[ElainMoria]

*Update*

So the Lung doctor at the hospital has referred me to an infectious disease specialist in the Portland area at OHSU (or is it OSHU?) who is supposedly one of the top guys in the nation where MAC is concerned.

This means I have to somehow find a way to get to Portland w/o a vehicle to make the appointments. Taking a bus is out of the question as the route here is really bad and a 200 mile trip would take me 2 days to travel due to how the routing is done. Not to mention buses trigger anxiety attacks in me. The Train is one possibility but I'd still have to overnight in Portland and take cabs to and from the train station to a hotel, then to the doctors office, and back. Financially... that would tax my resources in a major way. Probably not something I can do unless I can find a hotel REAL close to the train station.

I am no longer using my original GP and have transferred my care to a new Doctor in Ashland who is knowledgeable about TG care and understands what is involved with it all (meds, therapy etc). I have my first appointment on the 24th. I have also contacted a Therapist in Ashland that is also familiar with TG issues so I now have things rolling in the right direction for me.

As for this MAC infection... my understanding is they want me on 4 extremely body harsh antibiotics for a year. I risk having permanent Liver failure/Kidney failure/Hearing loss/Eye sight loss from those antibiotics. The cure leaving me with a grossly reduced quality of life, and even then, no guarantee the MAC infection will be successfully wiped out. I am honestly debating refusing to do any treatments and simply take what life is left to me and run with it.

~Elain