I am 76 as well and have been on the big 3 since Aug of 2022. I had side effects of nausea, diarrea, insomnia, and now failed my second field view eye test which my eye specialists took me off ethambutal immediately and my infectious disease dr concurred. With this said I am glad I took the antibiotics as my last cultures were negative and the current ones look good so far. I was scared to start the meds but glad I did. Everyone is different but the outcome is worth it. Good luck in your decision whatever it is as there are things to help you cope with the side effects and usually not everyone gets them all or maybe none.

Carol, you may just be fine if you don’t I the antibiotic treatment. It’s a decision that ultimately you need to make with as much information as you can find. Many of us have declined the antibiotic regimen while many others have successfully gone through treatment. It depends on how bad your bronchiectasis is and how bad your MAC symptoms are (if you have any). But you do need to do airway clearance with nebulizing 7% saline. It has kept the MAC suppressed in many, including myself. I was diagnosed almost 2 years ago and my last sputum test have not shown MAC. That’s not to say it’s gone.