Ft Worth Times

• One of the main triggers of sinusitis is allergies, and summer allergies are right around the corner.
• There are minimally invasive treatment options available to sinusitis sufferers.
• Dr. Monty Trimble and his team at Dallas Breathe Free can help to nip your sinusitis and allergy issues in the bud before they cause you to cancel your summer plans.

Summer is quickly approaching, and it's almost time for traveling, backyard barbecues and, unfortunately for some, sinusitis and allergies. While your symptoms might put a damper on your plans, Dr. Monty Trimble of Dallas Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers says his team can help.

"Allergies cause mucosal inflammation and swelling, which also causes the lining of the nose to be more susceptible to infection and become a viral infection," Trimble told Fort Worth Times. "Allergens will set the stage for people getting sick, but they also, over time, will cause enlargement of the nasal lining; and that can also lead to obstruction of the openings of the sinuses and inflammation within the sinuses themselves."

Spring allergies may be on the way out, as trees and flowers are largely finished blooming, but summer allergies caused by weeds and grasses are the next ones to worry about, according to WebMD. One of the most common triggers in the summer is ragweed, which not only affects the areas in which it grows, but it can travel hundreds of miles on the wind as well.

There are minimally invasive treatment options available, including balloon sinuplasty, a simple, in-office procedure that only takes about an hour, according to sinussurgeryoptions.com. The prep lasts about 30 minutes and uses a local anesthetic, which is applied to the nose for comfort. A thin instrument with a balloon attached is then guided through the sinus cavity, then the balloon is inflated for five seconds with saline and, with the sinuses open, the balloon is removed.

Trimble and his team at Dallas Breathe Free can help to treat your sinus issues before they ruin your plans this summer. The clinic offers balloon sinuplasty, in addition to other sinus, allergy, sleep and snoring, and ENT (ear, nose and throat) treatments. Trimble is one of the most experienced in-office balloon sinuplasty surgeons in the nation. Has performed over 500 in-office balloon dilation procedures since the surgery was made available in 2011.

To learn more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.