# painful/swollen cheeks due to ear infection?



## mommyof2 (Nov 29, 2001)

my 4 yo dd has swollen cheeks and glands along her jaw bone, lower cheek and to her ear. She almost looks like a chipmunk. Her neck and cheeks feel warm and hard. Her symptoms include a low grade fever, very tender cheeks and neck, fatique, and some slight cold symptoms as well. I finally took her to the DR who gave us about 2 seconds of his time and prescribed antibiotic because her right ear "looked a little pink". i explained I didn't want the prescription and that we would let it take its course for now, which he thought was fine since "most ear infections at this age are viral". I'm glad he noted that AFTER the fact! anyway, my dd is real sure her ear doesn't hurt, just her cheeks. DR said the pain could radiate to her cheeks, but it seems odd to me. This is her first ear infection (that we know of). Her symptoms coincide with mumps a little, but of course that was dismissed since she was vaccinated (I wouldn't make the same decision today). Is mumps still around? It is my understanding that anywhere from 5%-25% of vaccinated children can still contract mumps. Any ideas out there? Do middle ear infections cause swelling along the jaw and such cheek pain without ear pain? Just looking for other MOM opinions. One more thing, she had NO problem sleeping last night (contrary to most ear infected children) and her pain today was temporarily severe when she drank some orande juice.
What do you think?


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## gilnikche (Nov 19, 2001)

Gosh, this description sounds like me after having my wisdom teeth removed! Could it possibly be a dental problem?

Is she doing any better today?


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## mama2jonah (Jun 27, 2002)

Yes! Mumps is still around and your kids can get it if they've been vaxed. My SIL's kids both got mumps even though they were vaxed. I'm sure that's what your daughter has, she has all the classic symptoms. But don't worry, it's not serious and it will clear up on it's own.


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## mommyof2 (Nov 29, 2001)

My dd is better now. Her glands were only swollen a total of 2-3 days??? She is back to her old self again. I guess we'll never know what was really wrong, unless in a couple of weeks the rest of us come down with the mumps! My dh was not vaccinated and neither was my ds who's 18 months. We'll see!


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## hydrangea (Jun 5, 2002)

It is also possible it was a sinus infection. I used to get those all the time, and my upper cheeks would swell up and get painful. I always got (still get) swollen glands as the first sign of being sick.

But it does sound suspiciously like the mumps.


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