How do you enjoy the Holiday Season while living with Bronchiectasis?

After observing these infections for 5 years, air travel is by far the number 1 place to avoid.

Hi, can we talk a little about your situation, and why you feel you cannot travel and dine out? I am an active, retired senior and grandma of two little "germ factories" six plus years into my journey with Bronchiectasis and having fought both Pseudomonas and MAC. I also have lifelong asthma, hyperreactive airways and chronic pain.

At first I was very wary too - wore a lot of N95 masks even before Covid. Then the pandemic lockdown hit, and we isolated a lot - until I insisted we create a safe plan for spending time with others. We did a lot of outdoor activities, even in winter. We washed hands, sanitized surfaces and masked - even the toddler was willing to do it to spend time together.

Through all of this, I remember the words of my very wise ID doc "This is a disease you live with, not die from. You need to figure out the highest risks and limit them, then get on with life." And my even wiser PCP of 20+ years who said "You are a social being. You need people and activities to be fully alive. We need to figure out how you can do it safely."

So...we travel, even spending time in hotels. We dine out. We visit tourist attractions and we hike. How do we do it safely? In any questionable environment, we choose outdoors over indoors (patio dining, outdoor concerts.) We choose open air over closed (walking tours vs bus tours, events in arenas with high ceilings and massive air flow vs small spaces.) We dine at our favorite restaurants at off-peak times if we can. We even fly - fully masked in the terminal and on the plane.

In winter, we are part of a small community in South Texas, and we avoid people who are not careful with handwashing, staying home when ill, etc. We entertain a few like minded friends, or we have groups on our covered patio. I swim in the outdoor pool, but avoid the hot tub.

As a volunteer for several organizations, I do what I can from home, but part of the blessing of being a volunteer is interacting...so I do both indoor and outdoor events, masking indoors if I feel the need.

I do airway clearance, use saline, Mucinex and NAC to keep my mucus thin. I make sure to eat a healthy diet, exercise and get enough rest. I try not to overdo, spacing activities wisely. I stay away from sick people.

What has been the outcome of my plan? One exacerbation in the last two years. And two "almost colds" brought to an early halt by Vitamin C, Zinc and rest. The exacerbation was brought on by breaking my own rule - we travelled over 5000 miles in just over two weeks, with some very long days and short nights. A few days after we settled into our Texas place, we both caught a very nasty virus, and our bodies were just too tired to fight it. Fortunately, with my PCP and Pulmo, I had a plan in place - a short, mighty burst of steroids (I know, not recommended, but this works for me) to kill the inflammation in my lungs, plus extra rest.

This is just one person's solution, but maybe a peak at how you could accommodate. Please don't miss out on these precious years with your kids! Put on a mask and join them. If you are not comfortable removing it to eat in a restaurant, you could always do what one of my friends who cannot eat solid food does - ask for a beverage and a straw, just sip and leave the mask on.

Does any of this sound doable to you?
Sue

How do you deal with a husband who “doesn’t get it”? I have one of those.

Hi Donna, I think NAC is just one more tool in our arsenal, but I don't believe everyone needs it. In my case, I tend to have sticky mucus, and also hyperreactive airways and a hyperactive inflammatory system. NAC seems to help with each of these, so I use. At one point, I though maybe I could substitute it for Mucinex, but it turns out I need both to keep my mucus flowing.
So, if your current routine works, why mess with it?
Sue