(MAC/MAI) Mycobacterium Avium Complex Pulmonary Disease: Join us

@jasmine321 Thanks for the update. Sorry to hear it is worse. I think we are put on daily meds for cavities or quite an invasive infection, The ringing in the ears is not nice however my eye dr said nobody has it worse than others so try to ignore it and you wont notice it anymore, it worked for me. Talk to your Dr if you think he may be wrong. All the best Heather

@spencersok That is very kind of you to pray for us all. Thank you for that thoughtful gesture.

@spencersok Thank you for the prayers. My pulmonologist suggested surgery (lobectomy) if medical management will not treat the Infection.

@spencersok, thank you for the prayers!

@jasmine321, Hi Jasmine. Thank you for keeping us in the loop. I know it had to be so disheartening to learn that mac is back and the bronchiectasis is a little worse. I hope they can halt it in it's progression for you. I am curious; in the seven years that you were mac-free, were you on any kind of antibiotics as a preventative measure? Also, did you do the inhaled saline treatments to keep the mac away? Are you doing inhaled saline now?

@ling123 and @alleycatkate, I too am borderline diabetic, slightly above the high sugar mark. I had gestational diabetes as well. I have always had a hard time with carbs and sugar in my diet. I was the weird kid who wouldn't eat her own birthday cake because it made me feel bad. My lungs would fill up with phlegm every time I would eat stuff like that. We are a funny bunch aren't we?

@jasmine321 and @irene5 I don't think my wife will entertain the thought of surgery. She is 72 years old and a recipient of a Liver Transplant. She taking antirejection meds now to preclude the liver rejection, yes after 17 years. As we all goes the suffering, there is somethings that drugs will not cure, but for those who believe, we pray that God will fill the "gap" through his healing power. Many don't realize the day we were born, we begun to die, but the last breathe is in God hand and timing. So my suggestion is that we live while we are living and death will take care of itself.

The Bible, not meaning to offend anyone, tells us that we are to be of good courage: "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

Even though my wife is the one who is physically suffering from this monster of disease, as a supporter of her needs, I suffer too. We all wonder how we should respond to the pain and suffering? After all these years my wife been ailing, that not an easy answer, we will face the situation or circumstance differently, but we have one thing in common; The God that heals. One would wondered if he is the God that heals, then why are you healed. That answer is just as complicated as the other. but life is about timing. Yet while we pray, we must attend to a critical distinction; although God can heal us, we must never presume that he must. You see, death is the consequence of the fall. "For we all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." Therefore, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus Our Lord.". Death itself will overtake us all, and most commonly recruits illness as it vehicle. to bring us to that point. When Christ returns, no disease will blot God's creation, but for now, we wait and groan as our bodies wither.

We would like to percieve our healing to be for the greater good, but God's wisdom surpasses even the most impressive reaches of our understanding. We cannot bend God's will to resemble that of our own. May I leave you with this thoought. If we set our eyes only on a cure, rther than on the reality of our physical mortality, we ay chase after treatments that not only fail to save us, but which also rob us of our capacties to think, communicate, and pray in our final days. On other thing we forget. We made ourselves not and if healing is not within God's will, we will need fortuide, peace, and discernment to endure. and if healing doen't come, a single-minded focus on healing strands ourselves and those we love with unsettling doubts about the validity of prayer and our faith.

No matter the belief level of whoever might read this, I will continue to pray; we are to pray without ceasing. As I pen this note to all right now, no matter which side of the world you reside, you see, God is watching over us. He said it this way, "Get some rest. It's in my hands and I am able to do immeasurably more than you can ever imagine."

@jasmine321 and @spencersok, We can all commiserate with Spencersok's wife. But, I want to remind everybody so that you all do NOT get discouraged; these medications do help some people, and also, his wife has the added challenge of being on antirejection drugs. It is not uncommon for transplantees to get mac because the antirejection meds lowers your immune system a great deal. Spencersok, please tell your wife that I am praying for her also, and that she has this Connect community pulling for her. I bet it hasn't been easy for you either as her caregiver. It is tough to watch someone you love struggle so hard with their health. Hugs to you both. X

@ling123 We are all so different, yet so much alike. When look across the spectrum of this disease, it knows nor does it discriminate, the is a sampling of all...Our greatest commonality is we all had the same creator, the same redeemer, and the same healer, but according to his will...

@windwalker Thank you for your encouragement to us all...Keep in touch!