In December, after I ate a sandwich, my right Parotid Salivary gland swelled up on me. It was a very weird feeling to say the least! I was very freaked out and literally had a panic attack because nothing like that's happened to me before.
I waited an hour or 2 and tried eating some salty peanuts to see if it was salivary gland related, sure enough it swelled right up again. I went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with Sialadenitis and prescribed penicillin and ibuprofen. The next day I made an appointment with my PCP.
My Doctor set me up for a CT scan and gave me a referral to an ENT. After the CT scan my Doctor got a hold of me and told me the results looked normal. The following week I visited the ENT who said the CT scan showed the enlarged parotid gland but also didn't see anything unusual.
At the ENT visit I remembered that I take chewable anti-nausea pills sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night nauseous. Lots of time I take one don't chew them the best so they sit in my cheek while I go back to sleep.
I always figured it would absorb better and kick the nausea quicker. I mentioned that to the ENT and he said it was possible it caused it and not to worry saying "i was fine" The nausea has been an ongoing issue that happens once and awhile since i got glandular fever/mono 3 years ago.
So here I sit 4 months after the whole ordeal and my right Parotid still seems swollen. Especially when I clench my teeth I can definitely notice a difference between my left and right cheek. There's never been any pain, just the worry of what's going on. I don't take the chewable nausea pills anymore, if that was even the problem.
The worst symptom now is the anxiety of not knowing why my cheek isn't going back to normal size yet. I asked my girlfriend if she noticed it was still swollen and she said no. I find it hard to believe I'm imagining all this. Any insight would be appreciated!
Hi, Jesse.
Have you been at ENT lately? Maybe your girlfriend is right, and your parotid gland isn't swollen.
It's like missing a tooth, your tongue always goes to the empty place, and you are also having same feeling about your cheek.
Like you said, the ENT found out that you have enlarged parotid gland. Do you experience any other symptoms, including pain after meals, reddened skin, fever, etc? If all is well, maybe you are cured completely from sialadenitis.
Also, when you quit taking nausea pills? They could cause you that unpleasant feeling, also.
You can wait a little longer to see if this will gone by itself, but in meanwhile you should visit a ENT for more insight.