Jennifer Mathews: Today, Judy Caletti enjoys her time outdoors. A few weeks ago, she was in severe pain.
Judy Caletti: I was just completely washed out. Everything was an effort, even getting a shower and brushing my teeth.
Jennifer Mathews: Judy had Chronic Sinusitis. She lost her sense of smell and suffered severe headaches almost everyday.
Judy Caletti: I didn't go out much, I didn't do any shopping.
Jennifer Mathews: Dr. Winston Vaughan says the condition is common.
Winston Vaughan: Chronic infections usually are due to blockage. So you have large rooms, the sinus cavities, with small hallways and small doorways. When the hallways and doorways get in trouble, the rooms produce mucus which cannot drain.
Jennifer Mathews: To drain the rooms, Dr. Vaughan offered Judy a new procedure called Balloon Sinuplasty. He threads a catheter through the nostril and into the sinus cavities. He then, inserts a wire followed by a balloon.
Winston Vaughan: We blow the balloon up and expand the doorway by expanding the balloon.
Jennifer Mathews: The balloon pushes the blockage out of the way, unlike standard surgery, it destroys little or no tissue. That offers some big benefits.
Winston Vaughan: Less pain, less bleeding, faster recovery, and a more naturally functioning sinus and nasal cavity.
Judy Caletti: I finally could smell the flowers, and they smell really good to me.
Jennifer Mathews: Judy says she feels like her old self again.
Judy Caletti: Wow! I got my life back. I like this.
Jennifer Mathews: Most of all, she likes being pain free. This is Jennifer Mathews reporting.
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