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Newly-diagnosed with Bronchiectasis and shocked
MAC & Bronchiectasis | Last Active: Feb 13, 2022 | Replies (13)Comment receiving replies
How difficult to be seeking medical care in your second language, especially for an uncommon condition, with which few doctors are highly familiar.
If you have few or no symptoms, sputum cultures are typically not taken in this country, I cannot say what is the French or EU protocol.
If you have a cough, phlegm and occasional shortness of breath, it may be to your advantage to begin a prophylactic program of airway clearance to keep your lungs as healthy as possible.
If you are easily able to bring up the mucus from coughing, simply learning the "Huff Coughing" technique may be enough. You can see an example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UKd-GRNUFk
If you have trouble getting the mucus out, you may need to progress to nebulized saline solution, or to a PEP (Positive Expiratory Pressure) vibratory device to help you. You can read a lot about each of them here on Connect.
Finally, if shortness of breath is an issue, you might be prescribed an inhaler to help keep airways open.
Is it possible for you to find a physician to whom you can speak in English, or to bring a translator to your appointments? Or to send a list of questions to the doctor in advance and get a written reply?
Sue
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Dear discerning1,
Not everyone with bronchiectasis also has a NTM/MAC infection but you won't know unless you get a sputum test. Because I was asymptomatic - no coughing, no shortness of breath, no fatigue, etc., I had no idea I had bronchiectasis or MAC until I got a CT scan and sputum test. And even if you have a MAC infection, you may not need to be treated with antibiotics. A disciplined airway clearance regimen might be enough to clear the lungs of mucus and deprive NTMs of a warm, welcoming environment to nest and thrive. I found this talk by Dr. Gwen Huitt at National Jewish helpful about when to be treated with antibiotics and when not to: To Treat or Not to Treat
I really suggest getting a sputum test now, before your second appointment with your doctor and before you visit the U.S. because it takes 6 - 8 weeks for the sputum culture to show whether or not you have MAC.
lora jo