Hello to MCH,
I agree with the statement above that you should stop searching the internet. That is the most unreliable rabbit hole you can fall down and a scary one that always ends with things like a 5 year mortality rate. It isn't true for most people with illness. Our infection(s) are serious and should be discussed with a live doctor at a trusted facility. Rochester Mayo Clinic is wonderful and my infectious disease doctor here in Minneapolis is affiliated with Mayo. They trade information. I had a cavity that started last year and continued to grow. I made some personal decision against my doctors advice and stopped nebulizing the saline solution. Purely anecdotal, but I decided to use a dry salt inhaler and my aerobika along with acupuncture (not dry needle but actual TCM acupuncture), an infrared heat wand on my chest (my cavity was close to the surface in my upper right lobe), only drank water from my LifeStraw water bottle, wore a mask while gardening, raised the head of my bed 4" (because MAC can live in the gut and reflux at night), I changed my shower head to a rain shower head so the water wouldn't mist, So, needless to say - I did everything I could to minimize my exposure. I was diligent and when I went to Mayo 4 months later in February last year to meet with a surgeon to begin the process of a vat procedure I had another CT scan and the cavity was gone - it had collapsed. Why? They didn't know because the things I did fell beneath their radar. However, my doctor was interested.
MAC is tricky and it is very opportunistic. Those of us who suffer must be vigilant in every way so we can avoid the things that can allow it to grab hold again. This is my second go around with this bugger of an infection and I have made personal choices of how I move forward. At 65, I want the back half of my life to be happy and active for however long that may be. I make my own choices on how to proceed if and when it returns again. I try to stay flexible with those decisions. I was afraid and angry for some time this last time around until I decided that I still have choices on which treatment or not. I do encourage people to stay connected here. There are so many wonderful people who are knowledgeable, caring, comforting and kind. Reach out and they reach back. (shout out to my girl - Sue - @sueinmn ) Dee is correct - we all freak out in the beginning. The wonderful thing about life, about science, is it is always evolving. I wish you comfort and health moving forward and we are here for you!
Carolyn