Top 5 Myths About Balloon Sinuplasty
Sinusitis, also known as a sinus infection, affects the sinuses and is caused by inflammation. Many people suffer from chronic sinusitis, causing discomfort, pain and other uncomfortable symptoms affecting the nasal passageways. When the condition disrupts a person’s daily life or causes the quality of their life to decrease, they may opt for surgery to relieve their symptoms. Balloon sinuplasty is one of their options.
Unfortunately, because balloon sinuplasty is a relatively new procedure, there are certain misconceptions that are common about it. Here are five myths about balloon sinuplasty that you should know.
Myth 1: A balloon sinuplasty involves having packing inserted in the nose. Removing that packing is uncomfortable or even painful.
This is a common myth, but the truth is, balloon sinuplasty does not require anything packed into the nose. As a result, you don’t have to worry about experiencing this uncomfortable, painful problem.
Myth 2: Balloon sinuplasty procedures are not especially effective and need to be repeated multiple times before you can get relief.
In some cases, sinusitis may be caused by polyps inside the nose. If polyps are surgically removed, they can grow back, which requires additional surgeries to remove them. However, balloon sinuplasty is a procedure that does not remove nasal polyps. It is performed to treat a variety of other issues related to chronic sinusitis and does not need to be repeated.
Myth 3: My eyes will appear bruised after a balloon sinuplasty.
Although some nasal procedures may cause bruising or discoloration around the eyes, balloon sinuplasty doesn’t cause this issue. However, if you have another procedure around the same time as a balloon sinuplasty, you may have bruising or discoloration around your eyes.
Myth 4: A recovery from balloon sinuplasty is long and often uncomfortable.
This is just a myth as recovery time from balloon sinuplasty procedures is far shorter than with standard nasal surgeries. This is largely due to balloon sinuplasty being less invasive. In most cases, the recovery is short enough that people are able to resume their normal activities and return to work within one or two days at most.
Myth 5: Health insurance won’t cover me for balloon sinuplasty.
Most health insurance plans do cover balloon sinuplasty due to it being used to treat a problem. It is not elective surgery. Your insurance company should cover it just as it would cover any other type of necessary surgical procedure, but you may need pre-authorization for it.
It’s important not to let myths get in the way of your decision to have balloon sinuplasty done if you need it. If you live in Alabama and need the procedure, contact Alabama Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists, LLC to schedule a consultation today.
