I sometimes get this 'fun' feeling when blowing up a balloon. Basically feels like air gets into my cheek. kinda a weird sound when I press on it, and a little pain/discomfort. I could sometimes 'work' the air back out through the little hole in the back of my cheek.

Anyway, I did it again the other day, and googled around, and it's this:


Pneumoparotitis: Air within the ducts of the parotid gland with or without inflammation. The duct orifice normally functions as a valve to prevent air from entering the gland from a pressurized oral cavity. Rarely, an incompetent valve allows insufflation of air into the duct system. Pneumoparotitis most commonly occurs in wind instrument players, glass blowers, and scuba divers (and dopes that blow up balloons, I suppose)


wacky.

I always suspected you had an incompetent valve.