TMJ, severe pain in throat/salivary gland?? Help!

I have TMJ and wear a splint/guard at night as that is the only time I clench my teeth.

I haven't been clenching my teeth as bad lately, and the other night i didn't wear it. All day yesterday I had a pretty sore throat and it was uncomfortable to swallow and felt like I was being gently choked just below the Adams Apple.

After dinner, by about an hour or so, the pain began to increase quite rapidly, to the point where I thought the gland under the jaw (salivary gland? lymph node?) was going to explode, or something was trying to get out of it. I tried gargling with water and peroxide to kill it if it was trying to escape, tried drinking a ton of water. I felt a little relief after I went to the bathroom twice and expelled a ton of parasites. It took almost an hour for the pain to subside where it was comfortable, then it felt like the pain slowly travelled down my throat to just about where my collarbones are.

I am currently in week 3 of 4 on a herbal parasite cleanse.

And today, the muscle under my ear directly behind my jaw feels very tight and sore, doesn't hurt more to press on it though.

ANy ideas? A blocked salivary gland? I understand you can get "stones" in your salivary glands like you can in your kidneys or liver.

I made sure to wear my splint last night! The whole muscle down the side of my neck on the right (where this all happened) is tight today, as if I had slept on it wrong, even though I slept on my back all night. Tweet