Sore salivary glands

My (25F) salivary gland has been bothering me for a while. Lately more than ever. After visiting a doctor and getting an ultrasound it seems like a have a 6mm salivary stone. Went to the ENT, she felt it from the inside of my mouth while pressing my gland. Said she believes is even bigger than that.
She told me I have 3 options. 1. Wait it out to see it's progression. 2. She could try to extract it with local anesthesia, making a small incision and taking it out. 3. Surgery.
First one I discarded completely because it's causing me a lot of pain and it's so uncomfortable I can't stand it anymore.
She said the second option would be better as she feels like it would be good to try to take it this way without disrupting my life as much as having surgery. And that surgery should be the last resort.
Anyway, I scheduled it for next Friday. I'm super excited because I'm sick of how it feels.
But now I've starting overthinking, is trying to take out a stone this way safe? I read somewhere that it may be risky because there's facial nerves close to the gland. I'm super scared now.
The ENT said they don't suture the incision because it's very small, it heals fast and allows saliva to flow more easily. Is that safe?
I've only heard good things about this doctor, but because of bad experiences ive had with other doctors I'm afraid she might be experimenting or not know what she's doing and will just try to take it out while causing damage.
Is this a normal procedure?

To my fellow Filipinos who are here, after a 3 long year battle of Halitosis and almost killed myself. I can say that I'm finally cured. Im just like you. Ive done everything, bought every expensive mouthwash, supplements, antibiotics, ppi, oral probiotics, grown and drank kefir, done checkups from gastro to ent, bloodtest, endoscopy, camera inserted in the nose because i also have PND, got tonsillectomy, wasted thousands of bucks with no luck.
Got a healthy molar extracted because it reeks when i floss, scraping tongue until it bleeds, nasal rinsing twice a day every single day, i even thought i have candida overgrowth because of the water test. lost a lover, left my job and my parents house and isolated myself from the world.
Gudied Biofilm Therapy ended it all. All the accumulated bacteria in my mouth and tongue thats been hiding under a biofilm cannot be killed by brushing, mouthwashing and scraping alone is NOW KILLED. My periodontist used a blue solution that will be spread in your mouth including tongue and cheeks to see where the bacteria breeds, if it turned dark blue its a very old bacteria, if it turned pink its a 3 day old bacteria. So my cheeks and tongue turned super blue, meaning bacteria has been breeding there. She used a water jet that has powdered antimicrobial solution (ERYTHRITOL) to wash away the biofilm in my tongue, gum and cheeks. My mouth felt super clean afterwards the smell of my saliva went away too.
She also gave me a maintenance for 2 months, orahex with chlorhexidine, she also found out my salivary glands are blocked causing dry mouth due to using listerine with alcohol, she gave Hyaluronic mouthwash, candy for xerostomia and l reuterii oral probiotics. Btw, this periodontist is also a Halitosis specialist. She's very professional and won't make you feel uncomfortable.
Its been 5days and im still bad breath free, I havent brushed since morning, i ate sardines, drank coffee and milk and my mouth doesn't smell any more, I also used to avoid dairy as much as possible, it was hell. my saliva smells nothing even if i rub my molars that used to reek. my tongue is also pink now. People dont react anymore when i talk close to them. Before a doctor told me i have bad breath, she smelled it 4ft away. I have post nasal drip, gastritis and hpylori. But the periodontist told me its not coming from the gut. Its in the mouth. Those are acid bacteria lives in the mouth. I still have post nasal drip though but i still have fresh breath. My saliva came back and i dont have dry mouth anymore.
I hope you can find GBT in your country. Its a latest cleaning technology. Im lucky i found my periodontist. Shes the only clinic in my country that has EMS AIRFLOW GBT. It's quite expensive and latest and new technology for oral prophylaxis but its super worth it. Btw i live in the Philippines. And THIS IS NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT.
To GOD BE ALL THE GLORY, KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LORDS, JESUS CHRIST 👑🙌🏻
EDITED:
For the curious peeps. Here's the GBT video. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/F8bLAQhRHXK5G6t7/?mibextid=w8EBqM
EDIT: I don't know why people think im advertising just because this is the only post i have. I just wanted to help. You all can live your life with Halitosis i dont care anymore because im cured. Lol 😂

Has anyone ever had a salivary duct get clogged up from toss and wash? I believe that’s what’s happening with me right now. The duct under my tongue is swollen and my submandibular gland under my chin is swollen and hard to the touch. (Praying it’s not cancer)
Has this happened to anyone else?

Before you post a question to this subreddit, please read the following points. I know, it's a lot to read, but 99% of you will get answers to your questions here. These points contain verified, accurate FACTS as verified through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).
1. Is this a bat bite?
Bat bites cannot be identified from a photo. No one, not even a doctor or a bat biologist, can identify a bat bite from a photo. If you think you might have bat bite, ask yourself: Have you seen a bat in your home? Did you sleep outdoors where a bat might have bitten you? Did you pick up a bat in your hand? If you answer no, it's HIGHLY UNLIKELY you were bitten by a bat. Again, bat bites cannot be identified from a photo.
2. Can I get rabies from interacting with an animal? Can I get rabies from touching something? What about if a drop of liquid falls on me? Can I get rabies from contaminated food or water? Can I get rabies from a person?
No. YOU CAN ONLY GET RABIES VIA DIRECT CONTACT WITH A RABID ANIMAL. This means being bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. Rabies is transmitted via the saliva of an infected animal in the late stages of the disease, when the virus is being shed in the saliva by the host animal. The rabies virus dies almost immediately once it’s outside the body. You can’t get rabies from touching something a rabid animal touched. You can’t get rabies from your pet meeting a rabid animal and then bringing it home to you. You can’t get rabies from touching roadkill. You can’t get rabies from something falling on you. You can’t get rabies from touching or kissing someone who has been vaccinated. You can’t get rabies from touching something wet. You can’t get rabies from touching any surface whatsoever, even if you have a cut on your body or you touch your eye/nose/mouth afterwards. Getting rabies from touching an animal and then touching your eye/nose/mouth is theoretically possible, but this has never happened to anyone in recorded history.
3. I found a suspicious mark on my body but I didn’t find a bat in my house. Did a bat sneak into my house and bite me without me noticing, and then sneak back out?
Bats are NOT invisible or ninjas. If you wake up in the morning with a mark on your body, it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY to be a bat bite unless you find a bat in your house. If a bat gets in your house, you will see it. They are not good at finding their way out on their own. It’s very unlikely that a sober, alert, adult human would not notice being bitten by a bat. Finding little marks on your body is not unusual and that is no reason to assume an invisible bat attacked you.
4. I saw a bat near me. Or I heard a bat. Or I saw something that might have been a bat, but it didn’t touch me. Did a bat bite me without me noticing?
Bats cannot fly past you and bite you in mid-flight. That is physically impossible. A bat must LAND on you, hold on to you with their tiny fingers, and then bite you. After biting you, they must then push off of you to take flight again. Bats can be small, but they're not invisible or imperceptible. If you would notice a big bug landing on you and biting you, then you would notice a bat doing it too. If a bat crashes into you and makes physical contact with you, there is a possibility that it may have scratched you, and rabies shots are recommended unless you are in a country free of bat rabies. If you find a bat in your house and you are not in a country free of bat rabies, you should catch it and submit it for rabies testing; if you can’t do that, you should get rabies shots; if you have small children, they should get rabies shots.
5. An animal touched me, licked me, or sneezed on me. Could I get rabies from this?
You cannot get rabies from a wound that doesn’t break the skin. Rabies can only get into your body through an opening in your body: a scratch or bite. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, you should wash the area with soap and water for 5 minutes. If it does not bleed at all, you may not have broken the skin and could be in the clear. You can test this by putting alcohol on the abrasion to see if it stings.
6. Can I get rabies from an animal that has current rabies vaccinations? Can my pet get rabies if it has current rabies vaccinations?
No. You cannot get rabies from an animal that has current rabies shots. If you are bitten or scratched by someone’s pet, ask the owner for proof of rabies vaccination, like a rabies tag on the collar. Take a photo or copy of these records and call their vet to verify them. If the shots are current, you're not at risk of rabies infection. If the pet owner cannot provide this proof of vaccination, contact your animal control department or rabies management / health department to file a "Bite Report". If you are in the USA, you can find a list of those agencies here: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/resources/contacts.html
7. Can I get rabies from my pet, or from a friend or neighbor’s pet?
You may not need to get rabies shots if you can observe the animal that attacked you for two weeks. If you are bitten or scratched by a pet that is not vaccinated for rabies, the standard protocol is to quarantine the animal in an animal shelter or veterinarian's office for 10-14 days. If you were attacked by someone else’s pet and that is not possible, you can observe the animal for 14 days. If it doesn’t get sick and/or die of rabies, then you are not at risk of rabies and do not need rabies shots. If the animal is healthy in 14 days, IT DOES NOT HAVE RABIES and neither do you. Since most animals in the late stages of rabies typically die in about 48 hours, this is a very cautious timeframe to observe.
8. Can I get rabies from a bug, bird, lizard, or frog? Can I get rabies from a possum, or a rat or mouse?
No. Only mammals (furry animals) can carry rabies. Reptiles, amphibians, insects, and birds can’t carry rabies. Bats are one of the most common rabies carriers in the US, although less than half of 1% of all bats will ever get rabies. In the USA, the next most common species are raccoons, skunks, and foxes. Outside of the USA, dogs, cats, and other animals have been known to spread the rabies virus. The least common mammals include Virginia opossums, rodents (rats and mice), rabbits or hares, and squirrels. Globally, the #1 risk of rabies is dog bites.
9. Is there a risk of rabies in my area? Can I get rabies in India, or the UK?
To learn about rabies statistics for your area, Google your state or country's name and the phrase 'current rabies statistics'. These websites will tell you how many rabid animals have been found in your area and what species. They should also tell you who to call to report a bite. Some parts of the world are rabies-free and there is no rabies or risk of rabies infection. The UK (and most of western Europe) is free of rabies in most animals except for bats, which is rare. India has a high rabies risk from dogs and other mammals, but rabies is very rare in bats in India and has only been found in bats in a couple areas in Nagaland.
10. I was vaccinated for rabies. Does that mean I am protected for life and will never need booster shots? Or will I need to get booster shots every single time I get bitten by an animal?
No. Previously vaccinated people still get boosters if they are re-exposed to rabies. Your rabies titer can be high for a few months or for many years, but it is assumed that you are protected for at least three months after getting your initial shots. If you are bitten by animal and it has been LESS than 90 days since your last shot, you don’t need to do anything. If it has been MORE than 90 days since your last shot, you would still need post-exposure booster shots IF you are directly exposed to an animal that could be rabid. You do not need to go through the entire series of shots again; you only need booster shots.
· For more information about rabies and rabies shots, see the CDC website here: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html
· If you are in the USA here is a link to the state and local rabies contacts. USA State & Local Rabies Contacts
11. I was vaccinated for rabies but I did not receive HRIG (Human Rabies Immunogloblin). Why? Is that OK?
HRIG is sometimes not given if there is no visible wound or if you were bitten/scratched in a location that is hard to inject. For instance, it would be hard to inject HRIG into your ear. If you have no visible wound, then there is no way to tell where HRIG should be injected. If you have more questions about this, ASK YOUR DOCTOR.
12. I got rabies shots but I have questions about the specific medical care I received. Why did the doctor give me the care I received? I’m immunocompromised; do I need extra shots? Will my medication interact with the vaccine?
Ask your doctor questions about the specific medical care you received. People on the internet cannot answer those questions. A doctor’s job is to treat patients and explain their care to them so it is OK to ask follow-up questions even after you leave the office.
13. I waited a long time before I got rabies shots. Or I drank a beer after I got vaccinated, or I took an aspirin. Or a doctor gave me tetanus shots at the same time. Will the rabies shots still work?
Yes. Rabies vaccines are 100% effective if you get them before the virus reaches your brain and symptoms start, which usually takes 3 weeks to one year. For more info about symptoms, see FAQ #17. If you have more questions about your medical treatment, ASK YOUR DOCTOR.
14. I am in a country that is not the US, or I am traveling. Why did doctors in my country give me a different schedule of shots than the ones recommended by the CDC or the WHO? Why did doctors in two different countries tell me two different shot schedules? Will the shots work?
Yes. Rabies protocols vary by country. The CDC guidance is specific to the USA, and the WHO guidance is a recommendation for all countries. Some countries give different numbers of shots on different days. That is OK. The schedules all work as long as you stick to them and finish the series. To find more information about a country’s rabies shot schedule, google the name of the country + rabies vaccination + regimen or protocol or schedule.
15. I waited a long time before I got rabies shots. Or I drank a beer after I got vaccinated, or I took an aspirin. Or a doctor gave me tetanus shots at the same time. Will the rabies shots still work?
Yes. Rabies vaccines are 100% effective if you get them before the virus reaches your brain and symptoms start, which usually takes 3 weeks to one year. For more info about symptoms, see FAQ #17. If you have more questions about your medical treatment, ASK YOUR DOCTOR.
16. I was attacked by an animal a long time ago but I never got rabies shots. Could I get rabies from that? How long does it take to develop symptoms?
The incubation period for rabies is typically 2–3 months but may vary from 1 week to 1 year. Bites on the hands or feet have longer incubation periods than bites on the neck or face, and bites from a scratch have longer incubation periods than deep bites. Extremely rare cases of longer incubation periods of up to 7 years have been documented. That is rare, and it's generally hard to prove that someone didn't have a more recent exposure to rabies.
17. I think I have health anxiety and I can’t stop thinking about rabies all the time. How can I get help for this?
See this link. The automod can be summoned to share this information with a comment that includes the word “helpbot."
18. Someone is asking questions in the sub that I think are super dumb. Should I tell them that?
No. Please do not be rude or impatient. There is a real difference between a legitimate rabies scare and Persistent Health Anxiety (PHA), a subset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD and anxiety are real diseases that can have physical symptoms, and there are treatments for them that many people don’t know how to access. Both conditions are terrifying and life-altering, and both conditions deserve support. In this group, we support people who ask for help and we applaud them for finding the courage to do so. We will be kind, patient, respectful, and do our best to provide emotional support to anyone who seeks help here. All posts and/or replies that are in any way unkind, impatient, or rude will be immediately removed and the author may be temporarily or permanently banned from this group. Be nice!!
19. I feel sick. Do I have rabies?
If you feel sick, see a doctor. You may have another disease, including anxiety, which can have physical symptoms. We cannot diagnose you over the internet. See a doctor.
The incubation period for rabies is typically 2–3 months but may vary from 1 week to 1 year, depending on factors such as the location of virus entry and the viral load. If you believe you are experiencing symptoms before 1 week after exposure, that is not rabies. If you think you are experiencing symptoms more than 1 year after exposure, it is almost certainly not rabies. if you have not been exposed to a rabid animal and you believe you are experiencing rabies symptoms, you are not infected and are most likely experiencing anxiety. the prodromal stage lasts for a few days to a month and the acute neurologic stage lasts for a few days to a week; if you have symptoms that last longer than this, you do not have rabies.
Rabies symptoms only begin when the virus reaches the brain. It MUST reach the brain and produce SEVERE NEUROLOGICAL symptoms before it reaches the throat and salivary glands. This means that your sore throat is NOT caused by rabies unless you also have a severe fever, are experiencing loss of consciousness, paralysis, and seizures.
Also, rabies symptoms do not go away until death. You don't have a fever and then the fever goes away for the next symptoms. Every symptom stacks on top of the other symptoms. If you are experiencing 1 out 10 symptoms, it's NOT RABIES. Rabies is not mild. It's SEVERE in every way. If you are experiencing rabies symptoms you will need to be hospitalized within the first 8 hours of symptoms.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO GET VACCINATED UNTIL SYMPTOMS START, but only get vaccinated if you were attacked by a rabid animal. Waking up with a mystery scratch is not a rabies exposure.
Rabies symptoms are as follows, IN THIS ORDER:
Prodromal Stage:
• Extreme Fever
• Extreme Headache
Acute neurologic phase:
• Visual Disturbances, Hallucinations
• Delirium, Confusion
• Tremors, Seizures, Repetitive Uncontrollable Movements
• Fading In and Out of Consciousness
• Light Sensitivity, Sensitivity to Wind / Moving Air
• Partial Paralysis of Extremities, Paralysis of One or Both Legs or Arms
• Excessive Salivation, combined with the inability to swallow AT ALL, not even your own saliva which causes excessive drooling
• Inability to Swallow - NOT SORE THROAT - Inability to eat or drink, or swallow your own saliva production
• Extreme Aversion to sight or sound of water, food, or drink, AKA hydrophobia
• Coma
Without extreme medical intervention, which usually is an induced coma, these symptoms will progress to death very rapidly. Most patients who reach the point of excessive salivation and hydrophobia die within 12-24 hours without intervention.
IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THESE SYMPTOMS, CALL 911 AND GET TO A HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU CAN REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE, YOU ARE NOT EXPERIENCING RABIES SYMPTOMS. PEOPLE WITH ACTIVE RABIES INFECTIONS CANNOT TYPE, TALK, OR DEBATE WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE SICK. IF YOU CAN READ THIS AND REPLY, IT'S NOT RABIES.

5'2F, 23, 115lbs
Last November, I noticed I had one persistently enlarged lymph node (about pea shaped) under my chin, back toward my submandibular area of my neck. I had not been sick for a month or so, but l opted to wait it out and see if it went away. I work in childcare so I assumed it was from constant exposure to germs.
Come January I notice a slightly larger one (maybe 1/2" from the first one). I went to see a PCP, and they wrote it off as possibly being caused by my acne or from my job. They did annual bloodwork and all came back normal.
Now, I have noticed a third enlarged lymph node under the 2nd one. They are all painless, somewhat palpable, and don't seem fixed to the skin.
I have no other notable symptoms. I have also started to get my acne under much better control (not that it was particularly severe to begin with), and the lymph nodes have persisted to stay the same size. They occasionally swell a bit more when I'm feeling sick, but they go down to their original pea-ish size.
I also have checked with my dentist back in March to see if he believed they were possibly salivary stones.
He said they were not as he didn’t feel them when pressing into my salivary glands from inside my mouth, and he'd be rather worried if he were me (which did not help my anxiety).
I went to my OB/GYN a month ago or so for swelling that was later determined to be a Bartholian cyst, and I brought up the lymph nodes as well; they palpated them and said they felt like normal, enlarged lymph nodes (ie not hard, fixed to the skin).
My question is why would I have my lymph nodes swollen for so much? They are not visibly swollen unless I pick up my head up slightly and retract my tongue to make my throat jut out more. Should I very concerned?

Hello everyone! I am a 25 y/o male.
Background
4 weeks ago i had a frottage session with a male masseuse (M2M) at a dodgy place. I ejaculated, he did not. 1 week after exposure i noticed my tongue is white. Because i have health anxiety. I was a nervous wreck. At 2 weeks, i did a full std panel and a dna qualitative per for HIV. The results were negative for all. The doctor said my result was conclusive. I am waiting for the 6th week mark to retest.
A week after that i started to feel like there was a lump in my throat. I went to the doctor, he said that my throat and nose are a little inflamed and i have a slightly swollen glands on my neck. Not visible with naked eyes tho. He gave me antibiotics. The sore throat and stuffy nose went away. But till this day i still have some phelgm built up in my throat. Sometimes it comes out green/yellow but mostly it comes out clear.
The white tongue still persist to this day. I can't scrape the whiteness off. Haven't gone to the doctor since it doesn't hurt and does not affect my taste. Since i was thinking this could be thrush, i bought some dequalinium cloride candy since this does not need prescription and from what i read it helps with bacterial and fungal infections. This did not help at all and just make my tongue blue from the coloring. I've been drinking a lot of water too but this does not improve my condition much
Ps: Last year i also had an HIV scare, and my tongue was also white. But i forgot whether this time is a different kind of white or not.
Below i present some pictures and some context to help:
Before: an hour after eating rice with chicken and vegetables.
After: after i gargled salt water, brush my teeth and tongue, and using listerine.
I've been drinking a lot of coconut water too. I am lactose intolerant and have a sensitive stomach since i was a child. Had a reccuring loose stool and sometimes diarrhea.
Pictures : https://www.reddit.comDramatic-vampire1234/s/M2DkF6lAO3
Any idea what this is and how i can fix this issue? Thank you in advance

is there an ayurvedic remedy to removing salivary gland stones?

Hi all. Really looking for some insight, super anxious. Thank you in advance. TLDR at bottom.
I am a caucasian 32M, 5'9" 125 lbs. I have Crohn's disease, on Humira for almost 7 years. Seasonal allergies and asthma. Worried I have lymphoma as Humira increases risk of that, but I also have extreme health anxiety. Any insight is super appreciated. Details below.
In February I was extremely stressed out. I started taking hot (probably too hot) baths a few times a week. My apartment was very cold (old building) so I'd crank the (electric) heat. All this made my skin quite dry. I developed a dry skin itch that resulted in dermatographia (at least that's what I thought it was). Moisturizing (I didn’t until about a month after the rash started) helped a bit but it still persists to this day, though is now not always itchy. No idea what triggers it. Sometimes the rash looks like eczema or dermititis (dots), sometimes it is in patches, flat or raised (like hives). It never lasts long - maybe a few hours - before it disappears. I get it from just putting pressure on a part of my body, itching, rubbing, anything. I have had dermatogrtaphia and dry skin in the past but it's never lasted nearly this long.
April was extremely busy and stressful for me. I moved apartments and worked a few 60 hour+ weeks and was dealing with some other personal stressful issues. This resulted in me catching a cold (or maybe flu) about 10 days ago - I had no fever but was congested, super tired, coughing, sore throat. It mostly went away after about 5 days but now I have been having night sweats every night (I wake up and have to take my t shirt off) and have swollen glands and feel tired. I have also lost a bit of weight - about 4 lbs since late March but my weight fluctuates because of Crohn's (although I am in remission) so hard to say.
Do you think this is cause for concern when combined with the rashes? I know lymphomas and leukemia can result in a rash, and of course night sweats, but hoping it's just my body getting rid of the cold virus I had? I had blood work done in March and cell count, liver markers, everything else was all good.
TLDR: persistent skin rashes since February; night sweats and swollen glands lingering after a recent cold. Worried I have lymphoma or leukemia due to longterm use of Humira for Crohn's disease. Blood test from March shows normal.

Hi everyone! I’ve had Mirena for about 5 and a half months now and I’m experiencing terrible dry mouth/thirst and my salivary glands are swollen…… has anyone experienced this? Should I remove the iud or replace it? Please please please help!

I appreciate anyone willing to read and share their thoughts. I feel like my labs have been confusing and don’t understand. 😭🩷🦋 21F
Everything started for me when I was dealing with joint pain, fatigue, puffy face, sore throats, constipation, raynauds, ETC. I got a positive ANA and my TSH was a 6.033 (elevated) was told elevated: subclincal hypothyroidism but nothing to worry TPO was 7.1 IU/mL back in Sep 2023 had an ultrasound on thyroid felt like I was choking, all clear too. Now in March 2024 went to rheumatology my TSH is a 3.390, T3 3.8, T4 1.16. My ANA was now negative and my anti thyroglobulin is at a 2,342 (positive), TPO now 29 (Equivocal). He told me I have an autoimmune thyroid issue and need to see a endocrinologist. Got an ultrasound done of my thyroid again in May 2024 shows I have a nodule and abnormal echo texture. I’ll add my ultrasound below.
FINDINGS: RIGHT LOBE: Measures 5.1 x 1.4 x 1.6 cm. The thyroid is heterogenous in echotexture. No discrete nodules can be identitied. Hypervascular. LEFT LOBE: Measures 4.5 x 1.4 × 1.5 cm. Hypervascular. A single nodule is present with the following characteristics: heterogenous thyroid Nodule # 1 10 mm in maximal diameter, upper pole, solid (2 points), hypochoic relative to thyroid tissue (2 points), wider than tall (O points), smooth margins (O points), no echogenic foci (U points). ISTHMUS: Normal in size. It measures 4mm. No nodules are seen. OTHER: Morphologically normal-appearing cervical lymph nodes are noted on the left. The largest short axis measurement 18 0.6 cm CONCLUSION: 1. Hypervascular thyroid gland can be seen with Hashimoto thyroiditis. 2. LEFT Nodule # I: TR4. Annual US surveillance at year 1, 2, 3, and 5. More frequent surveillance may be warranted based on clinical riSk tactors.

Hi everyone, my dogs salivary glands are swollen, I have taken him to the SPCA and they have biopsied the glands, and it is non - malignant, he is 8 years of age, also in the passed two months he has lost alot of weight, but he is still lively and eats plenty. I need to know if there is a place that would be able to collect him to investigate further what is wrong with him as the spca has not actually done anything but tell me the glands arnt cancerous, my dog is family and not sure what else to do as I don't have a car and can't afford a private vet. Is there any other place that would be able to help me? Months ago before the biopsy he was on pregnizone and antibiotics and the glands went down drastically. Has anyone had this issue with their dog? TIA

I’m sorry in advance, this is going to be a bit of a long one!
I feel like I’m at my wits ends. A month ago I got sick with some kind of viral infection. I tested negative for covid doing rapid tests probably 4 times over a few days. I had fever, chills, sore throat, congestion, cough and lost my taste and smell for about 5 days (which has never happened to me when sick) about a week after first contracting whatever it was I had. I got put on prednisolone (corticosteroid) after freaking out about my loss of smell and taste as my doctor said this would help speed up the recovery and reduce the congestion. I then ended up having to go on cephalexin for a bacterial skin infection around my nose after all the blowing of my nose/bacteria getting in the broken skin on my nose (gross…I know).
Just as I started to feel like I could go back to work and my symptoms were easing aside from a bit of congestion still and my nose healing, I began to notice a scratchy, gritty, foreign body feeling in both of my eyes. As I’ve experienced MGD before (or what I’ve been told is MGD), usually just a tiny pimple-looking blocked gland on my lash line that scratches the surface of my eye, I assumed it was this and started using warm compresses/massaging the lids. This usually makes it go away within a few days.
However, I soon realised that I couldn’t actually see any pimple-like blocked meibomian glands and several days had passed and it wasn’t getting any better. Weird, I thought. It began to really bother me at work and make it hard to focus. I also noticed this feeling wasn’t specific to one spot like it usually would be with a blocked gland, this feeling felt like scratching and sand all over my eyes. They were also more bloodshot than usual. Nothing crazy like conjunctivitis, but I could notice the difference. At this point I’d been back at work about 4 days, and by the Thursday of that week it was bothering me significantly.
On the Saturday I went to my local optometrist, who said maybe my eyes were a little dry or I wasn’t blinking fully, but couldn’t really offer much assistance other than assuring me there was nothing in my eye, my glands didn’t appear blocked and suggested I use lubricating drops (which I had already started a few days prior). He also said it was not conjunctivitis. I went away feeling stressed and not very hopeful.
I went back to work the next week and was struggling so much. I even started noticing I was getting a pressure or squeezing feeling in my eyes and across the middle of my eyes that would get worse throughout the day. It would turn into a headache and a feeling like someone had a rubber band squeezing around my eyes. I thought surely this is related to whatever is irritating my eyes. I organised to get into an ophthalmologist that Wednesday, with a referral from the optometrist I had seen on the previous Saturday.
I honestly didn’t have the best experience with the ophthalmologist. I really hoped she would be thorough and answer all of my questions, because this was causing me to break down crying at work almost every day and not have any motivation to do anything other than the basic necessary tasks. She seemed like she almost wanted to get rid of me. Either way, she had a quick look through the social devices and said “your eyes look dry”. She told me treat taking cationorm (a lubricating eye drop she said was better than just systane or hyloforte) and to use lid wipes. She said if I was still struggling in 2 months she would refer me to a dry eye specialist. I thought “god, there’s no way I can cope with this for two months” especially when going to work, and doing basic tasks was hard and getting me down so much.
I tried cationorm drops and did the lid wipes and temporarily stopped the warm compresses as I was worried they had irritated my eyes. Days passed, and another weekend passed and I still felt awful. If anything, it just felt like it was getting worse. Sometimes I would notice the scratchy feeling would be right where the most veins were in my eyes, as if that part of my eye was really irritated. But this would also change and the location of the irritation would constantly be changing.
The next week came (the week we just had) and the ophthalmologist I had initially tried to get into called with a cancellation and asked if I wanted to come in. In between this and the previous ophthalmologist, I had managed to make an appointment with a dry eye specialist because I was struggling so much and wanted even some form of relief. Between the tightness in my eyes, the scratchy eyes and the headaches, everything felt unbearable.
I ended up going to this other ophthalmologist on Tuesday, who is a bit older with maybe more experience, and was also very reputable. She told me my eyes didn’t appear dry (that being said, I had been using lubricating drops for maybe a week or more). She said she thought the cause was blepharitis. She said the front of my eyes (the surface) were also inflamed as well as the inside of the lids. She told me to use a different lid wipe and prescribed me a steroid eye drop (fluorometholone or FML). She felt quite certain this was was the cause of the irritation. Part of me was relieved to have maybe found something that would relieve/stop the flare up (I know it’s not something that can be cured as such). But part of me also felt concerned that maybe neither of them were right if it wasn’t that easy to determine in the first place and they both thought it was something different. The second ophthalmologist did say dry eye could go hand in hand with blepharitis, but she didn’t say that’s what was causing the irritation.
I immediately went and bought the fluorometholone and started it that night. My ophthalmologist has instructed me to put in one drop in each eye 3 times a day for 2 weeks. I also started using Optisoothe lid wipes that have tea tree in them. Additionally, I bought anti dandruff shampoo just to rule that out too, may as well. She said to come back in 3-4 weeks to see how I was going. This worried me because once again I thought “I don’t know how I’ll deal with this for any longer”, but was hopeful the steroid eye drops would ease the feeling and reduce the inflammation.
I’ve now been using the fluorometholone for 3 days, and have not noticed any improvement. A lot of sources online say there should be even a little improvement in the first couple of days. I’m obviously going to continue with the drops, but I’m so concerned that this is going to last a long time, or weeks more.
I’m frustrated and feeling uncertain that maybe it’s not blepharitis OR dry eye, and maybe it’s something caused by my sickness, whether it was somehow covid that was undetected by the tests or just a bad virus. It seems weird to me that straight after I was sick and while I was still recovering, that’s when the eye irritation started. It’s probably late in the story to mention this, but I have still had this weird smell in my nose for about the past 2 or so weeks, which I assume is from being sick and due to my sinuses? This all makes me wonder if maybe it’s some kind of inflammatory response from my body. I just wish I could get some kind of definitive answer and a treatment that would give me some relief.
It’s getting me down so so much, and I’m feeling more anxious and more depressed by the day. I’m canceling going to things, not wanting to leave the house because I feel so irritated, and barely managing to get through a day at work. I feel like my body is almost attacking itself in a way. I think I’m so stressed about this that not even a month later I feel like I’m getting sick again (sore/scratchy throat today).
Does anyone have any similar experiences/success stories/advice? Not sure if it matters at all but I am a female early-mid 20s for reference. If you read all the way to the end I appreciate you!

I’m sorry in advance, this is going to be a bit of a long one!
I feel like I’m at my wits ends. A month ago I got sick with some kind of viral infection. I tested negative for covid doing rapid tests probably 4 times over a few days. I had fever, chills, sore throat, congestion, cough and lost my taste and smell for about 5 days (which has never happened to me when sick) about a week after first contracting whatever it was I had. I got put on prednisolone (corticosteroid) after freaking out about my loss of smell and taste as my doctor said this would help speed up the recovery and reduce the congestion. I then ended up having to go on cephalexin for a bacterial skin infection around my nose after all the blowing of my nose/bacteria getting in the broken skin on my nose (gross…I know).
Just as I started to feel like I could go back to work and my symptoms were easing aside from a bit of congestion still and my nose healing, I began to notice a scratchy, gritty, foreign body feeling in both of my eyes. As I’ve experienced MGD before (or what I’ve been told is MGD), usually just a tiny pimple-looking blocked gland on my lash line that scratches the surface of my eye, I assumed it was this and started using warm compresses/massaging the lids. This usually makes it go away within a few days.
However, I soon realised that I couldn’t actually see any pimple-like blocked meibomian glands and several days had passed and it wasn’t getting any better. Weird, I thought. It began to really bother me at work and make it hard to focus. I also noticed this feeling wasn’t specific to one spot like it usually would be with a blocked gland, this feeling felt like scratching and sand all over my eyes. They were also more bloodshot than usual. Nothing crazy like conjunctivitis, but I could notice the difference. At this point I’d been back at work about 4 days, and by the Thursday of that week it was bothering me significantly.
On the Saturday I went to my local optometrist, who said maybe my eyes were a little dry or I wasn’t blinking fully, but couldn’t really offer much assistance other than assuring me there was nothing in my eye, my glands didn’t appear blocked and suggested I use lubricating drops (which I had already started a few days prior). He also said it was not conjunctivitis. I went away feeling stressed and not very hopeful.
I went back to work the next week and was struggling so much. I even started noticing I was getting a pressure or squeezing feeling in my eyes and across the middle of my eyes that would get worse throughout the day. It would turn into a headache and a feeling like someone had a rubber band squeezing around my eyes. I thought surely this is related to whatever is irritating my eyes. I organised to get into an ophthalmologist that Wednesday, with a referral from the optometrist I had seen on the previous Saturday.
I honestly didn’t have the best experience with the ophthalmologist. I really hoped she would be thorough and answer all of my questions, because this was causing me to break down crying at work almost every day and not have any motivation to do anything other than the basic necessary tasks. She seemed like she almost wanted to get rid of me. Either way, she had a quick look through the social devices and said “your eyes look dry”. She told me treat taking cationorm (a lubricating eye drop she said was better than just systane or hyloforte) and to use lid wipes. She said if I was still struggling in 2 months she would refer me to a dry eye specialist. I thought “god, there’s no way I can cope with this for two months” especially when going to work, and doing basic tasks was hard and getting me down so much.
I tried cationorm drops and did the lid wipes and temporarily stopped the warm compresses as I was worried they had irritated my eyes. Days passed, and another weekend passed and I still felt awful. If anything, it just felt like it was getting worse. Sometimes I would notice the scratchy feeling would be right where the most veins were in my eyes, as if that part of my eye was really irritated. But this would also change and the location of the irritation would constantly be changing.
The next week came (the week we just had) and the ophthalmologist I had initially tried to get into called with a cancellation and asked if I wanted to come in. In between this and the previous ophthalmologist, I had managed to make an appointment with a dry eye specialist because I was struggling so much and wanted even some form of relief. Between the tightness in my eyes, the scratchy eyes and the headaches, everything felt unbearable.
I ended up going to this other ophthalmologist on Tuesday, who is a bit older with maybe more experience, and was also very reputable. She told me my eyes didn’t appear dry (that being said, I had been using lubricating drops for maybe a week or more). She said she thought the cause was blepharitis. She said the front of my eyes (the surface) were also inflamed as well as the inside of the lids. She told me to use a different lid wipe and prescribed me a steroid eye drop (fluorometholone or FML). She felt quite certain this was was the cause of the irritation. Part of me was relieved to have maybe found something that would relieve/stop the flare up (I know it’s not something that can be cured as such). But part of me also felt concerned that maybe neither of them were right if it wasn’t that easy to determine in the first place and they both thought it was something different. The second ophthalmologist did say dry eye could go hand in hand with blepharitis, but she didn’t say that’s what was causing the irritation.
I immediately went and bought the fluorometholone and started it that night. My ophthalmologist has instructed me to put in one drop in each eye 3 times a day for 2 weeks. I also started using Optisoothe lid wipes that have tea tree in them. Additionally, I bought anti dandruff shampoo just to rule that out too, may as well. She said to come back in 3-4 weeks to see how I was going. This worried me because once again I thought “I don’t know how I’ll deal with this for any longer”, but was hopeful the steroid eye drops would ease the feeling and reduce the inflammation.
I’ve now been using the fluorometholone for 3 days, and have not noticed any improvement. A lot of sources online say there should be even a little improvement in the first couple of days. I’m obviously going to continue with the drops, but I’m so concerned that this is going to last a long time, or weeks more.
I’m frustrated and feeling uncertain that maybe it’s not blepharitis OR dry eye, and maybe it’s something caused by my sickness, whether it was somehow covid that was undetected by the tests or just a bad virus. It seems weird to me that straight after I was sick and while I was still recovering, that’s when the eye irritation started. It’s probably late in the story to mention this, but I have still had this weird smell in my nose for about the past 2 or so weeks, which I assume is from being sick and due to my sinuses? This all makes me wonder if maybe it’s some kind of inflammatory response from my body. I just wish I could get some kind of definitive answer and a treatment that would give me some relief.
It’s getting me down so so much, and I’m feeling more anxious and more depressed by the day. I’m canceling going to things, not wanting to leave the house because I feel so irritated, and barely managing to get through a day at work. I feel like my body is almost attacking itself in a way. I think I’m so stressed about this that not even a month later I feel like I’m getting sick again (sore/scratchy throat today).
Does anyone have any similar experiences/success stories/advice? Not sure if it matters at all but I am a female early-mid 20s for reference. If you read all the way to the end I appreciate you!

After suffering from a salivary gland infection that affected my taste for months, I discovered that my seasonal allergy medicine (Zyrtec) was likely the culprit due to it causing me to have chronic dry mouth. Now the pollen is starting to emerge and I’m already an allergic mess. Are there any allergy meds that don’t cause dry mouth?

So I yawned real big the other day and immediately felt pain in my jaw joint area, though it felt muscular. Ever since then, whenever I eat something, the first few bites triggers this awful tingly/painful cramp sensation in the area of my parotid gland and down behind my jaw. After that the pain seems to go away for the rest of the meal, but is always back the next time I go to eat. Now it's starting to ache slightly in the area behind my jaw even when I'm not eating, but that's a very mild pain compared to when I first start eating. It's almost like the pain you feel when biting into a lemon, or something equally sour, but it's happening with bland food too. Is this a tmd thing?