ORLANDO, Fla. – What if you could stop your sinuses from acting up for good? There's a cutting edge technology in Central Florida that patients say is changing their lives.
There are no drugs, nasal sprays, or grueling surgeries involved. Instead, doctors say that you can feel like a whole new person in just 15 minutes.
"It's kind of like you're in a fog. I would feel like I was in a fog with the swelling in my face," says Candi Keys, a Lake County mother who suffered through years of unpredictable sinus problems.
At times, the swelling was so severe, it was almost impossible to breathe and think about anything but the pain.
"I would be in meetings and my head would just be throbbing," says Keys. "I couldn't seem to do anything to control it."
The latest numbers show that 37 million people are just like Candi Keys, battling what's called sinusitis.
"I just don't feel like myself is what patients will say," says Dr. Mimi Tran, an Ear, Nose, & Throat Specialist in Orlando.
Until recently, the only permanent fix was to remove bones from a person's nose to open up their airways. But now, there's a new treatment in town.
It's called a Balloon Sinuplasty, or Sinus Balloon. A catheter is put into your nose, then inflated to reshape the soft bone and tissue. It opens up your nasal passages, and gives you more breathing room.
"It's cutting edge, it's minimally invasive, it's patient friendly," says Dr. Tran, who adds that it's done right in the office, in less than an hour.
"Most patients recover in one to two days, and they're typically back to work, back to the gym," says Dr. Tran.
Not only can you count on a quick recovery, but Dr. Tran says that you'll notice a difference in your breathing almost immediately.
"They're able to work better, they feel better, they sleep better," says Dr. Tran.
The newest research shows that the results are almost always permanent. That's why Mimi Tran is one of several local doctors who offer this to patients.
Three months after having her procedure, Candi Keys says that she feel like a new woman.
"It's like wow, I'm like other people now," says Keys. "I can breathe like other people breathe."
As for side effects, Dr. Tran says there's pretty much no swelling, and very little pain. Local 6 checked, and most health insurance plans do cover the Sinus Balloon procedure.