I can't eat crunchy foods anymore!

October 18, 2006 10:10 AM

I have a lump directly below my mandible and best of all, it grow to over 3 times it's size when I eat...crunchy foods.

As you already read I have a lump under my chin, right side just where my chin becomes part of my neck. I noticed it two days ago when I was eating and it grew to the size of a golf ball, though squished...think ovoid. It's deep under my skin, definitely not part of it, doesn't hurt, though when I swallow I can feel it. I'm going to see an ENT soon but I'm really curious and slightly worried. My guess, which I don't know if it's even possible, is that a blood vessel under my tongue has become blocked. When I eat more blood is flowing to my mouth and tongue, since it's blocked it's collecting in my neck. Fatuous? I eat lots of salt, it's not a goiter, I'm not tired or anything thyroid related...it's weird and very visible when I'm eating, not so much when no food is involved, though it's palpable.

posted by killyb to health & fitness (14 answers total)

You should go to a doctor. My mom has a visible similar lump on her neck, and when she went to the doctor they did a CAT scan which revealed other, invisible, lumps inside her neck. She's not in any discomfort and only recently noticed the lump, but the doctors are alarmed. There's further testing going on, and the cause of the lumps hasn't been tracked down yet. It could be fairly benign, but it could also turn out to be pretty bad.

Your lump could be perfectly harmless, but without a doctor giving it a look there's no way for you to know for sure.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:24 AM on October 18, 2006

It's probably a blocked salivary gland. Go to the doctor, but don't worry yourself stupid about it in the meantime.
posted by Kwantsar at 10:30 AM on October 18, 2006

From your description of the position it sounds like it could be a swollen lymph node. I got an infected submandibular node once, from a cut while shaving, and it swelled up pretty big.
posted by Paragon at 10:31 AM on October 18, 2006

I had exactly this about a month ago: it was a lymph gland and it went away in under a week.

However go to the doc (which is what I did) and hopefully they'll put your mind at rest properly.
posted by selton at 10:42 AM on October 18, 2006

Just because you eat a lot of salt doesn't mean you won't get a goiter. My mom, who loves the salt, just had a goiter removed.
posted by macadamiaranch at 11:07 AM on October 18, 2006

I had this exact thing a couple a months ago. I went to the Doctor and it turned out to be a block salivary gland. I had to suck on lemons until it unblocked. It was painful for me though. After it released, the swelling was gone almost immediately. But like others have advised, go to a doctor to be sure.
posted by birdlips at 11:15 AM on October 18, 2006

Another vote for a blocked salivary gland. To test this hypothesis, try putting something very sour--lemon juice, Tearjerkers candy, etc. If it swells more, you probably have a salivary stone.

If that's what it is, treatment is pretty simple: drugs or, worst case scenario, an outpatient surgical procedure.
posted by chickletworks at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2006

I had a blocked salivary gland when I was around 18. It needed some minor but painful surgery. The symptoms were similar to what you have.
posted by JJ86 at 1:46 PM on October 18, 2006

Here is a drawing of the salivary glands, showing their positions.
posted by jamjam at 2:09 PM on October 18, 2006

That sounds like your parotid gland, all right.
posted by Sallyfur at 4:06 PM on October 18, 2006

I'm dealing with a blocked and infected parotid gland right now. I've been on strong antibiotics and Vicodin ES for over a week. See the ENT. You don't want to deal with this pain. Trust me.
posted by AstroGuy at 8:37 PM on October 18, 2006

The saliva glands just below my ears don't empty on their own. Many, many times a day I have to press on them to empty them. This has been happening since I was about 12 (26 now) and back then, they got hard and sore. That said, I can empty them by shrugging my shoulder (so the gland is pressed against it) and it's pretty much an unconscious act for me now.
posted by IndigoRain at 3:39 AM on October 19, 2006

Well if anyone is still lookin around here, just got back from the ENT, then a CT. He said it's a blocked mandibular gland, and it's pretty deep so it will have to be cut out. Oh boy. Thanks everyone!
posted by killyb at 1:10 PM on October 19, 2006

Wow!
posted by scazza at 2:03 PM on October 19, 2006