. I'm so glad I'm on this forum you guys help me a lot.

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Good luck on your CT scan hopefully it will be clear I will say a prayer for you. Thank you for your help. Cila

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Cindy Courtney | @cindyrnc | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @kathyg "Hello, Kate What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with..." + (show)
@kathyg

Hello, Kate

What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with MAC, found out via a phone call from my Mayo doctor last night. I have been coughing for over 14 months and I just kept trying to get someone to tell me why..... Now that I have the diagnosis, what do I do? My first reaction was to try to get more information and that is how I stumbled across your posting. My doctor, Dr. Mullen at Mayo in Rochester, is a very nice man and he explained that some of the side effects of the treatment can be worse than the disease. So, I rejected the idea. When I saw your post saying that the reality may not be as bad as the hype, it gives me a different perspective. Would you be willing to share more of your experience with me? The doctors can only tell you what the books tell them unless they have had a patient who has gone through the process. Even then, different folks can have differing reactions. I am a 58 year old, recently retired (in part due to the coughing with the embarrassing results), I am overweight so the shortness of breath was attributed to that.....

Thank you, Kathy

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Great.  Thank you.

Cindy

 

 

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Mariposa | @mariposa | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @kathyg "Hello, Kate What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with..." + (show)
@kathyg

Hello, Kate

What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with MAC, found out via a phone call from my Mayo doctor last night. I have been coughing for over 14 months and I just kept trying to get someone to tell me why..... Now that I have the diagnosis, what do I do? My first reaction was to try to get more information and that is how I stumbled across your posting. My doctor, Dr. Mullen at Mayo in Rochester, is a very nice man and he explained that some of the side effects of the treatment can be worse than the disease. So, I rejected the idea. When I saw your post saying that the reality may not be as bad as the hype, it gives me a different perspective. Would you be willing to share more of your experience with me? The doctors can only tell you what the books tell them unless they have had a patient who has gone through the process. Even then, different folks can have differing reactions. I am a 58 year old, recently retired (in part due to the coughing with the embarrassing results), I am overweight so the shortness of breath was attributed to that.....

Thank you, Kathy

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Hi Terri,

I spent three weeks in France last summer,went on a riverboat on the Seine river, they start from the South and stop in many cities on the river going up to the North , this is a good way to travel if you don't want to move too much with the suitcases but you have to make sure that they can turn off your air conditioning in your room. I saw an allergy Dr. a while ago and he said that if you have lung issues ,always make sure that you cruise on a boat that is less than two years old. I prefer if you can turn the whole thing off and just open the balcony door..fresh air.

Europe is a pretty safe place to travel too as far as bugs are concerned but only drink bottle water . Renting a place for a month would be fun too.
The small portable oxygen for the flight would be OK or you can also order oxygen from the airline , at least you use to, would have to double check for that. If you had your own small
bottle and ran out ,that would not be a problem,the have lots of them on board.
Also ,you should wear a mask when you go on the flights, the orientals have been doing this for a long time, it makes sense.

As much as would like I would not go to India or similar places, way too dangerous for us.
I tell people that I'm like the boy in the bubble , from now on I will have to be very careful too.

Best, Andree

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tdrell | @tdrell | Jul 17, 2017

Cilia.....as i recall....one hotel on list from NJH had had airport service but discontinued it. Denver is soooooo spread out and airport is really out of center of city where NJH and nearbye hotels are..
I would rent a car and look for hotels not as pricey as the shuttle ones....
Your husband will drive and then sight see...on the weekend you both can do things.
I wasted lots of time and energy being dependent on shuttles...and $... i always tipped the drivers.
Ask more of your questions tdrell

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tdrell | @tdrell | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @kathyg "Hello, Kate What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with..." + (show)
@kathyg

Hello, Kate

What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with MAC, found out via a phone call from my Mayo doctor last night. I have been coughing for over 14 months and I just kept trying to get someone to tell me why..... Now that I have the diagnosis, what do I do? My first reaction was to try to get more information and that is how I stumbled across your posting. My doctor, Dr. Mullen at Mayo in Rochester, is a very nice man and he explained that some of the side effects of the treatment can be worse than the disease. So, I rejected the idea. When I saw your post saying that the reality may not be as bad as the hype, it gives me a different perspective. Would you be willing to share more of your experience with me? The doctors can only tell you what the books tell them unless they have had a patient who has gone through the process. Even then, different folks can have differing reactions. I am a 58 year old, recently retired (in part due to the coughing with the embarrassing results), I am overweight so the shortness of breath was attributed to that.....

Thank you, Kathy

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Mariposa/Andree....loved reading about your journeys and life style....no " would've...could've ...should'ves" you experienced it all....and with a kindred partner. As I read, I envisioned a TV series. tdrell aka Terri

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tdrell | @tdrell | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @kathyg "Hello, Kate What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with..." + (show)
@kathyg

Hello, Kate

What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with MAC, found out via a phone call from my Mayo doctor last night. I have been coughing for over 14 months and I just kept trying to get someone to tell me why..... Now that I have the diagnosis, what do I do? My first reaction was to try to get more information and that is how I stumbled across your posting. My doctor, Dr. Mullen at Mayo in Rochester, is a very nice man and he explained that some of the side effects of the treatment can be worse than the disease. So, I rejected the idea. When I saw your post saying that the reality may not be as bad as the hype, it gives me a different perspective. Would you be willing to share more of your experience with me? The doctors can only tell you what the books tell them unless they have had a patient who has gone through the process. Even then, different folks can have differing reactions. I am a 58 year old, recently retired (in part due to the coughing with the embarrassing results), I am overweight so the shortness of breath was attributed to that.....

Thank you, Kathy

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Mariposa....so sad....your loss....his loss! Now the cockpits are even more sealed up for security...so will exposure be greater!? Tdrell aka Terri

REPLY
tdrell | @tdrell | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @kathyg "Hello, Kate What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with..." + (show)
@kathyg

Hello, Kate

What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with MAC, found out via a phone call from my Mayo doctor last night. I have been coughing for over 14 months and I just kept trying to get someone to tell me why..... Now that I have the diagnosis, what do I do? My first reaction was to try to get more information and that is how I stumbled across your posting. My doctor, Dr. Mullen at Mayo in Rochester, is a very nice man and he explained that some of the side effects of the treatment can be worse than the disease. So, I rejected the idea. When I saw your post saying that the reality may not be as bad as the hype, it gives me a different perspective. Would you be willing to share more of your experience with me? The doctors can only tell you what the books tell them unless they have had a patient who has gone through the process. Even then, different folks can have differing reactions. I am a 58 year old, recently retired (in part due to the coughing with the embarrassing results), I am overweight so the shortness of breath was attributed to that.....

Thank you, Kathy

Jump to this post

Heathert....my hands ache reading about all that foulding! Tdrell

REPLY
tdrell | @tdrell | Jul 17, 2017
In reply to @kathyg "Hello, Kate What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with..." + (show)
@kathyg

Hello, Kate

What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with MAC, found out via a phone call from my Mayo doctor last night. I have been coughing for over 14 months and I just kept trying to get someone to tell me why..... Now that I have the diagnosis, what do I do? My first reaction was to try to get more information and that is how I stumbled across your posting. My doctor, Dr. Mullen at Mayo in Rochester, is a very nice man and he explained that some of the side effects of the treatment can be worse than the disease. So, I rejected the idea. When I saw your post saying that the reality may not be as bad as the hype, it gives me a different perspective. Would you be willing to share more of your experience with me? The doctors can only tell you what the books tell them unless they have had a patient who has gone through the process. Even then, different folks can have differing reactions. I am a 58 year old, recently retired (in part due to the coughing with the embarrassing results), I am overweight so the shortness of breath was attributed to that.....

Thank you, Kathy

Jump to this post

Mariposa/Andree....your voyage in France sounds delightful...the two places on my bucket list are Russia and China...studied their histories in High School...shouldve gone 11 years ago when I retired! Tdrell aka Terri

REPLY
heathert | @heathert | Jul 18, 2017
In reply to @kathyg "Hello, Kate What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with..." + (show)
@kathyg

Hello, Kate

What a coincidence that my first name is Katherine/Kathy. I was just diagnosed with MAC, found out via a phone call from my Mayo doctor last night. I have been coughing for over 14 months and I just kept trying to get someone to tell me why..... Now that I have the diagnosis, what do I do? My first reaction was to try to get more information and that is how I stumbled across your posting. My doctor, Dr. Mullen at Mayo in Rochester, is a very nice man and he explained that some of the side effects of the treatment can be worse than the disease. So, I rejected the idea. When I saw your post saying that the reality may not be as bad as the hype, it gives me a different perspective. Would you be willing to share more of your experience with me? The doctors can only tell you what the books tell them unless they have had a patient who has gone through the process. Even then, different folks can have differing reactions. I am a 58 year old, recently retired (in part due to the coughing with the embarrassing results), I am overweight so the shortness of breath was attributed to that.....

Thank you, Kathy

Jump to this post

@windwalker I worked in insurance many years ago and now I work from home, so no mass exposure to the public except I did catch public transport(train and bus) 2 hours a day for many years.

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