Donna Moore was suffering. Chronic fatigue and headaches were part of her daily life. Her body ached with pain. So much so, that it was hard to put one foot in front of the other some days. She began seeing several doctors over the course of seven years and was diagnosed with a variety of conditions, including rheumatism and arthritis. But none of these diagnoses hit the mark because, unbeknownst to Donna, she was suffering from a chronic sinus infection.
After several unsuccessful diagnoses, Donna's father-in-law, James A. Moore – a physician himself – suggested that she see Thane Duncan, MD. Donna agreed and was encouraged enough by the referral to wait a year in order to change insurance policies and get an appointment with Dr. Duncan.
The first procedure Dr. Duncan performed on Donna was a sinus culture, which confirmed that Donna had chronic sinusitis. In fact, he discovered that she was suffering from three
infections – two were bacterial and one was fungal. After performing a CAT scan and MRI, it was determined that Donna's infection was deeply imbedded in her sinus cavity -- too close in proximity to her optic nerve and carotid artery to safely operate in a traditional manner.
Because of the difficult and dangerous location of Donna's infection, Dr. Duncan believed that image-guided surgery (IGS) was her best hope.
Via three-dimensional computer imagery, an IGS system allows the surgeon to operate with the maximum amount of information about the unique anatomy of each patient and to "see" the location of the instrument tip in the patient's sinuses at all times during surgery. This technology offers the surgeon an additional visual reference that can allow a more precise removal of diseased tissue in critical areas.
Using image-guided surgery, Dr. Duncan was able to remove the infectious disease safely from Donna's sinus cavity and allow her sinus cavities to drain.
After the surgery was completed and Donna began to recover, she began to feel better and better as her fatigue, headaches, and general body pain faded away. She also discovered that – instead of the large dosage of drugs she was taking – now, regular irrigation was her required regimen. Although she still requires an antibiotic from time to time, after seven years of misery, Donna feels like a completely different person.
"I just can't tell you how much better I feel," Donna reports. "I am truly thankful that this technology is available. Because without it, my surgery couldn't even have been done."
"I can smell now! I had lost my sense of smell for so many years, that now when I smell something, it takes a few minutes to register with me."
The patient testimonial you have just read is from a real patient relating their actual experiences. This patient's story may or may not be representative of the total population of people suffering from sinusitis and sinus-related disease, as results vary from patient to patient. Most patients receive varying degrees of relief from their symptoms; however, there are some patients who have reported receiving no relief. Please see your healthcare provider to determine what medical course is right for you.
