Newly Diagnosed Questions

Being as active as you are, it sounds like you are probably asymptomatic of MAC symptoms, especially if you are so active and briskly walk 15 miles a week. I’m not that active but was also asymptomatic when diagnosed a year and a half ago. My pulmonologist pushed for me to start treatment but I declined.
As others on this forum say, the most important thing for you to do is airway clearance-Nebulize with 7% saline and use an Aerobika to keep the mucus cleared out of your lungs. The saline also may keep the MAC tapped down. See how you feel in a few months and then decide if you want to start treatment or wait longer.

Sorry, I don’t have any answers for you, but your attitude and tenacity is so inspiring with so many serious health issues you are and have been having!!

And advice you can give would be much appreciated on how you cope and deal so well with the emotional turmoil and overwhelm all these health challenges cause us?
Thanks!

Thank you! Guess I was unclear about question. I was wondering if anyone else has undergone surgeries while taking antibiotics for MAC? If so, do antibiotics affect recovery?
I will be starting MAC treatment in April. I am asymptomatic now, but advised that I have best chance of combating it sooner rather than later since number of nodules is increasing significantly.

Thanks. I've had other major challenges in life. Too soapy to go into in this forum.
I guess what helps mosr is to look at what problems others have that I don't have and I try to focus on making the time I have left the best it can be. Don't want to waste time and energy on unhappiness about past or current problems. Recently visited my out of state grandchildren (that I adore). Saying he wanted "Nana time", the child who had turned five days earlier walked with me picking dandelions that he loves and loves to smell. He turned to me and said Nana, you know I won't forget you when you go home. I will keep these dandelions and think of you when I smell them.
That is one of the sweetest, dearest things anyone has said to me. What better reason to keep positive!

I did have surgery while on antibiotics, and I cannot recommend. The MAC antibiotic regimen takes a toll on body - fatigue, depressed appetite and sometimes other symptoms, that make it difficult to put energy into rehab and recuperation.
If your MAC is mild, maybe you can discuss deferring antibiotics and doing airway clearance with 7% saline. Have the surgery, then have your sputum tested and lungs scanned to see if nodules are stable or improving. Another choice, which I used at one point in antibiotic therapy, was a 3 week "holiday" - 7 days before surgery to 2 weeks after. The ID doc endorsed this option.
Sue

Lisa, I agree with Sue’s good advice, and another reason to defer the antibiotics is you may need another type of antibiotic for your particular surgery. Or if you acquire an infection that may need an antibiotic.
I acquired an infection recently and they took me off the MAC antibiotics
in order to deal with the other infection.

Hi everyone,
What a resourceful group we have here. Can someone explain what it means when the lungs have nodules? I heard that in China a lot of people have nodules in their lungs, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. Are there different nodules?

Thanks in advance!
ling

I just found out that I have mac, and I also got diagnosed with Klebsiella pneumonia at the same time, along with an intestinal cancer about 3 weeks ago. I'm not sure how long I've had the Mac for, I'm a little terrified but I wanted to tell you that I really don't have many symptoms, I'm having a little bit no problems taking deep breaths sometimes, but I also have pneumonia in there so I don't know what to think. A CT scan was done on Friday, the results aren't back yet but my doctor put in the notes on my chart tonight that the preliminary on the CT was a cavity in my lung. I'm not really sure what that means, but everything that I looked up about it it isn't good... I'm really scared about this. I don't have any other symptoms though, no coughing, no mucus even. It's just so strange. Is there anything you can tell me or advice you could give? I'm terrified!!!(

I'm a little confused, was the MAC seen on a CT scan or diagnosed with a sputum culture? If it was diagnosed by CT only, more exploration will be needed to confirm the type and severity. I would guess that any MAC treatment will be deferred while your pneumonia and cancer are treated.
But don't let that frighten you, it is a very slow-growing infection, and it is often handled with a wait and see approach.
Sue

what does a cat scan of your lungs show??? Bronchiectasis???
6 years ago NJH told me the gold standard to begin RX for MAC was two positive cultures and presence of bronchiectasis on CAT scan.