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MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Apr 14 3:02pm | Replies (9325)Comment receiving replies
New question - How do you avoid weight loss on MAC antibiotic therapy?
I was recently diagnosed with bronchiesctasis and sent to a pulmonologist by my primary physician. The cause was a seemingly endless asthma attack with a violent, productive cough that lasted for many months. He did many tests and cultures and diagnosed & treated pseudomonas for 2 months (4 courses of antibiotics (levaquin/tobramycin) and the cough continued. When I saw him for a followup, he apologetically told me I have MAI, and due to the cough, bronchiectasis and the lung damage showing on my CT scan, he felt it needed to be treated.
Enter the big 3 antibiotics - Rifampin, Ethambutol & Clarithromycin. He patiently spent time talking to me about the therapy and side effects, had suggestions about using live-culture yogurt & probiotics, and advised me to do my own research while waiting to start (had to finish Levaquin). He & his nurse were great at answering follow-up questions, but here is one for the group.
I began this journey at age 66, 5'2" tall and weighing 116 pounds, and I know I need to stay above 110# to feel okay. I also cannot eat any wheat products or tree nuts. The first 10 days of therapy is going well except intermittent nausea and slight diarrhea. But I have lost 3 pounds already without being sick, and I know from experience that there will be side effects from using antibiotics long-term. Any suggestions for maintaining my weight? I cannot tolerate Ensure and most products like that, which my doc suggested, so it's not an option. I also cannot eat any wheat products or tree nuts. Any suggestions for maintaining my weight?
Replies to "New question - How do you avoid weight loss on MAC antibiotic therapy? I was recently..."
@flib Wow, you ARE skinny. I'm also 5'7" and I'm 30 lbs heavier than you. I know that weight loss is one of the symptoms of MAC. But I have not lost any weight since I was diagnosed a few years back. The only symptom I had was coughing up blood in the beginning. It doesn't seem that everybody who has MAC coughs up blood. I guess weight loss is the same way. Not everybody has it. But it seems quite a few in this group do.
Yeah, skinny is the word. I've always been thin but skinny is not good. I'm going back to smoothies. I gave them up because they disagreed with my stomach but I'll try the Garden of Eden Raw Protein. Thanks for your comment.
Eggs in smoothies, I don't know. They would likely be raw, no? I'm going to try Garden of Life Raw Protein that Sue suggests. I'll post about it once I find it and down it. I like bananas or blueberries with avocado.
@sueinmn Maybe some of you folks that don’t tolerate dairy due to lactose intolerance may do OK with Fair Life milk-it’s a widely available milk that has much of the lactose filtered out. I know you can get it with 2% milk fat and possibly as “whole” milk.
@ling123 I too had coughing up blood as my only symptom. I have not lost weight on the antibiotics. I am curious if the folks who are having all of the weight loss are also expending a lot of calories from being short of breath? Or, at present the antibiotics adversely affecting your appetite from side effects like nausea?
@sueinmn Our mentor Kathryn used Ice Cream and it worked well, you can also get a drink from your Dr if it gets too severe and it works great, or just eat lots.
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@sueinmn Hello Sue. Like many other members, I too lost a lot of weight. It fell off at a rapid rate. It was very scary. I went from 143 down to 116. Once the infection was beaten down by antibiotics; the weight and appetite came back. I now have to watch how much I put back on. I am 5'-4" and now weight 130 lbs. That is the ideal weight I want to keep it at. For now, just try to pack in calories. I have a feeling that once your infection is in check; your weight will come back too.