"People who have had the mumps are immune for life." -- doctors say.?

There's no such thing as immune for life. When you catch a virus, you develop antibodies in your blood, antibodies that remain in your blood and ward off catching that same virus again. Some viruses, like the flu, the antibodies effectively protect you for about a year. Other viruses, like the mumps and chicken pox, the antibodies, whether from vaccine or from actually having had the disease, tend to protect you for much longer, decades even. But over that time, unless you've had new exposures to the disease that the antibodies have fended off, your body starts producing less and less and eventually become so low that you can become vulnerable to it again. People often think of chicken pox as you get it once and you're done for life, but that's not so. When people get shingles, that's getting chicken pox again. It manifests somewhat differently, usually in a localized area rather than all over the body because of having had it before, which is why it has a different name, but it's just chicken pox--a rose by any other name. That's why we have booster shots that people get once every 10 years or so after they've been vaccinated or after they've had a virus--in order to re-expose the body to a small amount of the virus that has been rendered inert to trigger your body's response to produce those antibodies again and keep them at levels high enough to fend off actual exposure to the virus.

If you had mumps as a kid and now you're in your 60's, that's a long time. Unless you've been exposed to it again or had booster shots, it's possible that your antibodies to mumps is low enough that you could get it again. This is exacerbated by your edge. In your 60's, your immune system isn't as strong as it was. That's why people in their 60's and older are at higher risk for getting the flu even though they had a flu shot and for getting shingles even though they had the chicken pox way back when, which is why they started recommending shingles vaccine to people over 60, to re-up their antibodies to the chicken pox virus and prevent them from getting it.

Yes, you are usually immune for life if you've had mumps or have been vaccinated against mumps. There are exceptions, though, but it happens very, very rarely.

Could you maybe have a salivary gland stone? I had one last year and it felt very similar to the time I had mumps as a child.

And where would you have caught mumps nowadays, with almost everybody immune one way or another?

Mumps is a specific infection of the salivary glands. These glands can be affected by other things besides mumps.

Something seems to be irritating one or more of your salivary glands; my guess is that it has to do with one or more swollen lymph nodes nearby. This is a sign of your body fighting infection. If you feel fine otherwise, it doesn't even mean you are necessarily sick. You might want to rest more and drink more water.

Use your own judgement. If you think it's necessary, see a doctor.

I had mumps as a child and long time ago when pregnant before MMR jabs were invented they asked if I had mumps, measles and rubella etc and when I said yes they told me I was immune to them, I am now 61 and never had any problems with mumps or swollen glands again. My grandson got measles a year after he got measles vaccine?

well that is a huge load of garbage and the same goes for chicken poxs

See your doctor. While there are rare cases where the antibodies do not remain strong enough to prevent a second infect, it is very rare. There are dozens of other things that look and feel like the mumps. Only a doctor can determine what you have. None of us can examine you to tell.

Any number of infections could cause the lymph glands behind the jaw to swell. There could be other things it could be, but no sense fretting about it. Just see the doctor.

They don't say that in the U.K. same with chickenpox.

You might have a blocked salivary gland .

go see the doctor, but it is not MUMPS