1. < MAC & Bronchiectasis

Gardening with Bronch and MAC

Posted by cate123456 @cate123456, Sep 2, 2022

I’ve been an organic gardener for decades. We grow most of our veggies, fruits, and flowers via our garden. Ironically I thought this kept us so healthy, but was probably a strong source of MAC for my lungs via all the composting, watering, manures, and messing w the soil.

I now try to wear an N95 mask when I garden. And my husband deals w the compost and most of the watering. I really hate the thought of having to give up our gardens and orchard.

Have you given up gardening, if not, what steps have you taken for MAC safety?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

brdross | @brdross | Oct 31, 2023
In reply to @nancycarol "Hello! I was just diagnosed a couple of months ago, so I am still learning about..." + (show)
@nancycarol

Hello!
I was just diagnosed a couple of months ago, so I am still learning about this disease. I am doing okay. No meds now. No coughing. I am an avid gardener. I do not understand some of the ways we could have gotten this. We have it now, so what is going to matter if we still dig in the dirt? Will it get worse? So many things I have not been told. What do you think? Thank you!

Jump to this post

Hello fellow gardener! I had fever of unknown origin for 18 months until my bronchoscopy showed that I had bronchiectasis and my lungs were infected with pseudomonas. The doctor said pseudomonas can come from dirt, water, and plants, so I immediately thought of all of the gardening that I do. After suffering so long with recurrent fever, unfortunately I lost my love for gardening. I occasionally go out wearing two masks to pull weeds or plant tomatoes, but not to the extent as before. I'm happy that we will be moving to an over 55 community where all of the yard work and gardening is done for you. I still want to enjoy gardening, so we joined a community garden that gave us a small plot. My husband likes to grow herbs inside, but I cringe when I see him take out the potting soil. I always wear a mask when I go into that room. It's all about adapting to a new way of life.

REPLY
1 reply
scoop | @scoop | Oct 31, 2023
In reply to @brdross "Hello fellow gardener! I had fever of unknown origin for 18 months until my bronchoscopy showed..." + (show)
@brdross

Hello fellow gardener! I had fever of unknown origin for 18 months until my bronchoscopy showed that I had bronchiectasis and my lungs were infected with pseudomonas. The doctor said pseudomonas can come from dirt, water, and plants, so I immediately thought of all of the gardening that I do. After suffering so long with recurrent fever, unfortunately I lost my love for gardening. I occasionally go out wearing two masks to pull weeds or plant tomatoes, but not to the extent as before. I'm happy that we will be moving to an over 55 community where all of the yard work and gardening is done for you. I still want to enjoy gardening, so we joined a community garden that gave us a small plot. My husband likes to grow herbs inside, but I cringe when I see him take out the potting soil. I always wear a mask when I go into that room. It's all about adapting to a new way of life.

Jump to this post

@brdross the whole bronchiectasis thing and everything that goes with it dampened my enthusiasm for gardening also. It's a part of my life that I miss but at this age and stage not worth the risks.

REPLY
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Oct 31, 2023
In reply to @nancycarol "Hello! I was just diagnosed a couple of months ago, so I am still learning about..." + (show)
@nancycarol

Hello!
I was just diagnosed a couple of months ago, so I am still learning about this disease. I am doing okay. No meds now. No coughing. I am an avid gardener. I do not understand some of the ways we could have gotten this. We have it now, so what is going to matter if we still dig in the dirt? Will it get worse? So many things I have not been told. What do you think? Thank you!

Jump to this post

Welcome to Mayo Connect. As you may already have noticed, we each adapt to our MAC in a different way.
I continue to garden with precautions- you can see them if you read earlier posts in this discussion.

We may never know where we got our infection, but we have to figure out what to do going forward.

Nobody can tell you what will help or harm. My ID doc says "keep living, just take sensible precautions. "

Have you been advised to do airway clearance to keep your lungs as clear as possible?
Sue

REPLY
1 reply
nana43 | @nana43 | Nov 1, 2023
In reply to @sueinmn "@cate123456 I have been an avid gardener all my life, and didn't want to give it..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@cate123456 I have been an avid gardener all my life, and didn't want to give it up when I was diagnosed with MAC, Bronchiectasis & Pseudomonas in 2018. Based on the strain I had, the suspected origin of my infection was the feral chickens in the yard of my Texas winter home, scratching under my fruit trees and around my garden. My pulmonologist was pretty angry with me about this refusing to give up gardening completely; he even wanted me to toss my house plants. We eventually parted ways for another reason.

I appealed to my PCP & ID doc for guidance. Their philosophy on living with MAC/Bronch is a little different - 1) reduce the most obvious risks, 2) take reasonable precautions, 3) use your meds & do airway clearance, 4) eat, rest & exercise & 5) GO LIVE YOUR LIFE.

Here was the advice from the ID doc: MAC and other germs that are risky to bad lungs are everywhere, but we cannot stop living because of it; just take prudent precautions. So, stay away from that Texas dirt - plant ground cover & leave it alone. Let someone else maintain it, and stay indoors while they do it & until it is watered down. Been doing that for 4 years now, and simply garden in pots, on the other side of the house, while I am there.

What about my big Minnesota gardens? No chickens there. His advice: Mask, gloves and long sleeves. Take them off before you go in the house. Water down the soil before you dig in it to keep airborne NTM & other germs from flying. Leave the compost and mulch handling to someone else & stay away while it is being spread, until it is watered down. Watering is fine - the outdoor air will dilute any NTM sufficiently.

We added the following (my husband also has Bronchiectasis, but has never had MAC): Masks when mowing too. No shoes from yard/garden in the house (don't trip - they are on the garage step!) HEPA air filters, in addition to HEPA furnace filter in the living areas. Close the windows when windy, dusty, during mowing, etc. Oh, and I covered the soil in my house plants with gravel to reduce flying dust.

What has been the result? Off the meds for 32 months with no reinfection. I know we have heard from other gardeners hers over the years - has anyone else done things differently?
Sue

Jump to this post

Hi Sue!
As you know I had MAC
( and have Bronchiectasis)but attained culture conversion in the first 6 months. Now on the home stretch of coming off meds at end of month. However, as we already discussed- my last sputum now show mycobacterium abscessus. After your post on gardening, I am wondering if I caused this new diagnosis. I wore a mask sometimes but did a lot of gardening over Spring & Summer! Planted, transplanted, mulched, and even a few bags of peat moss. Do you know if gardening is a risk for abscesses or is it only related to MAC. Can’t seem to find any specifics about it.
Thanks! Dee

REPLY
vmorton | @vmorton | Nov 1, 2023

I have been a gardener for most of my adult life, and have had bronchiectasis ever since I was a teenager (I am now 74). I never took any precautions about gardening until I started getting pseudamonis infections in recent years, and once such bad bacteria that I had to take Tobramyacin for a year. The infectious disease Dr. and my pulmonologist at the time, relayed to me the probability of picking up these bacteria from the soil when gardening. I now take the precautions of wearing a mask and making sure my gardening gloves and shoes don't come indoors with me. I will not give up my gardening, but my pulmonologist has never ask me too, only that I take precautions and continue my bronchiectasis protocols.

REPLY
nancycarol | @nancycarol | Nov 1, 2023
In reply to @sueinmn "Welcome to Mayo Connect. As you may already have noticed, we each adapt to our MAC..." + (show)
@sueinmn

Welcome to Mayo Connect. As you may already have noticed, we each adapt to our MAC in a different way.
I continue to garden with precautions- you can see them if you read earlier posts in this discussion.

We may never know where we got our infection, but we have to figure out what to do going forward.

Nobody can tell you what will help or harm. My ID doc says "keep living, just take sensible precautions. "

Have you been advised to do airway clearance to keep your lungs as clear as possible?
Sue

Jump to this post

Hi Sue! Thank you so much for your input! No, I have not been advised about any airway clearance. I asked about it, and the doctor said no. I have been reading about nebulizers, and what everyone else is doing. I am not coughing, as of yet, so I guess that is why the doctor said not to worry yet. What do you do for airway clearance?

REPLY
3 replies
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Nov 1, 2023
In reply to @nancycarol "Hi Sue! Thank you so much for your input! No, I have not been advised about..." + (show)
@nancycarol

Hi Sue! Thank you so much for your input! No, I have not been advised about any airway clearance. I asked about it, and the doctor said no. I have been reading about nebulizers, and what everyone else is doing. I am not coughing, as of yet, so I guess that is why the doctor said not to worry yet. What do you do for airway clearance?

Jump to this post

I am reading and typing on a phone, so giving links is difficult. If you go to the main MAC and Bronchiectasis page, you can search within our group and learn a lot about airway clearance. It is important even without symptoms because our lungs cannot clear mucus normally and that is where infection breeds.
Maybe some other members like @scoop and @irene8 can offer you some suggestions.
Sue

REPLY
scoop | @scoop | Nov 1, 2023
In reply to @nancycarol "Hi Sue! Thank you so much for your input! No, I have not been advised about..." + (show)
@nancycarol

Hi Sue! Thank you so much for your input! No, I have not been advised about any airway clearance. I asked about it, and the doctor said no. I have been reading about nebulizers, and what everyone else is doing. I am not coughing, as of yet, so I guess that is why the doctor said not to worry yet. What do you do for airway clearance?

Jump to this post

@nancycarol perhaps start here https://bronchiectasis.com.au/physiotherapy

REPLY
1 reply
irenea8 | @irenea8 | Nov 2, 2023
In reply to @nancycarol "Sue, thank you so very much! I sure do appreciate it! ❤️" + (show)
@nancycarol

Sue, thank you so very much! I sure do appreciate it! ❤️

Jump to this post

Happy to answer any questions I can about airway clearance with a nebulizer. It is an important preventative and for some it is critical.

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.