Hi Barbara, I started the Big 3 just 3 month after I was diagnosed, soon after the final culture results came back. First I needed several courses of treatment for pseudomonas.
It was never in question whether to use them - I was very sick and getting worse, because it took a long time to get diagnosed.
I was on the antibiotics for 18 months - at first 3 times a week, the last 6 months it was every day. Yes, there were side effects, but I managed to live with them, it just got bad when the meds were every day. BUT, that was quite a while ago, and the new protocol of adding Arikayce if the cultures did not convert to negative after 6 months did not exist then.
Knowing what I have learned in 5 1/2 years on Connect, IF I was asymptomatic AND I did not have M. abscessus, or cavities or numerous nodules in my lungs, I would try to convince my docs to do a 6 month trial of rigorous airway clearance with 7% saline, exercise and healthy diet.
That is not the same as "wait and watch" - it is actually an established non-antibiotic protocol, and requires monitoring with every 2-3 months and probably a repeat CT at 6 months. This article talks about it:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0929664620302035
What are your doctors recommending today? Have you been able to find one who sees MAC often?
Sue