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.

Mentor
Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Apr 16, 2018
In reply to @sandysupermom "HI. I'm new to this discussion group. My 73 year old mom was recently diagnosed with..." + (show)
@sandysupermom

HI. I'm new to this discussion group. My 73 year old mom was recently diagnosed with MAC and Bronchiectasis. She lives in Ocala, FL and we are trying to decide where to take her for further care. Her current pulmonologist wants to refer her to the University of Florida - Shands Hospital because they have a micobacterial clinic there. I have been reading the reviews from previous patients and their biggest complaint is the lack of communication between doctors. That's a pretty big flag for me. I wonder if anyone could tell me their experiences with Mayo. If you need a Pulmonologist and and Infectious Disease doctor and a Rheumatologist do the doctors work together? I should also mention that we are considering going to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL

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@jengelage I feel like that is the one of the best things we can be doing for ourselves.

REPLY
Suzie2017 | @suzie2017 | Apr 16, 2018
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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Hello, I am new to Mayo but I would like to share what my 71 year old husband is going through. He has severe COPD including Bronchiectasis. He also is in early stages of Alzheimers. He is currently waiting for the results to come back from his second sputum culture. The first one from mid-March resulted in a pulmonary Mac infection. The second culture will confirm the diagnosis. My husband has lost about 18 pounds in the past 1.5 years without trying. He is 5.6 and weighs 119. He also has been an anemic for the past 2 years. Due to his illnesses, he is currently on 15 prescription drugs. I am wondering, if he is confirmed to have Mac, if he should go on the strong antibiotic treatment.

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Mentor
Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Apr 16, 2018
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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@suzie2017 Hello Suzie, welcome to our group. Wow, it sounds like tough times for your husband. That is a lot on one plate. This has got to be hard on you too. As far as whethet or not he should go on treatment for mac; that is something to discuss with his doctor. That doctor must be a good one that knows his stuff about treating mac. Be sure to ask the dr about the test results. Ask what specie the mac is, ask about the suseptibilty test results (that is a test on the bacteria to see which antibiotics will work), ask about colony size. Sometimes, if the colony size is minimal, it is possible for the infection to go away on it's own. He may benefit from a prophylaxis treatment with antibiotics. That is where he would take alternating monthly antibiotics that is easier on the body. He also needs a good Infectious Disease specialist to work with his pulmonologist. There is a lot of information on our site about mac if you want to take the time to read from past posts & other areas on this thread. Please feel free to ask questions or share things here on Connect. We are here for you. P.S. please tell your hubby that I hope he gets to feeling better soon. Tell him too that once the mac gets knocked out, he will regain his weight. I am putting mine back on as fast as I lost it. Will you keep us posted on how he is doing?

REPLY
irene5 Irene Estes | @irene5 | Apr 16, 2018
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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Yes, welcome Susie! You will find a wealth of information on this forum as well as the kindest and most caring people I have had the privilege to email. I am so sorry for your husband. My husband has the same things minus the MAC. I have MAC. He has Sarcoid instead. Alzheimer’s is the scariest of them all I think. I hope you have family support. My husband is 72. Sending you a hug.

REPLY
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Apr 16, 2018
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 @lindam272
Here's the link to Katherine's "Questions to Ask" message for your file cabinet.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/update-on-treatment-of-mac/?pg=3#comment-63228
I'll also paste her Questions to Ask here:

From KATEMN
From my File Cabinet:
QUESTIONS TO ASK OF DOCTOR
This is the question form I use when I see my MAC/Bronchiectasis doctor. This is merely the form I put together for myself .. cut/pasted from numerous sources .. use it .. redesign it for your own needs or whatever. You could easily copy/paste/ADD SPACES FOR NOTES/redesign it for your own use. Hope it helps someone! Hugs! Katherine
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Questions to Ask Your Doctor-LUNGS-MAI- Bronchiectasis
DOCTORS’ NAME: PHONE #: FAX #:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
DOCTOR: _________________________________SPECIALTY______________________ DATE_______________
1. Where is the MAI/Bronchiectasis located currently? Are there new areas or new changes? At what stage would you say it is on a scale of 1 to 10? How does it compare to my last appointment for each.
2. Are the drugs I am taking currently effective for the two mycobacterium/Bronchiectasis?
a. Are the dosing level for each medication effective or do they need to be adjusted? b. What period of time before one of the medications can be adjusted or eliminated?
3. Based on the current progress how long would you project that I would me to be on the medications?
4. What monitoring will I continue to need? When will I need my next: a. Follow up appointments with you? b. X-rays/ CT scans
c. Monthly Lab work
d. Hearing testing
e. Vision testing
f. Monthly salt induced Sputum Cultures (Hypertonic Saline Induced Sputum Culture)
5. How long would you anticipate the side effects of night sweats/sleep disturbance/fatigue/oral thrush/dry mouth/geographic tongue to continue? a. Do you have any suggestions for coping with the less serious side effects?
6. Do you agree with the current Medication Schedule I am following?
7. Do you suggest any other lung clearance devices? How often/when?
8. What cleaning methods do you suggest for lung clearance devices? Method/How Often?
9. When/how do I still take my stated Prescriptions/ over the counter medicines /vitamins / supplements?
IF SUGGESTED NEW Medication:
1. a. Spelling of new drug I will be taking b. dosing level of each new medication c. what period of time before the next medication d. how long do you expect me to be on the medications e. any new monitoring will I need f. any side effects will I likely to have g. which side effect should be reported immediately h. when/how do I take each of these medications/ what schedule should I follow g. Will I also need new inhalers? h. SALINE NEBULIZED TREATMENTS with Aerobika?

REPLY
Suzie2017 | @suzie2017 | Apr 16, 2018
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

Thank you very much. You provided me with some excellent information and good questions for the doctor. It will probably be 2 weeks before we get the 2nd culture results back. I am glad to hear that you are doing better and gaining your weight back. I will get back to you.

REPLY
Suzie2017 | @suzie2017 | Apr 17, 2018

What does MAC infection do to the body if the patient does not seek treatment?

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152 replies
lindam272 | @lindam272 | Apr 17, 2018
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

@colleenyoung -You rock, Colleen! Thank you! Linda

REPLY
lindam272 | @lindam272 | Apr 17, 2018
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

@colleenyoung - Cracks me up that this was page 24. Katherine would be so pleased to see the activity on this forum! Linda

REPLY
Sophie | @sophie1019 | Apr 17, 2018
In reply to @suzie2017 "What does MAC infection do to the body if the patient does not seek treatment?" + (show)
@suzie2017

What does MAC infection do to the body if the patient does not seek treatment?

Jump to this post

I'm not sure. I was treated with the big 3 for two years. Then last year in october, I was on an iv drip until about two weeks ago
The I'd doc took me off because even though I was on med for 2 years, I still have a small cavity of mac. I feel real good, didn't know I had this stupid disease, went thru treatment okay. I lost weight and my stomach hurt on the beginning, but as I got use to meds, the stomachache went away. The doc took blood every week to make sure meds weren't messing with liver or anything else. So are you seeing an I'd doc???

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