Cavitary MAC Resolved Completely on CT Scan?

If you are unable to produce sputum for culture, you might need a bronchoscopy to see if MAC is still present.
Worth trying chest percussion with a physical/ respiratory therapist first though
How long have you been on treatment?

Thank you for your comment. Since April and I will ask my pulmonologist for chest percussion and discuss how to know what’s in my lungs. That was my thought as well.

great news! Thanks for sharing. I also had a large cavity bigger than 3 cm. I took antibiotics for 12 months. I didn't have anything more than mild symptoms. My doc said my cavity had resolved and healed but it didn't go away. It. shrunk and the lining changed alot, and I think it is scar. But I have "no active infection". I do a lot of airway clearance even though I don't cough anything up, because I hear helps prevent infection from returning.

Thanks for the information! That's just crazy. It just must be that antibiotics and the nebulizing works better on some people because I've only been doing the 6 months! Within 2 weeks of me starting the antibiotics they could see a remarkable difference. And then my last CT scan 3 months ago. It looked way better but the cavity was still there, and now everything's just kind of healed. Healed. It is great news. I'm so happy about this! Thanks for your message. I appreciate it!

That is fantastic news, Maureen. Thank you for sharing the importance of doing airway clearance even when we don’t have anything to cough up. As Pamela McShane says from the University of Texas at Tyler, just as we floss our teeth when there’s nothing stuck between them, that’s how we should think of airway clearance. It’s about breaking up the biofilm. 💕Linda Esposito

All these comments are great to hear. I thought I was overly positive about my recent CT showing no more infection in my lung. I never really had many signs of having MAC but azithromycin made me feel better and apparently got rid of the infection without the other 2 antibiotics. Of course I have also been taking all kinds of immune building supplements. I will continue the azithromycin to keep it away but looks like I have avoided having to tell the ID doctor that I wasn’t going to take the other 2 antibiotics anyway.
It is finally good to hear people on this chat that have gotten rid of the infection and that are doing good. Yeah!

I completely agree! It's wonderful to know that other people have gotten rid of this. Honestly, I think it has something to do with your DNA or something because some people can nebulize and take a lot of antibiotics and just not have a lot of luck. And then some people have all the luck with the antibiotics and the nebulizing. I agree that we should definitely stay on the azithromycin, and do anything else we can do because Mac likes to hide! My doctor wants me to keep taking everything for another 6 months. Right up through a year. He said. If I don't have any reoccurrence then they'll probably slowly take me off things. But I'd like to stay on the azithromycin and I hope he'll have me do that. I'm really happy to hear that other people have had this clear up as well. I was a little scared because of how quickly mine was going from one lung to the next. They had me scheduled for a CT guided lung biopsy and I was terrified! I went into that room and I was nutcase, I was crying. I didn't know I was going to have to be awake for this. They did the first initial CT scan and it showed such improvement just 2 weeks after I started taking the antibiotics that they said I didn't have to have the guided lung biopsy. I was so happy. Things only got better from there. The reason why they wanted to do that is they always think that this could be cancer when you have a cavity like that. That's thick walled. I think back during the last 6-7 months with this Mac and it's been a rocky roller coaster, but I wouldn't trade my experience for the world because I can help other people because of my experience and so can all of us on here! ❤️

The only place where I don't agree with your very encouraging post is when you say, "... But I'd like to stay on the azithromycin and I hope he'll have me do that..." That's a very bad idea for a couple of reasons.
First, even though we use it routinely with MAC, and people talk about using a Z-Pak all the time, it really is a "big gun" and needs to be reserved for when it is truly needed. If you stay on azithromycin alone at the end of your treatment, any MAC left in your lungs will become resistant to it. If you later have a bad flare, what will they give you?

Otherwise, please keep on sharing - it helps to hear success stories.
Sue

Yes you are totally right Sue! After you sent this to me I thought about it and abtibiotics should really only be used if you have a reason to use them. It's why we have so many problems now with antibiotics not working; it's because they've been overused and abused. I'm only thinking because I don't ever want this to return, but I know they're going to be watching me and doing periodic scans and the cultures. So if it does return it does and at least they'll catch it early. There is some doubt whether this actually ever even goes away completely. I think it just hides and when it gets an opportunity it grows. But you're completely right. I agree with you 100%!
Thanks for your mail and reminding all of us that we shouldn't be using these antibiotics if we don't need them.

No antibiotics here - my routine is airway clearance, keep my asthma controlled, healthy diet, exercise, stay away from sick people. Probably a healthy dose of good luck too.
Sue