Hello - As someone who was seen and treated by a less than communicative pulmonologist first, and now have found an excellent team, I can tell you there are probably more pulmonologists who don't know much about MAC than there are skilled in treating it. To have him dismiss you like he did, I would guess he is in the don't know group. Not surprising because MAC is considered a rare disease, and is far less common than the asthma/COPD/emphysema trilogy that are the most common diagnoses.

So, the question becomes what to do next - following once a year is not a good recipe for lung health in my opinion. You need to know if you have another underlying lung condition like bronchiectasis, Cystic Fibrosis, COPD or chronic asthma. If so, you need proper treatment for that - airway relaxing meds, an airway clearance routine, and regular monitoring. You need a plan for dealing with breathing difficulties. You need a plan for when to contact the doc & how your MAC will be monitored. Most of all you need good and open communication with the treating doc or someone in their practice.

So, do you have any other lung conditions or a history of frequent pneumonia? Do you have access to a large group pulmonology practice or teaching hospital where you can look for a new doc?
Sue