Dr. Michael Foster, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon with Michigan Sinus Center, a specialty clinic within Michigan ENT & Allergy Specialists, is passionate about his work and delivering superior quality care to his patients.
"I feel the most important thing that I can do is spend the time needed so that they can understand my thought process and what their options are," he said. "And just that extra five minutes makes a huge difference ... . So, I really spend a lot of time and take a lot of pride in that."
The sentiment is echoed by other doctors at Michigan ENT & Allergy, whose objective is to "provide otolaryngology care for all ages -- newborns, infants, children, adolescents and adults. It is our mission to provide the most progressive and highest-quality otolaryngology care for every patient while maintaining the fine conservative traditions of the otolaryngology profession.”
Foster, who was raised in Indiana, went to medical school at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, then completed a five-year residency in otolaryngology in Detroit and did an otology fellowship in Seattle.
“I kind of got to live all over the map at different times in my life, which has been great,” he said.
“My practice is a really nice mix of neurotology, which is ear and skull base surgery, and General ENT. This translates to a steady amount of tubes, tonsils and sinus surgery, in addition to chronic ear surgery, cochlear implantation, and other ear interventions.
The National Institutes of Health reported that over the course of a year, there were up to 73 million restricted-activity days related to sinusitis, which accounts for $2.4 billion in direct medical costs, not including surgery or radiographic imaging, according to MySinusitis.
Unresolved sinusitis can become a quality-of-life matter, taking affected individuals away from their work and daily activities.
Sinus surgery can help a patient regain their quality of life by relieving symptoms, along with reducing the sinus infection occurrences, according to WebMD.
Foster said that the benefits of sinus surgery are life-changing, and a patient’s recovery is faster than it's ever been.
“The nose heals up a lot faster; you're back to normal sinus mucosal motility faster, which means in turn that the results are noted quicker, less swelling that needs to happen. So you recover faster and notice the results faster."
Chronic sinusitis can make it hard to enjoy everyday life. If you think a specialist could help, take this quiz.
