Salivary gland infection anyone?

[khalloc]

So this morning I go to hug DS and he says his neck hurts. So I rub it and say he probably slept on it wrong. But then he shows me where it hurts and its right in front of his ear (he had been complaining about ear pain Monday night also). When you look at him straight on, you can see that his jaw/face is swollen right in front of his left ear. I googled it "swelling in front of ear" and it looks like this could be caused by a salivary gland. Is this something I should take him to the doctors for? Or should I just watch it and hopefully it will go away on its own? It only seemed to hurt when he pressed on it.

As an aside, we are all sick right now. I have an awful chest/head cold. DS had it last week. He also has asthma. I wasnt surprised that he was having ear pain Monday night, but since it went away I didnt bring him in to the doctors to check and ear infection. She will prescribe antibiotics for him, but sometimes she will see if it just goes away on its own.

[KpbS]

I would take him in to be checked.

[robinsmommy]

Do you have mumps right now where you are at? If there is an outbreak in your area, I would be checking in with your pediatrician.

[khalloc]

Do you have mumps right now where you are at? If there is an outbreak in your area, I would be checking in with your pediatrician.

I havent heard anything about mumps going around. Both my kids are fully vaccinated. DS is at school right now. I think I will see how he is when I pick him up at 3 (to be clear he doesnt have a fever or anything) and then decide about calling the doctor.

[robinsmommy]

I havent heard anything about mumps going around. Both my kids are fully vaccinated. DS is at school right now. I think I will see how he is when I pick him up at 3 (to be clear he doesnt have a fever or anything) and then decide about calling the doctor.

2 doses are at best 88% effective - less effective in an outbreak for some reason. MMR is good protection for measles and rubella, not ideal for mumps, esp as you age - efficacy wanes. If you had mumps near you, you would probably have heard something, though. And glands will swell for any illness. Maybe a warm compress would help?

[cvanbrunt]

My oldest daughter had a viral salivary gland infection last year. It was super weird and pretty painful. Doc said to suck on sour candy to keep stuff moving. Otherwise, not much to do but wait.

[khalloc]

Thanks! Was her face slightly swollen in front of her ear? DS is only complaining about pain if he presses on that part of his face. Tonight I will make him suck on some lemon drops I guess!

[mackmama]

My dad has had a salivary gland infection twice. He is otherwise healthy. His doc put him on a heavy dose of antibiotics for a long time. It's not something to mess around with per his doc so I'd take your son in asap if that's what you think it is. His face was swollen in front of his ear and along some of his jaw iirc. Eventually I think he got some swelling running down his neck.

[khalloc]

Thanks. Well his doc is usually closed on Thursdays and I dont want to call just for this, since its not an emergency. No fever, he only mentions it hurts if he presses on his face there. The swelling is barely noticeable. You really have to look for it. I wouldnt have noticed if he hadnt pointed out that it hurt. So I guess what I will do is call tomorrow if it hasnt gotten better.

[mackmama]

I don't think my dad was in pain from it either. The first time it happened the doc ran some tests and gave him antibiotics. The 2nd time it happened was about 2 years later, and he was seeing a different doc who scared the bejeezuz out of all of us because that doc thought it was something else that was potentially more serious and admitted him to the hospital and did a CT scan and a bunch of other tests. Turned out to be another salivary gland infection so got a long course of antibiotics.

[wendibird22]

Mumps usually has a pretty distinct salivary gland swelling and it's one sided. Other symptoms are usually non-existence or respiratory illness like. We have mumps outbreak in our area and all confirmed cases are in fully vaccinated (2 doses of MMR) young people and adults. Illness usually resolves itself within 5 days and is usually pretty mild. But the concern is more for those who aren't vaccinated or immune suppressed or pregnant or with babies under 1 yr of age being exposed to mumps, than for the person who is ill.

[elephantmeg]

I'd say it's more likely to be mastoiditis. I'd have him checked

[cvanbrunt]

Thanks! Was her face slightly swollen in front of her ear? DS is only complaining about pain if he presses on that part of his face. Tonight I will make him suck on some lemon drops I guess!

She was more than slightly swollen, it was pretty clear. It took a couple of days to get to that point. It was painful to touch.