Hello, Bell s palsy is by definition a paralysis of the nerve that controls the movements of your face whose cause we don t know, but we often blame it on a virus. The symptoms of Bell s Palsy are as follows: Half of the face will gradually (usually over several hours) become paralyzed. People often realize this either by looking in the mirror, realizing that one of their eyes is not closing or that they are having trouble drinking liquids because they cannot close their mouths properly. There may also be changes in taste, where taste in half of the tongue is diminished. The symptoms is hard to notice though since the taste receptors in the other half of the tongue are still functional. There may be sensitivity to sounds ans the muscle that helps dampen loud sounds in the ear becomes paralyzes as well. There are usually not external signs other than nerve paralysis, meaning that there should not be any swelling, pain or tenderness anywhere in the face. What you are describing sounds more like an infection or some sort of inflammation because you are having swelling in your ear. The lump behind your ear may be a lymph node that is swollen as there is a collection of lymph nodes behind your ear. I would say cancer is lower on the list of diagnoses, but based on the information I have and lacking a physical exam I cannot rule it out entirely. None the less you should go see your physician to get a proper physical exam which would include a full neurological exam and an exam of the Head, neck, mouth, ears and nose to identify any possible causes. Imaging may also be necessary in which case an MRI would be the best choice without and with added contrast to visualize infection and growths better. Routine blood work would also be recommended including a complete blood count with differential, complete metabolic panel and an ESR to evaluate for signs of infection. Depending on the physical exam, other tests may be necessary. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Janne Kristoffer Nissinen, Neurologist