Mumps Help for the Pain and Swelling
MUMPS Help for the Pain and Swelling
Remember having the mumps when you were a kid? Along with feeling weak, headachy and feverish, your parotid glands, located in front of each ear, swelled up on both sides of your face. The swelling was tender and painful, too, and may have lasted from three to seven miserable days.
Once mumps has been diagnosed, consult your doctor again if your child is vomiting; has a stiff neck, a severe headache, swelling or pain in the testicles ( in teenage boys), abdominal pain, a fever higher than 101°; or acts and looks very sick, advises Dr. Eig. If any of these symptoms are present, your child may have one of the complications of mumps that needs immediate medical attention. Most cases of the mumps are unpleasant but not serious. It is possible, however, for mumps to have serious complications, such as infection of the spinal cord and brain, deafness or a painful inflammation of the testicles in teenage and adult males.
The best way to deal with mumps is with prevention. The MMR vaccine protects children from three of the once-common childhood diseases--measles, mumps and rubella. It is now recommended that children receive two doses of MMR, the first at 15 months of age and the second later in childhood. Unfortunately, not every child gets the necessary immunizations, and if yours is among them, it is quite possible that she'll contract the disease.
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| When to See the Doctor Mumps should always be diagnosed by your doctor, because other illnesses can cause swelling of the glands near the face. ''Most of the time, when parents think their child has mumps, the swelling is due to swollen lymph nodes which may be caused by a different viral or even bacterial infection,'' notes Blair M. Eig, M.D., pediatrician in private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland. ''The parotid glands cause swelling above the jaw line, in front of the ears, while lymph node swelling occurs below the jaw,'' Dr. Eig adds. |
If your child does come down with mumps, the only thing you can do, besides checking with the doctor, is keep her comfortable. Here's how.
Treat the pain. ''Give your child acetaminophen [Children's Tylenol] for fever and discomfort,'' suggests Lorry Rubin, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Schneider Children's Hospital of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, and associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York City. Check the package directions for the correct dosage for your child's age and weight. If your child is under age two, consult a physician.
Make meals moist. ''The parotid glands produce saliva, but during the mumps, they can't work as efficiently to moisten the food your child is eating,'' says Jack H. Hutto, Jr., M.D., chief of pediatric infectious disease at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. ''If chewing is a chore, offer your child foods with a high liquid content: soup, ice cream, pudding, a slush drink or Cream of Wheat,'' suggests Dr. Hutto.
Don't be tart. ''Avoid giving your child citrus fruits or juices, or any other food that is high in acid,'' says Dr. Rubin. ''Acidic foods stimulate the parotid gland to secrete saliva, a painful process during the mumps.''
Shower some extra affection. Spend as much time with your child as you can. ''Reading a story, talking, singing or rocking can help make her feel better,'' says Dr. Hutto.
