Water to clean lettuce

@ansley I am not an expert on this topic but have learned a lot about NTM/MAC from reading and asking questions.

When I wash lettuce or anything else, I think about water age. So if a tap hasn't been used a while, I make sure to run it until the water is as cold as it gets. Once produce is rinsed I make sure to dry as much as possible. So for lettuce I use a salad spinner, which removes most of the water. If it were I with MAC, I'd focus on careful practices with drinking water, reflux management, cleaning/sterilizing nebulizer equipment daily and listening to your pulmonologist as long as they are on board with the program! It's so easy to go overboard with the precautions once one starts.

Here is a list of reducing exposure tips from the NTMinfo group. Washing produce/lettuce in sterile water is not on the list.
https://ntminfo.org/reducing-exposure/

And I am curious, where did you read it was good to use sterilized water for washing lettuce?

@ansley You will read a wide variety of opinions, here on Connect and in other MAC/Bronchiectasis groups, about what measures to take to be safe.
Just remember, MAC/NTM are everywhere, and cannot be completely avoided without living in a sterile bubble, so it's a matter of "choosing your battles" - that is, mitigating the highest risks and letting everything else go - otherwise you could devote your entire life to treatments, precautions and avoidance.
That said, I wash my produce in filtered tap water. If appropriate (potatoes, etc) I give it a good scrub with a stiff brush. Other people may be more wary, but it works for me.
I choose to spend my energy on "high-return" efforts like airway clearance, exercise and healthy diet. And use caution to avoid or minimize exposure to "high-risk" situations - hot tubs, indoor pools, steamy showers and sick people. This is the approach suggested to me over 5 years ago by my ID doc and PCP, and it has served me well.
Sue

Thank you! This is so helpful. This info was from a random Facebook message.

Sue, you always “calm” me down when I get stressed about dealing with MAC.
Thank you!

I agree with our mentor Sue and Scoop. I go for the big ticket items— shower steam, drinking water, hot tubs, indoor pools, steam showers, high level airway clearance equipment sterilization and reflux prevention. Also, I try to keep my immunity high with being a healthy weight, nutritionally dense food, exercise, airway clearance, and stress reduction.

Linda Esposito

Sue- Since you have been at this for a while and it appears you have tried many things in the need to find the best of what is needed for dealing with the needs of BE patients.
So......since I have not filtered my tap water for cleaning veggies etc, what did you decide on with regard to the best way, best item, to filter your tap water?
I also use a brush to clean the potatoes, I should think that it is O.K. since they will be cooked at high temperatures.

Any thoughts from others regarding how and what they filter tap water with?

I had a reverse osmosis sink filtration system installed. I bought a meter gauge to test water hardness. I also bought a water testing kit. I live in FL. My tap water scores 157for hardness but no bacteria, etc. The reverse osmosis system scores 12 and that is right before the filter change. My water dispenser in my fridge scored 164. I change the fridge filter about every 6 months or when it tells me to do so.
Regarding protein smoothies, you didn’t mention if you use milk. I cannot tolerate much milk. I started using bottled vitamin water or cold tea with some fruit mixed in. If you haven’t tried that, might be worth it.
Have you ever had thrush?

Thanks for reading both my posts.
I meant to and should have put the second one in the diet or sputum r discussions.

Hopefully the two endoscopes that I have had while having this supposed mucus problem would have shown thrush if I had it. Had both endoscopes with having this constant clearing of the throat problem and the reason for seeing the gastroenterologist in the first place. No mention of anything about signs of candida, thrush after both endoscopes. Hope they didn't miss it.
Since I had a very bad case of systemic candida in the mid 80's after having two severe pneumonias at the same time and being given liquid anti-biotics 24/7 in the hospital for nearly a week or more....the candida developed and it took several, several months afterwards for it to be acknowledged and diagnosed.

With having systemic candida I am aware of that possibility and thought it was thrush/candida when this all started. My PCP finally allowed me a week of anti fungal, with hesitation, medicine and I believe it was needed because I wasn't having anymore chest pain at times after swallowing. Now since the last October with learning and knowing I have a small hiatal hernia I believed that that may have been the cause of the chest pain after swallowing solid food.

You have given me food for thought and I may need to go back to that orignal thought again....thrush/candida. It does seem logical that it may be thrush etc. since all the doctors keep saying they don't know what it is when they see what is in the specimen vile I carry around with me and "spit" into. Not fun. I know what thrush/candida can cause and it isn't good.
As far as I'm concerned I have two strong symptoms that suggest it, burning tongue and the constant thick sputum that is always there no matter what I swallow or eat. I have told the doctors this, now to revisit it again with them...
I will treat myself, more so, in the meantime as if it is thrush/candida by doing more help with probiotics than I have been doing plus more of what else needs to be done.
Thanks for your reply.

I understand your frustration. I had lung surgery and of course, strong iv antibiotic to prevent an infection. Boom, hello Candida. Took 10 days 200 mg Diflucan. I went through similar situation in 2007 after a hysterectomy. That time the dr put me on 14 days of 100 mg Diflucan.
I’m back to a low carb, minimal sugar diet and cut back on milk products except for sugar free yogurt.
Drs only want to prescribe a couple of pills most of the time. It is a strong med and they prefer caution. If I’m prescribed antibiotics I feel panicky because of side effects.
My doctor said his wife told him once that if he had a candida infection he would go nuts. I need to send her a thank you note, lol.
Would like to learn how things go for you. Has a culture been done?
I have a hiatal hernia too, but I manage that by small meals, no food 4 hours before bedtime. I have an electric adjustable bed and sleep with head elevated.

We put in a reverse osmosis system years ago....very clean. Better than bottled. It is my understanding you have to inhale this bacteria but I take precautions to clean my equipment, wash all veggies etc. with this water and only drink this water. Staying away from all plastics....worrisome science emerging regarding microplastics in our bodies.