Grand Rapids Reporter

Those who suffer from sinus problems that feel like lasting symptoms of a cold -- including severe nasal congestion, snoring, mouth breathing and frequent pressure headaches -- may benefit from the story of Doug Mandrick, a Holland schoolteacher who has suffered from these problems since childhood.

That is, until he took the advice of experts at the Michigan Sinus Specialists clinic and decided to work toward leaving his sinus problems behind him once and for all. 

“I felt like an entirely different person,” Mandrick recalled, after his balloon sinuplasty procedure. “I got a good night’s sleep and felt like I was 10 years younger.”

During the balloon sinuplasty procedure, doctors thread a small balloon through the patient's nose and into their sinus cavity. They then inflate the balloon to open up room in the cavity, deflate it and remove it. 

While the patient of a balloon sinuplasty procedure will almost certainly be the first to notice their increase in quality of life after the procedure, those improvements can be easily seen by others. According to Mandrick, even his students noticed something had changed in their high school science teacher. 

“They told me I seem to have a lot more energy, and I am a lot more fun,” Mandrick told the Holland Reporter. 

Mandrick is married to an audiologist, who saw the improvements from the procedure through her professional lens. 

“We’ve been married 15 years, and it was a constant annoyance,” said Mandrick's wife, Dr. Erica Mandrick. “I’ve been encouraging him for a while to get the surgery. He’s not even fully where he should be yet, and I've already noticed the difference. It's pretty impressive.”

The balloon sinuplasty procedure is a fairly simple one that can be done in the doctor's office under local anesthesia, according to Healthline. Dubbed the "smart sinus" procedure, balloon sinuplasty works by restructuring the sinus cavity structure. Patients usually are able to return to their normal routine within a day or two of the procedure. 

Chronic sinusitis can make it hard to enjoy everyday life. If you think a specialist could help, take this quiz.