Swollen and painful parotid glands...

[Su3000]

Hello, I have just been diagnosed with Sjogren's. At the moment I have fatigue, stomach issues with nausea, and painful, swollen parotid glands. For those of you with swollen glands what treatment has worked best for you? I'm still learning about this syndrome.

[Su3000]

Also, I have already had 2 courses of antibiotics:amoxicillin and augmentin duo forte. I've had this swelling for 3 months now.

[Beverly in reply to Su3000]

Have you had an ultrasound to see if you have stones in the glands and try Keflex it always worked for me.

[Su3000 in reply to Beverly]

Yes, I did have an ultrasound and it was all clear. 😊

[Beverly]

Swollen parotid gland you need Keflex it's a penicillin the glands usually swell because you have eaten or drank something with acid in it and it sends the glands into a spasm and locks in the Saliva that's there and then you run the risk of it becoming septic.

[Roopavati in reply to Beverly]

Thank you Beverly. That's a helpful understanding with an action I can take when I have this problem. Hope you are on your feet again.

thanks

[teanchat in reply to Beverly]

Hi Beverly, would orange juice do this? My throat hurts when I swallow, sometimes. This happens to me by the evening and then by morning my throat is ok again. I don't drink fruit juice on a regular basis but after reading your post I got to wondering if it was the juice causing the pain.

Also I keep clearing my throat. I noticed it was worse when I was eating oranges. Don't eat them now or any other acidy fruit and throat much better. Do you think it was the oranges?

[Beverly in reply to teanchat]

Yes it most probably was they have too much acid.

[Persiankiwi in reply to teanchat]

I've had a feeling of something stuck in my throat ( but there isn't) & gag, mettalic taste in mouth & food tastes "off" so GP sent me for ultrasound on Thyroid but all clear. But for last year got worst and now cough up green stuff, no one seems to understand how horrible it feels thinking your going to throw up 🤢 worse in the evening

[Su3000 in reply to Persiankiwi]

That sounds terrible! The last time I was coughing to the point of vomiting, I had an abscess deep in my lung. You should definitely have a chest x-Ray. It may also be that you have an infection around the larynx which is hard to see just by normal examination. This may sound gross, but the next time you cough up green stuff, put it in a plastic bag and take it with you to the doctor.

[teanchat in reply to Beverly]

I forgot to say that my inner ears itch. Is this another symptom when the parotid glands are swollen.

Actually,I'm going to see a rheumatologist this week for the first time. I have symptoms that could be Sjogrens. Maybe I had better start drinking orange juice.

Thankyou

[weathervane]

When i was first being diagnosed my parotid gland had been severely swollen for many months and i had several infections . I had a sialogram of gland which showed it was quite damaged. The dental surgeon showed me how to massage the glands , which i do every day , and i have been anle to manage the swelling and I've had no more infections! Rinsing your mouth with salted water can also help . During this time all of my lymph nodes were all severely enlarged, i was eventually advised by rheumy to have rituximab infusions which has made a massive difference , it has also helped the pain and exhaustion as well . Best wishes 💐

[Su3000 in reply to weathervane]

Hi Weathervane, thanks for your reply. What is the method that you use to massage your glands?

I will definitely be talking to the rheumatologist about rituximab. Anything that will help the fatigue! 😊

[weathervane in reply to Su3000]

Hi su , here is a link that might help - im not good at the tech stuff so i hope this works. sjogrens.org/files/brochure...

Didn't really work but try this site 😕

[weathervane in reply to weathervane]

Oh , it did work !! Good lick with massaging glands 😀

[Su3000 in reply to weathervane]

Thank you! 😊

[Megansheart]

Hello Sue3000,

I cannot help you with the swollen parotid glands as I am blessed not to have that symptom as part of my Sjögrens at this point. However I had nausea, stomach and swallowing issues right from the first day I got hit with S.S. The nausea was very bad, followed by vomiting. I was finally diagnosed with Gastroparesis via GES (Gastric Emptying Scintigraphy). The Gastroparesis was such that I could not eat any solid food for five years.......only liquids such as soups, smoothies, sauces, some pureed food. It was a life altering condition.

So along with many other symptoms like peripheral neuropathy, balance issues, temperature disturbances, POTS etc. I have somehow, with a lot of support, got to where I am now......reasonably stable. I try to live a fulfilling life within the parameters of my energy and wellbeing.

I hope you can get some relief from your awful parotid gland symptoms. I'm sure from what I have read that it must be a very 'trying' symptom and so visible at times.

Bless you!

[Su3000 in reply to Megansheart]

Hi Megansheart, yes the parotid gland swelling is a difficult one to manage. I have been massaging them and the swelling does subside but within a few minutes they're swollen again. And it's quite embarrassing as my face appears as if I have two growths on either side.

I think I may have gastroparesis as well. My stomach bloats is sore and becomes quite hard after eating. My nausea is worst in the morning. I'll have to bring all of this up to the rheumatologist. Thanks for your reply😊

[PCFD928]

I have had some success with warm compresses and sucking on sour candy at times. Not always... but if I catch it early enough, the candy seems to “flush out my gland(s). If my glands are sore, a warm compress (as warm as I can tolerate) will, at the very least, soothe pain. Antibiotics have been necessary on more than one occasion unfortunately! I do massage frequently, but that seems to aggravate my soreness. Best of luck!