I've never eaten a mud pie but I have a history of odd medical issues that seem to pop up out of no where. For example, out of the blue about 7 months after giving birth I started having increasingly intense leg pain and cramping in my thigh. When I couldn't stand it anymore I had my friend take me to the ER to find out I had a fractured hip. I ended up on crutches for the next 12 weeks. It took a long time for them to figure out why it happened as I hadn't had any falls, or traumas. They finally diagnosed me with transitional osteoporosis. During some routine blood work at my PCM she found my thyroid was not working properly and I was sent to a specialist who diagnosed me with Crones disease. I was scheduled to have my thyroid surgically removed but had to cancel because of some personal conflicts. I never got the surgery rescheduled and somehow it ended up fixing itself. My levels now measure normal!
So - it shouldn't surprise me that when I started getting sharp pains and swelling in my jaw while eating supper last night that the doctor should decide that I have Parotisis (which basically means inflammation of the parotid gland - wow, hard to guess that one right?). She thinks my specific cause though is a salivary duct stone. I repeat, I did not eat a mud pie! Basically my saliva has crystallized into a tiny stone that is partially blocking my saliva duct. It causes the saliva to back up inside my cheek and jaw every time I eat until I look like a lopsided chipmunk. The treatment is torturous. I have to suck on something sour to INCREASE saliva production (which causes more swelling and pressure as the saliva keeps filling the tiny space in the gland) hoping to force the obstruction out. Massage, increased fluids, ibuprofen and heat can also be used.
I am finding none of this useful so far. It feels fine as long as I eat nothing, but that's not what I'm supposed to be doing. Once I quit eating the pressure starts to subside and after a couple hours it's tender to the touch but is no longer throbbing. I had to give myself a break. I was starting to feel like a truck drove over my face and neck. The websites say it can cause discomfort. I wonder if I put their testicles in a clamp if they would find that pain a "discomfort"? It's pretty similar to a kidney stone only for kidney stones they give you narcotics. I have no time frame in which to hope to pass this. If it doesn't happen within a week I will be returning and asking for some better drugs!
I'm sure there are better sites out there but I have a heck of a time finding sites in English since our IP address is German. It automatically refers me to sites in German. Fun, fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment