After living with this crazy stuff for years, and a few other medical issues, I have decided to take the advice of the ID doc and pulmonologist I have seen for almost 3 years.

"Take reasonable precautions, and then go live your life. If you stay as healthy as you can with exercise, airway clearance, asthma and mucus management, healthy diet, and avoiding sick people, you will be fine. Bronchiectasis is something you can live with."

I believe that - my Mom had it for many years, and died in her mid-80's from a completely different disease. So at 70, that is the advice I follow.

So, the same as I don't play basketball & volleyball that will wear out my 11 year old hips, I don't sit in hot tubs where there is probably a lot of NTM, or dump dirt and mulch where I can raise a cloud of dust. So far, this has worked for 2 1/2 years with only one exacerbation. Refusing to be afraid of anything & everything has lowered my stress level immensely so I can enjoy my life.

Sue