@lindam272 Thank you Linda. Those are excellent tips!

@sophie1019 Sophie, I was put on 500 mg doxycycline 2x a day for 10 days on alternating months. Drug is changed to 500 mg 2x day of ciprofloxacin for 10 days on the off months. I did this treatment for three years. It kept me healthy during that time with the exception that I caught pseudomonas at the end of the third year. Then, the doxy was switched to inhaled tobramycin. The pseudomonas was cleared after one month on the toby. I will be seeing my Mayo dr in June and see if he wants me back on the old regimen. My lungs are severely damaged so I have to be on antibiotics for life.

@nick52 aFib is atrial fibrillation-it’s an irregular heart beat that can cause a stoke. As they explained it to me, there are times the heart doesn’t have a full beat, it just flutters. This can cause a clot to form in the heart which could then get pushed out when there is a full beat. I was first put on a blood thinner to protect against that, which is what I thought caused, or contributed to the coughing up blood. I have had an ablation procedure which fixed the aFib so no more blood thinner. But I have read bronchiectasis can cause coughing up blood.
I don’t take any type of probiotics. I thought that was only to help your stomach if you were on antibiotics. To be honest, I don’t really watch what I eat. I should be better about that, and I have tried but I go back to my old ways and eat what I want. I do notice dairy, gluten, tomatoes and sauce do cause more mucus and more throat clearing, but, I still eat those things. Just not as often. I have also had a video fluoroscopy to check my swallow. Everything was normal and I do not aspirate any food or liquid. I’m pretty sure the bronchiectasis came from many years of smoking and growing up in a family of smokers which damages the lungs.
The Aerobika is a breathing device. You blow into it and it flutters, and vibrates the bronchial tubes to help move the mucus out. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. But I still do it twice a day, total 50 breaths in 5 different positions.
Who knows what’s best to do? I don’t think the doctors are even sure. Whatever works for each person and hope for the best.

@suzie2017 I agree. I often say it’s like a science fiction disease. Who could believe you can’t drink water, or shower, or swim. It’s like being allergic to water!! I’m sure there are “conspiracy theorists” who would think it is some kind of government plot. Who knows!

Thank you for responding...

@ginak Ha ha! I am such a weirdo. That conspiracy theory actually did cross my mind! I guess the mega rich don't want to take us to Mars with them!! LOL

@ginak I'm reading your response to Nick's post and chuckling about what you said about food. I'm the say way. I know I should watch what I eat to reduce production of mucus. But I just can't do it. My pulmonary doctor did order a procedure done to see if I had GERD. The answer is no. So I continue eating what I like to eat and settle for tolerating the excess mucus in the process. I love food. So it is all worth it for me.

Here's the link to the discussion about prevention:
- How To Prevent Re-Infection of MAC/MAI https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-to-prevent-re-infection-of-macmai/

@colleenyoung Thank you Colleen! I copied it and saved it to my notepad.

Thank you very much Teri. Our primary physician is going to refer us to an infectious disease doctor.