swollen perotids

[marylou440]

My son age 43 has had extremely swollen perotids for at least 10 yrs. Tests extracting cells came out normal. Dr. said  there must be something in his body that causes it! He takes lots of vitamins and minerals, red rice  and many more.  he has no pain and seems to feel ok.  He is disfigured by this.  What is it and how can the swelling be removed. He is a tremendous singer who is trying out in a contest and feels this will prevent him from progressing to finals.  Mary Lou  mother... Could he enter a program that studies this type of problems.  Doctors have never seen such a case.


This discussion is related to i'm back -- no help, still dizzy.

[Weffette]

Hi Marylou,  I have had parotid gland swelling also. I couldn't close my mouth, especially after eating. There cam a point (within that week) that I had this "taste" in my mouth. As I spat into a clear container, I noticed it was infection. I went to the ER and was given antibiotics. I continued having the swelling and TMJ pain, went to my reg doc...their response, "You must be grinding your teeth at night". WOW    Went to my RA doc, had a CAT scan and still nothing showed up. She put me on a steroid and within 2 days, I felt something hard on the inside of my cheek. With tweezers, I was able to extract a small "stone". What followed was a mass of infection that I "milked" from my cheek. When I say a mass...I mean ALOT of it, more than a tablespoon! Needless to say, I was mad and scared! Called my reg doc and demanded an antibiotic ASAP!
Its helpful to squirt lemon juice into your mouth, as that will cause the glands to produse saliva. I also milked the gland. I had to make a "sling" of sorts that I wore, that helped close my jaw...took about 1/2 hour after I ate for my mouth to close fully.
This all happened about 16 months ago on the left side and now the right is starting to act up. I have rheumatoid arthritis and, most likely, Sjogrens. Have your son see a E,N,T doc or an oral surgeon. He could be going over board on the calcium too. Good luck...I hope my experience helps you in deciphering whats going on with your son.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. Salivary gland tumors or swelling in glands is most commonly due to abdominal surgery, liver cirrhosis, infections, salivary duct stones, infections, sarcoidosis and sjogren’s syndrome. This sounds most likely a parotid gland tumor, usually benign and could be cancerous. Certain tests include xrays of salivary gland, sialogram, CT scan or MRI to verify there is a mass and cancer has spread to neck lymph nodes. You need to show this to an otolaryngologist who would investigate in detail including fine needle aspiration cytology and biopsy if required. Hope this helps. Take care.