1. < MAC & Bronchiectasis

Thoughts about “the watch and wait” approach.

Posted by jackijaffe @jackijaffe, Dec 13, 2023

Hello, I have been recently diagnosed with MAI and Bronchiectasis. My doctor does not recommend doing any treatment unless I start to get bad symptoms. He is suggesting “watch and wait”. Im not sure if this is what i should be doing. He tells me the treatment is very difficult for most people. I would appreciate any advice? Thank you

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jackijaffe | @jackijaffe | Dec 19, 2023

No. Don’t give up! Just get better 🙏

REPLY
jackijaffe | @jackijaffe | Dec 19, 2023
In reply to @sueinmn "Caveat- I am not a doctor. My thoughts- keep nebbing saline, if not daily do it..." + (show)
@sueinmn

Caveat- I am not a doctor. My thoughts- keep nebbing saline, if not daily do it 3-4 x a week. It makes your lungs inhospitable to MAC and probably other bugs. Keep doing airway clearance once a day to dislodge whatever mucus wants to take up residence. Mucus pockets harbor bacteria. I am 4 years post antibiotics and it has kept me healthy. Sometimes I use the Aerobika, but other times yoga or a brisk walk. Even when not much comes out, I'm not giving things a chance to clog up.
Just think of it as preventive maintenance like brushing your teeth.
Sue

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Thank you Sue. I will start up on it again. I appreciate your advise.

REPLY
formergardener | @formergardener | Dec 20, 2023
In reply to @sueinmn "Caveat- I am not a doctor. My thoughts- keep nebbing saline, if not daily do it..." + (show)
@sueinmn

Caveat- I am not a doctor. My thoughts- keep nebbing saline, if not daily do it 3-4 x a week. It makes your lungs inhospitable to MAC and probably other bugs. Keep doing airway clearance once a day to dislodge whatever mucus wants to take up residence. Mucus pockets harbor bacteria. I am 4 years post antibiotics and it has kept me healthy. Sometimes I use the Aerobika, but other times yoga or a brisk walk. Even when not much comes out, I'm not giving things a chance to clog up.
Just think of it as preventive maintenance like brushing your teeth.
Sue

Jump to this post

Sue, I want to thank you on behalf of myself and so many others on this post. Your reminders and explanations about the importance of nebulizing saline and doing airway clearance are invaluable. So many of us did not have that advice when first diagnosed, and it would have shortened our journey through this. Knowing that we have this tool to help ourselves during meds and afterwards, or even without meds, is very empowering and gives us encouragement to do what we ourselves are able to do to manage this and other infections. Yes, it can be time consuming and inconvenient, but the results are well worth it. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this harmless treatment and to keep it up religiously, making sure to “scrupulously” clean your equipment, as Sue has advised.

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