MAC and Chest Pain that seems to increase in intensity and frequency

I am sorry to hear that the chest pain has become more persistent, and it is good you are having the EK+KG to rule out heart issues.
Sometimes, when I had a bad cough with MAC, I would have muscle pain. At other times, I have what I call a "heavy" chest - like a brick or foot pressing on my sternum, making it feel difficult to draw a good breath. After 5 years, we finally traced this not to MAC, or bronchiectasis, but to asthma. Getting the right med combo has eased that a lot.
Can you describe your chest pain a little? Maybe it will help you to get some answers from other people here.
Sue

Nana You surely want to rule out cardiac causes of chest pain. Over the years I have periodically had pain on the right side of my chest. I initially had a lot of tests, and it was determined the pain was secondary to GERD. I have made several lifestyle changes and rarely have any more issues with the right sided chest pain. Here is a good link to check out, listing the various causes of chest pain. The GERD pain I had was just as described in this link.
https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/chest-pain
BTW I had this GERD issue several years before being diagnosed with BE and NTM. I believe the GERD may have precipitated the BE and then later came the NTM making the BE even worse. But no way to know for sure which order each one presented itself. Bill

Hey Sue & Bill!
Thanks for the help & info! EKG was good yesterday, according to nurse but doc wasn’t in, so no formal result back yet. However, she did pull up previous one from Feb 2022 and said she thought it looked better. I was having chest pain then that showed “borderline” on EKG of abnormal rhythm. However, primary thought due to anxiety. She prescribed Ativan ( maybe it’s working?🤷‍♀️) I have had GI issues in the past but the pain doesn’t feel like that. It is right in the middle of my chest and feels like pressure…. Like someone taking a small fist and
Pushing on me. It lasts just 5 minutes or so. It comes and goes multiple times a day. Since I am fairly confident in the EKG now, I’m going to reach out to Pulmonary.

Nana Make sure your heart doctor is aware that you are having "pressure" and "pushing" type pain in the middle of your chest. I would insist on more testing. Bill

I have had chronic costochondritis for the past 10 years and it feels just like that. It is called “the poor man’s heart attack” because it mimics a heart attack. My episodes last a few weeks to a few months and then long breaks between

Thanks Thorne. I will check it out!

I had a bad experience recently with because the doctor read and accepted the results written on the bottom of a report from the company that reads irregular heart beats when on a pacemaker. My cardiologist recently recommended STRONGLY that I have the WATCHMAN implanted in my atium due to atrial fib for 23 HOURS and 39 minutes. He wanted to set me up for the procedure immediately to prevent a stroke. Shocked!! I hesitated! He suggested that I get clearance from Pulmonoloigst, Gastrologist and primary physicians, I made appointments and saw each. The gastro ordered a Barium Swallow (although I had one about 6 months ago.). Jumped through all those hoops and all said o.k. to do the Watchman. Next it was time for a routine Device check for my pacemaker. While in the Device Clinic, I asked the tech to let me SEE the 23 HOURS and 39 minutes on the rhythm strip. WHAT!!! IT WAS 23 MINUTES AND 39 SECONDS. The cardiologist are not even notified unless the atrial fib is 6 hours or more! The cardiologist has since corrected it on my record. So the moral of the story: I have reversed the old military term of "Mine is not the reason why. Mine is to do or die." My motto is "MINE IS NOT TO DO OR DIE! MINE IS THE REASON WHY!" My other motto is".
"Just because I am paranoid does not mean that "THEY AREN'T AFTER ME!" Everyone makes mistakes. Health care workers are no exception.

Raney-That IS SCARY!!
I really do not trust doctors anyway; so I always do my research and seek advice/ opinions from others knowledgeable or in the same boat. I read EVERYTHING and I too have found many errors and mistakes in my journey with my health and diseases. You have to be your own health advocate!! Sometimes it drives my family crazy that I won’t heed the doctors orders and I’m called Dr. Nana with my PHD. LOL

The same with my family, but they are not the ones with the problems
We have to be extremely careful and question anything we do no understand

I also have had chronic costochondritis since my teens. Like you, @thorne, my episodes would last weeks or months then breaks in between. Episodes were triggered by both stress and upper body exercise or stretching too far. I'm so careful not to strain my chest muscles. When I was around 30 and had it non-stop for two years. I had a PCP who was a DO (doctor of osteopathy). He said he could fix it with osteopathic manipulation (like a form of PT). After 10 treatments, the pain was gone for the first time in two years. I couldn't believe it. It did come back many more times. Cortisone shots did not help. When I had the most severe flare ups, I couldn't even move, lift a plate, lie down flat, etc. I would sleep in the recliner. It hurts to move and use my chest muscles at all and that means limited arm movement.

Calling it a poor man's heart attack is very accurate. That is what it feels like. In fact, about 30 years ago, Michael Jackson had severe chest pain during a dance rehearsal. He went to the ER. They told him it wasn't a heart attack. He didn't believe them based on what he felt so he was inpatient for a week getting every test. In the end, they told him it was costochondritis. I remember the story because I also had it and thought to myself, "See, that's how much it hurts!" In his case, it was a rich man's heart attack. We can't all afford a week inpatient doing tests.

Consider this condition as a possibility, but if you have chest pain, get it checked out ASAP to be sure! I was told most people only get it once or not at all. Best of luck.