Juvenile recurrent idiopathic Parotitis

Juvenile recurrent idiopathic parotitis is a rare condition in childhood, which causes recurrent episodes of swelling, pain, and infection of a child's parotid (salivary) gland. This was a condition unknown to us until about 2.5 years ago when we moved back to California after my husband retired from the USMC. My daughter's first case of parotitis was around Thanksgiving of 2014 when she was only 6 years old. It took 3 doctor appointments and 2 trips to the Emergency Room for them to acknowledge that it was not just a swollen lymph node from her having a cold and prescribe antibiotics for an "infected lymph node." In February she had her second flare up of parotitis and it was huge! It looked like a golf ball was growing near her ear. I just prayed for an answer and pain relief because at the time that was all I could do for her. Our first doctor appointment was with the head of pediatrics in the hospital because our normal dr. was unavailable. He prescribed antibiotics and when they didn't work he admitted her to the hospital for IV antibiotics to get down to the root cause of the inflammation and severe pain. All of the work ups and everything ended up with her diagnosis of Juvenile Recurrent Idiopathic Parotitis. It took months of flare-ups, imaging, and a few specialist visits to confirm the diagnosis. As the months went on her flare-ups were more frequent and came closer and closer together to the point where they have been about every 3 weeks since the summer of 2015. She was on antibiotics about 12 times in 2015. It was when a severe flare up lasting 4 weeks hit during December 2015 that her specialist recommended a steroid injection in order to help control the very painful flare ups. This is where I am extremely thankful that I homeschool her because some days she is in so much pain that she can't function or talk. Anyway, the steroid injection terrified me because she was only 7 years old and they wanted to put her under anesthesia while putting a huge needle full of steroids directly into her parotid gland. With no guarantee they would work to space out the flare-ups all I could see was the downside. Along with the known side effects there was a high likelihood she would be in a lot of pain after and possibly an inflamed/painful parotid for two weeks after. I did not want to take this risk.

This is when our lives changed forever. I had a few friends that swore by essential oils so I figured even though they were pricey it was time I looked into them. I got online and googled "natural remedies" and "natural antibiotics." I found that there were essential oils that could help with the swelling and inflammation and there were natural foods with antibiotic properties. So we chose to try these natural ways along with eating sour candies, lemons, warm compresses, massaging, and all of the other Dr. recommended ways to help with the pain and attempt to decrease flare-ups. Since January of 2016 my daughter’s flare-ups have been painful and right on schedule every three weeks. Activity aggregates her flare-ups but it doesn't stop her from dancing or playing soccer. We have chosen to treat her with fresh garlic and dōTERRA essential oils and for the most part it keeps her off of antibiotics. She has had 3 bad flare ups that took 3-5 weeks of antibiotics since then but she is not on antibiotics constantly. She is just coming off of her last bad flare up and it was extremely painful for weeks. Her spirits stayed high even through the pain knowing the Dr.'s and I were doing all we could. I am thankful that she has not had to have a steroid injection yet but fear that it may be coming soon. Until then we will continue to use our essential oils and garlic to keep the pain and swelling away! Thank God for natural remedies.

I do not recommend going against what your doctor says and if your child is in pain the Dr. will give you a way to successfully treat them. But this what I do to keep the flare ups from needing antibiotics.

My recipe to heal a parotitis flare up:

Fresh Garlic (1-3 cloves). The garlic has to be raw and uncooked. The best results are achieved by cutting the garlic first and letting it sit open on the counter for a few hours. Then give it to the child. NOTE: Most kids will refuse the garlic because it tastes awful raw and is extremely HOT especially when it has been sitting on the counter. I give my daughter garlic with ice cream to offset the heat of the garlic. Also, make sure they have bread or crackers immediately before or after because the garlic will burn their little tummies and that is an awful pain. Normally 1-2 days of garlic is all that is necessary to take care of the flare up but when it is necessary we use more or take her into the Dr. if we can't get it under control. 

dōTERRA Essential oils I use throughout the day in roller bottles and she applies directly to her parotid gland 1-2 times an hour:

Frankincense

Lavender

Peppermint

& Oregano (for her feet)

Be cautious of using any other brand because the quality of the oils is not always as it is claimed on the bottles.

The picture is of my daughter dancing in her recital with her parotitis pain and all! She was not going to let parotitis keep her down! She is one committed, strong, beautiful little girl!