Living Well With NTM Living Well With NTM | Page 11

Testing
You may need to get regular blood
tests. Blood tests ensure your body
is handling the drugs well. You may
also need vision and hearing tests
before and during treatment. Your
sight or hearing could be affected
by the treatment. In some people,
blood tests can ensure that you are
receiving the right doses of drugs
Your doctor may conduct tests in your
lungs to check treatment progress.
These tests measure:
• How well you get oxygen into your
lungs.
• How well oxygen passes through
the airways to get into the blood.
• How well air flows out of your
lungs.
These tests may include:
•
•
• chest x-ray
• oxymetry
CT Scan
pulmonary function tests like
spirometry
Surgery
Surgery may be needed to remove
the most damaged areas of the lung.
Make sure you meet with experts in
NTM and surgery first. In most cases,
surgery can be performed using VATS
(video-assisted thoracic surgery).
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