NE Valley Times

• Some common symptoms of sinusitis include nasal inflammation, reduced sense of taste or smell, nasal discharge, difficulty breathing through your nose, and pain, tenderness or swelling around the cheeks, eyes, nose or forehead.
• Symptoms that some sufferers might find surprising could include ear pain, bad breath, fatigue, or aching in your upper jaw and teeth.
• There are nonsurgical treatments available to help with sinusitis symptoms, including balloon sinuplasty.

Dr. Franklyn Gergits of the Sinus and Allergy Wellness Center said that sinusitis can affect the body in many surprising ways, including problems with memory, but a balloon sinuplasty procedure can help improve those issues. 

"We had an interesting case study involving a gentleman who came to see us who was having what his wife described as progressive, accelerated dementia," Gergits said. "She was frustrated because the neurologist tried one medication, then multiple different medications. She didn't see much of a change. The man also complained of chronic sinus troubles and nasal drainage. 

"So, we ended up seeing him and doing an examination. Sure enough, he was a candidate for balloon sinuplasty. After the procedure was completed, he recovered well. He was sleeping much better, his wife noticed. Then, when he went back to see his neurology specialist, he did a test called the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). And his score had improved significantly."

According to the Mayo Clinic, acute sinusitis can not only make it difficult to breathe through your nose, but the area around your eyes and face could get swollen, and you could be dealing with throbbing facial pain and headaches.

Physical symptoms of chronic sinusitis can include the usual symptoms that everyone expects, but other symptoms that might not be known either. These can all include nasal inflammation, a runny nose, postnasal drainage, congestion, pain or swelling in the face, headaches, loss of smell and taste, a sore throat, bad breath or fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic.

People experiencing symptoms that aren't improving for more than a week should see a physician. An ENT specialist might recommend a saline solution or over-the-counter medication, and if those don't help symptoms improve they might prescribe antibiotics or a corticosteroid spray. If those treatments do not resolve the sinusitis symptoms, the ENT specialist might recommend sinus surgery.

Some sinusitis sufferers might also be unaware of nonsurgical treatments that are available, including balloon sinuplasty. A balloon sinuplasty is an in-office procedure that's simple and only takes about an hour, according to Entellus Medical. The preparation takes about 30 minutes and involves anesthetics being applied to the nose for more comfort. A thin instrument with a balloon is then guided through your sinus, the balloon is gently inflated for five seconds with saline, and when your sinuses open, the balloon is removed.

Take this sinus self-assessment quiz to find out if you have symptoms of sinusitis.