@suenfl I'm also in FL...are you near the Mayo clinic in Jacksonville? If not have you someone who can get you there? https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/florida/becoming-a-patient

Dear sue fil,

I think they haven’t found out what is really wrong with you.  Maybe you should go for a second opinion. My specialist says the only way to be sure it is a MAC is with à broncoscopy where they take sample and send it to a lab. He says sputum analysis is

not a safe way to diagnosed. Do not take for cash what dr says ! Get second opinions. 

I was diagnosed from a bronchoscopy

I am in Tallahassee, about 3 hours from Jax.

@suenfl and do you have someone to take you to Mayo as it seems you're not well enough to take yourself...you've got to get there...

My specialist (infectiologue) says a lot of people have that bacteria without being diagnose so it is no use to over react but to be preventive to keep our lung healthy. Watch food that give lots of mucus and try to have a more alkaline diet then an acid diet.

 He says we only have people on antibiotic if the mac is giving issues.  I have not taken antibiotic since they did a bronco and the result was positive for MAC but I am doing well so far without medication.  Antibiotic weakens your immune system so be careful!

In french we say “ soyons vigilant” ! 

Check the secondary effect on the web! Be careful with antibiotic according to my specialist it is not a sure cure for that bacteria.  If it makes you sicker something is really wrong .  You will need to read about all you take and feel to make better choices.

Good luck!

@nick52, Hi Nicole! That is excellent advice. I have been trying to adhere to an alkaline diet myself. It is hard because my husband loves his meats and ice-cream; therefore those are always in the house. I can tell that my body's ph is too acidic; my tongue burns most of the time, along with other indicators. I use the acid test strips also. For those of you who do not know much about this, you can Google the subject and learn more. Some diseases are caused by, or become worse due a high acid diet. Some high acid ph in the body can be caused by the disease and also by medications.

Windwalker 

You too have a burning tongue.  Every time I eat ice cream or readmeat my tongue burns also. If you have an acid stomach it is dangerous to aspiration the acid reflux on your lung and have a lung disease.  I also read that you can also have reflux on a

non acid stomach.  Google Dysphagia .  You will find all kind of info also exercises to do if you do aspiration.  Only one more month and i will be in Florida.

I forgot to tell you that I ask the radiologist and my infectiologue about aspiring acid reflux to the lung and he said yes. Aspiration is the cause of bronchiectasis. I had read that but no one had confirm it but the radiologist did. If you eat mucus forming food you will have more expose or have more chances to pneumonia my dctor said. If you have a lot of reflux have you ever consider having NAET treatment. Those treatment are amazing Windwalker. I will give you an exemple of one of my treatment. I couldn’t eat butter anymore because I was getting to much mucus reflux and sputum so I switch to coconut oil, when I went for my allergy test I score 10 on butter (at 4 it is considered severe) yes 10! I had the treatment and now butter doesn’t affect me at all. The beauty of the treatment is you don’t need to stop eating it. I am looking forward to meet you when I get to Florida.