Preparing for Balloon Sinus Surgery

Sinus surgery is becoming one of the more popular ways to deal with persistent sinus pain. Many Americans suffer from sinusitis and it’s one of the more frustrating conditions to deal with in life. If you’ve spoken to your ear, nose and throat doctor recently, then you’ll know that procedures such as balloon sinuplasty are relatively safe compared to the alternatives and there’s virtually no recovery time. All you need is a bit of rest due to the local anesthetic, but after that, you’re free to go home and continue your work. In this article, we’ll be talking about how you can prepare for your sinus surgery so that you’re more comfortable and mentally ready.

Be careful with medication

It’s important to remember that there are certain medications which you should not take before surgery. Consult your ear, nose and throat doctor for more information about these. In general, you’ll want to avoid taking medication such as aspirin and NSAIDs such as Advil and Aleve. Talk to your doctor about when you need to stop taking this medicine to ensure you are ready for the surgery.

Take prescribed medication

Before the balloon sinus surgery takes place, your doctor will likely have given you some medication to take before the procedure. It’s important to follow those instructions to ensure that you’re taking them at the right time and in the right dosages. Certain medications, such as pain medication, may be prescribed before and after the procedure. Depending on certain allergies and other conditions, you may also be prescribed antibiotics. Again, it’s important to read the instructions properly and remember what your doctor says about dosages.

Alcohol and smoking are off limits

Even if you’re a smoker or like to drink alcohol, it’s essential that you avoid both before you head into surgery. It’s ideal to stop both smoking and drinking alcohol for at least two weeks before the date of your surgery. If you feel this will be hard, then please consult your ear, nose and throat doctor for advice.

Mentally preparing yourself

Every surgery comes with at least some kind of risk. Even though balloon sinus surgery is relatively safe and non-invasive like other methods, it can still carry some small risks that people could get worked up about. It’s important to understand these risks, but also to understand that there’s a small chance of them happening. If you ever feel like you won’t be able to cope with the thought of undergoing a procedure, even an invasive one, then you may need to consult your ear, nose and throat specialist for support before you decide to head into the surgery. Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into how to prepare for a balloon sinus surgery. Now that you know what to expect, it should be much easier to handle when the date of your surgery finally comes around.