Like 30 million other people in the United States, you’ve been struggling with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), which is wreaking havoc on your ability to breathe freely. We’ve tried more conservative options, to no avail, and it’s time for a bigger step — a balloon sinuplasty.
Rest assured, you’re in highly capable hands here at Houston Sinus Surgery. Our own Dr. Cecil Yeung and Dr. Marcus Hershey are board-certified in otolaryngology — head and neck — surgery, and have extensive experience performing balloon sinuplasty.
There’s not too much you need to do to prepare for this minimally invasive outpatient procedure in which we open up your blocked nasal passages by inflating a balloon inside them. That said, there are a few things you can do to help make your journey go as smoothly as possible.
After your balloon sinuplasty, you’ll be rinsing your sinuses frequently. If we prescribe a rinse, we urge you to get the distilled water, medications or sprays, and the necessary rinsing equipment before your procedure.
As well, it’s a good idea to have some over-the-counter pain relievers on hand in case you feel any discomfort after your balloon sinuplasty. Most of our patients report minimal to no discomfort after a balloon sinuplasty, so don’t be too worried about this potential side effect.
Finally, have plenty of tissues around so you can deal with any discharge. We don’t want you blowing your nose for the first day or two, but you can clear your nasal passages after that.
It only takes a few hours, from arrival to departure, for your balloon sinuplasty, which we perform here at our state-of-the-art surgical center. Whether we use general or local anesthesia, you’re going to feel a little groggy, so you’ll need to arrange for a ride home ahead of time.
We recommend that you cancel all of your activities for the day of the procedure as well as the day after. So, plan accordingly and take off from work and move appointments around to accommodate this brief recovery period.
By the third day, you should be able to return to all of your normal activities, but we do ask that you wait at least a week before engaging in strenuous exercise.
On the day of your balloon sinuplasty, we urge you to follow our prep instructions carefully. For example, if we’re using general anesthesia, we may ask that you avoid eating and drinking for several hours beforehand. If we're using local anesthesia, there are fewer dietary restrictions.
You should dress comfortably in loose clothing and leave your jewelry behind. Consider taking a nice shower beforehand, as you may not want to when you get back home. Since we’re not making any incisions, you can apply body lotion as usual.
Rest assured, we go over all of this with you in detail before the procedure and supply you with easy-to-follow instructions that cover what we’ve outlined above, and more.
If you have a balloon sinuplasty scheduled with us and you have more questions about what you can do to prepare, call our office at 713-795-4886. Or, if you don’t have a balloon sinuplasty scheduled with us but you want to see if this treatment could help you, call our Houston, Texas, office or book an appointment online.
