With the beautiful budding of Spring comes the uncomfortable onset of allergies for millions of Americans.

From the pollen in the Spring to ragweed in the Fall, Missourians with seasonal allergies may suffer from dry itchy eyes, runny noses , sneezing and congestion. For Jennifer Aguilarleon, allergies literally leave her stopped up. It's worse on the right side of her nose.

“You can't blow your nose and feel better,” she describes. “It's actually a blockage.” Unlike what comes from the pollen that's spread in the wind, her symptoms don't just come and go. Her nasal passage became so swollen, they developed nasal polyps. Unlike polyps in other parts of the body, these are not cancerous.

When her symptoms were at their worst, Jennifer felt her life slow down. “More than anything, it affects your energy level and occasionally it affects your balance a little bit,” she remembers. And it caused sinus headaches, a tough combination to battle for this mother whose youngest is a busy four-year-old.

Jennifer's symptoms did not show up until she was an adult. That's not unusual according to Dr. Reece Thompson, and ear, nose and throat specialist with the Jefferson City Medical Group. He sees people of all ages develop new allergies and those allergies may change over time.

Jennifer is one of an estimated seven million people nationwide who suffer from chronic sinus problems. Over-the-counter and prescription medications will help eighty percent of them, but Dr. Thompson says the rest likely will not find lasting relief without surgery.

Many simply won't consider it. “They're reluctant because they fear it may be too painful, recovery may be too complicated, and they're just apprehensive about it,” says Thompson.

But there's a relatively new technique that, Thompson says, offers a less invasive, easier option for these patients to find relief. It's a balloon sinuplasty.

Like the procedure that clears clogged arteries in the heart, a wire is threaded through the nose into the sinus canal. Then a balloon is inflated to push back the inflamed areas and clear the opening of the sinus.

In the worst cases, Thompson says the sinus could be narrowed to just 1-2mm. The inflated balloon can open it to 7mm, which is just more than a quarter of an inch. It's a same day surgery done under general anesthesia and causes less tissue trauma to the sinus canal than older procedures.

Jennifer had sinus surgery back in 2006 but quickly saw her symptoms return. Last June, she traveled from her home in Rolla to Jefferson City for the balloon sinuplasty. She says this time the relief has been long lasting. Dr. Thompson says sometimes people need just one treatment to find years long or even permanent relief.

After eight months Jennifer is more than pleased with the results. Now this mother of four with a bubbly personality, has the energy level to match her mood.

This article is published in the March/April issue of Jefferson City Magazine