Mycobacterium Abscessus...Update

So it’s 4am and my alarm is going off. Time to get up to do treatments and get ready to drive 4 ½ hours to go see Dr. G at UT Health Science Center Tyler (UTHSCT); a specialist in treating strains of mycobacterium. My anxiety level is high, but I'm ready to get the show on the road. I do my treatments, get dressed, grab my NOS energy drink and beef jerky and wait on Amanda to finish getting ready. We pack up and drive 4 ½ hours to Tyler, Texas, only making 2 stops.

We make it to UTHSCT with 30 minutes to spare. I go to get checked in and find out that Dr. G doesn’t want me to do PFT’s, kind of odd, but I’ll do what he wants. Amanda and I wait anxiously in the waiting room to be called back. After waiting about 10 minutes or so it seemed we were called back. They took my weight and vital signs, went over medications, took my temperature and told me Dr. G would be right in. While waiting we hear Dr. G being bothered by a pharmaceutical rep trying to get him to give samples of some medication they were pushing. Dr. G finally comes in to talk to me and see how I was doing. I told him I was doing all right. I have been feeling tired and fatigued more, having night sweats, not feeling great, and worse of all coughing more stuff up. Usual symptoms to having an exacerbation, but I have been on antibiotics and it hadn’t really helped.

The good news is the strain of mycobacterium abscessus that I grew is an “easier” strain to treat. The bad news, which I already knew, was that the treatment is a yearlong course of IV antibiotics. I am in luck…for now. Plan A: 2 oral antibiotics Azithromycin and Zyvox, 1 IV antibiotic Tigecycline. All 3 are once a day. This is good cause its not multiple times a day every day, but the bad part is that it might cause me to feel sick. They are all low doses to see how I do on them before upping the dose because they can make you feel really sick. If “Plan A” doesn’t work or seem to help, there are always “Plan B” and “Plan C” which we did not discuss at this time, but they require more antibiotics multiple times a day. Dr. G wanted to try out the “easiest and most painless” route first and if it helps great, if not then there are alternatives.

The bacteria and treatment is not something to take lightly. Although it is an “easier” strain to treat, doesn’t mean it won’t cause me health issues. I appreciate the support from all my friends and family, it means a lot to me. I am going to look at what I can do to benefit my health, whether that means taking a step back from work some so I can exercise or rest, or ridding some stress in my life.