End the Pain: Migraine Treatment

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, July 20 and September 7, 2008
Show 516

Almost one in five women in the United States suffers from severe headaches. Can a 15-minute surgical procedure end years of headache pain for good? Meet Jackie, who runs a construction company in the morning and a tea room in the afternoon. Her biggest challenge? Thirty years of headaches that made her miserable. Then, she discovered something stunning – the problem was actually in her nose. She had a deviated septum that created her pain. The solution? A septoplasty, a minor outpatient surgical procedure that works by removing bent cartilage and bone in the nose. Dr. Kevin Smith, who performed Jackie's septoplasty, notes headaches from a deviated septum can be especially problematic for women, who often experience swelling in the tissue during menstrual cycles or pregnancy in addition to the typical cold or flu. Successful septoplasty surgery has set Jackie free from her debilitating pain and has allowed her to enjoy her family and work so much more.