The sinuses are the air-filled cavities that are found on the facial bones of the upper part of the respiratory system. They are found in the forehead, cheeks and behind the nose or between the eyes. These sinuses can be blocked or become inflamed thereby causing pain, discomfort or the buildup of mucus. This can serve as a breeding site for bacteria and germs causing sinus infection or sinusitis. When the symptoms such as the runny nose, a feeling of fullness around the face, nasal obstruction and pain persist, you may be experiencing chronic sinusitis. This can be treated by surgery provided over-the-counter medications that are not effective in relieving the symptoms.
Sinus surgery such as balloon sinuplasty, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), septoplasty, etc. are used to treat chronic sinusitis and other sinus-related diseases depending on the underlying cause.
Patients with chronic sinusitis mostly experience reduced quality of sleep, pain, headaches, fatigue and other discomforts which may hinder their productivity level and make them absent from work or school causing poor quality of life. Symptoms of sinus infections make people uncomfortable and hinder them from carrying out their normal day-to-day activities without difficulty. Sinus treatment not only improves the overall health status of the patients but also their quality of life (QOL).
If the sleeping pattern is disrupted or the quality of sleep a person gets is reduced, many aspects of the person’s life will be affected which includes the person’s social interactions with others. A person who’s not getting enough sleep is usually irritable and moody especially in the mornings because sleep actually helps in alleviating stress. It also improves memory and blood circulation through the body.
A person suffering from sinusitis may have a runny nose and may have to keep wiping his or her nose in public. This can reduce association with other people and cause embarrassment for the person which leads to poor quality of life.
Sinus surgery may relieve the patient from overspending money on over-the-counter medications which may have little or no effect of the condition if not properly used as prescribed by the physician. Sinus surgery will affect the finances of the patient positively with noticeable improvement.
Sinus treatment is easily accessible to the patient after consulting the otolaryngologist (ENT specialist). If surgery is recommended, there is no need for fear as the recovery time after the surgery is fast and the patients go about their normal activities a few hours to days after the surgery. Most sinus surgeries nowadays involve the use of lasers which enables the surgeon to make a precise cut into the targeted tissue and ensure that no damage is done to the surrounding tissue. The drainage pathways are also widened to promote effective drainage. It is also effective in reducing the symptoms of sinus infections to the barest minimum making the patient enjoy comfort thereby improving the quality of life of the patient.
The success rate of sinus surgery is very high (over 76%) with little or no complications and an improved lifestyle. Sinus treatment provides long-lasting relief for the patients thereby causing a notable improvement in the quality of life of the patients.