Maryland State Wire

Haley McClelland went to see a doctor because she couldn't hear in her right ear, and she learned that the problem was actually stemming from her sinuses.

McClelland underwent a balloon sinuplasty procedure at Frederick Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, and after a few days, she said her hearing had already improved and she wasn't in pain. McClelland, who works at iHeartMedia, was featured on "Elliot in the Morning," talking about her experience with the surgery.

"Essentially, my sinuses are really tiny. So they had to go in and balloon them," McClelland said on the radio show.

Haley McClelland | LinkedIn/Haley McClelland

Ears and sinuses are connected by the eustachian tube, so McClelland's small sinuses were causing her to lose her hearing.

"I started to lose my hearing in my right ear, and I thought, ‘Oh, it's just clogged up.’ And so I went in and they looked all around and they said, 'Oh, your tubes are itty-bitty,'" McClelland said. "Right before the surgery, I didn't have hearing in my right ear -- hardly anything. I felt bad if someone kept talking to me."

Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional sinus surgery, during which a physician inserts a tiny balloon into the sinuses to widen them, according to ENT Orlando. Advantages over traditional sinus surgery include less pain, a faster recovery, minimal bleeding and no cutting or removal of bone or tissue. Studies have found that 95% of balloon sinuplasty patients report experiencing an improvement in their symptoms after the surgery.

According to Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center, a balloon sinuplasty procedure lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days. Most patients can resume their normal activities in that time period, although they may experience some swelling for up to a week.

"It will take a little while to have the swelling go down and everything, but it's already a bit better," McClelland said. 

Frederick Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers offers a variety of ear, nose and throat (ENT) treatments, including the latest innovative solutions, to help provide permanent relief to patients suffering from allergies and sinus problems. The office is located on Thomas Johnson Drive in Frederick.

Frederick Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers offers a Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz, where people can select symptoms they experience that could be related to sinusitis and receive a score that represents how much their sinuses impact their quality of life. Some of the symptoms are directly associated with the sinuses -- such as congestion and experiencing nasal drainage -- while other symptoms may seem more mental or psychological, such as fatigue or lack of ability to concentrate.