Do you suffer from four or more sinus infections a year? You may have recurring sinusitis.
If you have recurring sinusitis, you’ll experience several sinus infections throughout the year with symptomless periods between episodes. Dealing with the debilitating symptoms of recurring sinusitis can be challenging and affect your quality of life.
Keep reading to learn more about recurring sinusitis and what you can do to treat this condition.
Signs and Symptoms of Recurring Sinusitis
When you have recurring sinusitis, you may experience the general symptoms of having a sinus infection, including:
- Headaches
- Runny nose
- Coughing or throat clearing
- Nasal irritation or inflammation
- Sore throat
- Bad breath
- Ear pain
- Fatigue
- Congestion or blocked nose
- Reduced sense of taste and smell
- Discolored nasal drainage
- Tenderness, swelling, and pain on your forehead, eyes, nose, temples, cheeks, and jaw
Despite medical management, the symptoms of recurrent sinusitis may clear up only to reappear weeks later.
Causes of Recurring Sinusitis
Recurring sinusitis can develop due to various reasons, including the following:
Deviated Septum
The septum is the cartilage wall inside your nose, separating the nostrils. In some cases, a crooked or deviated septum can block or obstruct your sinus openings, resulting in repeated episodes of sinus infections.
Nasal Polyps
Nasal polyps are non-cancerous growths that can leave you prone to recurring sinusitis. Small clusters of polyps on the lining of your sinuses or large nasal polyps can block your sinus openings.
If your sinus openings are not easily accessible or get blocked, this can cause more frequent sinus infections.
Allergic Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis occurs when your immune system mistakenly considers otherwise harmless substances as harmful. Your immune system then attacks these harmless substances to protect you.
This triggers allergies to particular substances, also called allergens. If you have allergic rhinitis, it causes inflammation and congestion in your nasal passages.
The congestion and inflammation can interfere with normal sinus drainage and lead to recurring sinusitis.
Recurring Sinusitis Treatment
If you have recurrent sinusitis, you might find that pain relievers, systemic and nasal steroids, decongestants, and mucolytics no longer work or stop working. Even if you respond to some medications, taking endless rounds of prescriptions to manage your symptoms can harm your wellbeing and health.
Your ENT specialist at Suburban Otolaryngology may recommend longer-lasting solutions to address your recurring sinusitis, such as:
Balloon Sinuplasty
Balloon sinuplasty has proven to be a highly effective treatment in preventing recurring sinusitis and improving your symptoms. The minimally invasive procedure widens your affected sinuses.
Balloon sinuplasty can treat the following kinds of sinuses, depending on what’s causing your recurring sinusitis and symptoms:
- Sphenoid sinuses – Located between your eyes and behind your nose
- Frontal sinuses – Found behind your eyes in the brow area
- Maxillary sinuses – These are in the cheek area next to your nose
There is no cutting involved during a balloon sinuplasty. There’s also no bone or tissues removed during the procedure.
Instead, your ENT specialist inserts a tiny flexible balloon into the opening of your sinus cavity and dilates it. After achieving the desired dilation, they will remove the balloon device.
Removing the balloon allows mucus to drain normally and alleviates congestion, discharge, and pain linked to recurring sinusitis.
Benefits of Balloon Sinuplasty
Balloon sinuplasty offers many advantages, including:
Minimally Invasive
There are never any tissues or bones cut during balloon sinuplasty. Because it’s a minimally invasive procedure, there’s no scarring and very little to no bleeding.
Shorter Recovery Time
Because no incisions are made during the procedure, it allows the preservation of your natural sinus openings and surrounding tissues. A balloon sinuplasty means minimal downtime compared to what’s required for more extensive surgery.
Most patients can resume their daily routine within two days.
Permanent Dilation
The dilation from balloon sinuplasty is permanent and significantly improves breathing function, reducing the likelihood of recurring sinusitis after the procedure.
A Long-Term Solution
For about 90 to 95 percent of patients, the results from balloon sinuplasty last a minimum of one to two years.
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
In-office balloon sinuplasty is not suitable for everyone with recurring sinusitis. If your ENT specialist does not think that balloon sinuplasty is a good fit, they may recommend endoscopic sinus surgery or ESS.
Like balloon sinuplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery expands your sinus passages to help restore drainage. During endoscopic sinus surgery, the surgeon inserts an endoscope and surgical tools to view what may need removing.
Depending on the blockages, this may include removing bone, polyps, or any diseased tissues. They may use a small rotating burr to scrape out tissue from your nose if necessary.
Tissue removal opens up your sinuses and sinus pathways, helping clear your sinuses and treat the symptoms of recurring sinusitis.
Benefits of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Some of the advantages of undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery include:
Effective Treatment
The goal of the procedure is to restore normal nasal sinus function. Patients who receive ESS show significant improvement in their symptoms and regain their quality of life.
Relatively Short Recovery
The recovery period for endoscopic sinus surgery varies depending on the extent of the procedure. However, most people can return to everyday activities within one to two weeks.
Break the Frustrating Cycle of Recurring Sinusitis
You live in a cycle of sinus infections when you have recurring sinusitis. That can make you miserable and affect your sleep patterns, work, and social life.
Fortunately, the top ENTs at Suburban Otolaryngology can treat the root cause of your recurring sinusitis, providing effective, long-term relief.
Are you tired of struggling with sinus infections that keep coming back? Request your appointment at Suburban Otolaryngology in Berwyn, IL, to find the relief you need! There’s no reason to keep living with sinus infections and recurring sinusitis.
