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I have been diagnosed with MAC
I would like to know if anyone can tell me if breathing paint fumes can contribute to this. i am an artist and work with oil paint and encaustic (hot beeswax and damar resin). I am having to wait until mid June to see a pulmonologist . Reading on line has made me very anxious especially when I see info like, untreated MAC can result in early death.
I have been coughing since last October. Any info would be helpful. Thanks so much.
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I do not know about the fumes.
A great natural cough syrup that helps me is Broncolin/with Propolis from Amazon.
Too.. I take Clear Lung also from Amazon.
I was DX in Jan. ‘15! I cannot take meds!
I have NTM And Bronchiactias.
Don’t be scared. God bless!
I've had it off and on since 97. I do very well on meds the cocktail. I was on it for 2 years now I'm off for a year but I think it's back have had about six night sweats in the last month and I still cough everytime I lay down even on meds. Can't seem to figure it out. If I have wheat it seems to get worse. Caffeine seems to help.
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1 ReactionMac is found in dirt and water. But I have a very hard time with diesel fuel fumes I've had this since 97 just keep getting treated. I do very well with the meds
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1 ReactionHi @karensarasota I get hot flushes in bed that last a short time on and off, is the nightsweats the same? I never know if its MAC or menopause.
What does do you take of the Clear Lungs. Do you take it with the drug cocktail prescribed for MAC?
@pegbach Hello there fellow artist! Welcome to our group. To answer your question about your paints; yes, the fumes from those types of paints can be harmful. They contain toxic chemicals. If you must use them, you should do so with good ventilation and possibly a small fan like they use at nail salons. Have the air blown away from your face. I use acrylics due to them having a much lower voc. I do, however, occassionally use oils & I always wanted to try encaustics. As for your cough, if it is persistant; you should see a doctor. If you are coughing up stuff (sputem) then you can ask for a sample from it to be tested. I would love to see your artwork. Can you post one? I hope that you will stay in touch.
@karensarasota Hi Karen. I was dx with mac in 2005. I chose not to do the cocltail because there is a 50% chance that the mac will return anyway and they can be hard on the body. My Mayo doc put me on monthly short bouts of alternating antibiotics. I have been on this regimen since 2013 and so far it has been working for me..my doctor's theory is that I am suseptible to getting mac so lets just ward it off instead of treating when I actually get it. I know this method may not work for everybody because we are all different, but it is an option. For some reason wheat and most other gluten containing foods cause mucous for many of us. Try to eliminate it from your diet and see if there is improvement. Have you asked your doctor to get a sputem test done to see if your mac is back?