@gaelawree are you wearing a mask when you are working with dust, horses etc.  It would sure be a good prevention.  You need to do everything to prevent bacteria when you are  exposing yourself to those bacteria . Are  you taking Probiotics.  It might

be helpfulin your case. Do you have bronchiectasis? Nick

@nick52 yes I am wearing masks in dusty areas. I don’t have bronchiectasis, I do take a very probiotic.

@gaelawree Good! I am glad that you have a good doctor. I hope he can come up with a good treatment plan for you. Like Nick said, consider wearing a mask when working around the horses and especially when gardening. They sell good masks that fit snug around your face and have a respirator breathing thingy in the front. They block 99% of particulate matter. They sell them at the paint store, a box of two run about 6 or 8 dollars. I think Scotch Brand may make them. They are called N95 mask. Potting soil has over a billion mac in one teaspoon, so be very careful about the dust that wafts up out of the bag. Chances are, you caught yours in your daily routine, so you don't want to increase your bacterial load. If you have the time, there are years of backlog to read here. There is a discussion board with a list of topics at the beginning of the sign-on for this group. Please let me know if you have trouble finding it.

Gaelawree....have you had Cat scan of chest??? I believe that is the way it is determined if you have bronchiectasis or not.tdrell

Yes I wear the N95 mask. If I have to stop gardening to be more healthy I will, giving up my horses, that’s different, I don’t think I can do that. I’ve had one for 18 years. But I can do my art work instead of gardening.

Yes I did have a CTscan on my lungs. I was not told of bronchietasis.

@gaelawree Hi. You can always call your doctor and ask for a review of your ct scans. I had a ct scan in 2001 and it showed that I had bronchiectasis and it was entered into the notes in my patient file. They never mentioned it to me! It wasn't until I had my medical records sent to the Mayo in 2013 that I was able to see that. I have learned that you should always get a copy of the doctor's notes on file so that you have ALL of the information. The Mayo is very transparent about that, you can access your doctor's notes and your records in a patient portal online. My favorite motto is: It never hurts to ask. You really do need to be your own best advocate. Ask if it's possible that you have bronchiectasis coming on.

@gaelawree Oops! I meant N95 mask. I see you are already familiar with it. I love gardening also, but now I get my hubby to do all digging, planting, and potting. I just supervise and enjoy the beauty. I too am an artist. I paint and make jewelry. What kind of art are you into?

@windwalker Hi! Thanks for the advice, I will ask my doctor about that when I see him Thursday.
I do oil painting, I’m a copy artist so I can paint from photographs, I also make jewelry, I make jewelry from horse hair, for people who want keepsakes of their horses.
My garden is mostly succulents, & geraniums. I have a small raised veggie garden. I like to do hand watering & trimming.

@gaelawree What a wonderful concept using horsehair in jewely! Especially to make momentos. I'd love see see some of your designs. I make jewelry with pearls, fetishes, sterling & gold vermeil, and semi-precious stones. I paint with oil and acrylics.