I'm resigned to my fate...I cannot eat Spicy! (1 Viewer)

[Peter Kim]

For the geriatric set, like me (I'm 32). For the last few years, I've seen my tolerance for spicy food plummet. Let's just say that I learned my 2nd bookend's got taste buds, too. And a good part of the palate down there seems to be hypersensitive to hot.
I thought my intolerance was temporary. Keep low, eat a lot of fiber, flood the innards with a constant flow of H2O and citric acid. My talisman, the chile pepper would eventually return, I thought.
But, no. I am crippled. And it's depressing as hell. Hot, spicy food, full of flavor, is partly what defined me. Korean, Mexican, Szechuan, Sri Lankan, and Thai...I danced with all of these flavors on a nightly basis and left them in bed in the morning with nary a goodbye kiss.
Now, I'm relegated to chewing on cud and Immodium. This is a pale, stale life. Will I ever be reunited with my fiery Excalibur?
Are there others who've experienced this same loss? And if so, have you been able to rejuvenate your passion for the pepper without feverish prayer to the porcelain god?
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Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

 

[Henry Carmona]

And i just made some great hot sauce!!
Talk about hot, woohoooo!
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"Charlie don't surf."

 

[Dave Morton]

I too love hot food, but in the past couple of years, it has really started to bother me. Then I found Zantac 75. It is a great acid reducer that will save your stomach and other things as well. It's an over the counter medication that you can buy at any drug store. Walgreens makes a generic called Wal-zan that works just as well.
Give it a try and don't give up the spice.
Hope this helps
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------ Dave ------
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[Brad_W]

I've noticed that I've been getting heartburn like 3 or 4 times a day. I don't spicy food, but I drink lots o' soda and smoke lots o' cigs. Do you think that would be causing it? I need to quit everything!
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[PatrickM]

I too have lost the ability to eat really spicy food. It happened near when I turned 30 (I'm 35 now). But, I agree with the poster above about Zantac 75 or something like it. It does help if you eat some really hot buffalo wings.
Patrick
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Evidence of my obsession.

 

[Holadem]

He he...
Being born and raised in West Africa I can tell you that I cannot even feel most of the stuff you guys call spicy!
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Holadem - just had to brag about that

 

[Peter Kim]

Buffalo wings...ahhh, another relic of my youth gone past. Used to head out with a bunch of guys after work and feast at Hooters. While they 'indulged', I really indulged on their delicious wings. God that was good stuff.
Well, perhaps a glimmer of hope. I'll stop by Target and pick up some of this Zantac. Dave and Patrick...do you eat spicy food with abandon now that you've seemingly found this antidote?
Also, do you take the Zantac before or after eating spicy meals?
If this works, you guys will have introduced real joy back into my life.
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Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

 

[PatrickM]

I don't always have it with me so I usually eat the spicy food anyway and pay the price later. When I do have it or something like Pepcid AC, I take it before I eat the food. Seems to work pretty good.
Patrick
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Evidence of my obsession.
[Edited last by PatrickM on November 01, 2001 at 04:30 PM]

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Give me fire food or give me death!
There is only one cure for rimfire, and that is more spice, to the point of saturation.
I highly doubt I could ever give up spicy food, no matter what the consequences. Tandoori, mexican, chili, firerice...
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[SteveGon]

How do you know when you've eaten really hot and spicy food? When you use the restroom in the morning and the water in the toilet bowl turns to steam!

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[Darren Crouse]

I'm no doctor but it sounds like some of you might be suffering from some of the symptoms I suffer from. I just turned 30 and have been blessed with prostate and ulcer problems. Atleast it goes well with my almost grey hair. Seriously though maybe you should ask your respective doctors. If it is an ulcer there are new ways of treating it as it is usually caused by a bacteria H. Pylori. If it is, two weeks of antibiotics and antacids and you are 80-90% likely to be free of it. Pretty wise for a 30 year old, eh?

[Edited last by Darren Crouse on November 02, 2001 at 04:54 AM]

 

[Tommy G]

I too have come to that point in my life (36) where I suffer the morning after a very spicy meal. Every time I enter the "throne room" I swear I'll never eat a spicy meal again. Yet I can not kick the habit. I don't think I'll ever be able to. The other things I had to give up were Peanut Butter

which is a huge sacrifice because I grew up on PB&J and I just can not eat McDonald's anymore. This is a tough task since I have a 7 and a 4 year old at home. I just can't do those anymore because the stomach aches are just too intense.

 

[Peter Kim]

Darren, you're scarin' me. But you're right...you've just pointed out my irrational fear of going to the doctor. I've always subscribed to the school of wrapping everything up with scotch tape and hoping it disappears in two days kind of medicine. You're a better man for confronting your fears.
Tommy G., Wow! Did they hand out the EXACT same gastrointestinal set at the factory? I failed to mention it, but I too suffer terribly after eating at McDonald's. How the hell did this happen? I've always enjoyed a couple of Big Macs or Quarterpounders, but now, I pay dearly. Do you have any idea why this is? Is the food dirty?
Anyway, what's with the peanut butter? I've never linked anything with my Jif habit, but never really paid attention either. I think I'll be a guinea pig this weekend and give it a shot.
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Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

 

[Dave Morton]

I usually get the heartburn at night. Typically, I wake up at night with this burning acid feeling in my stomach. Also I get the hot pipes, so I think there is a bit of acid reflux going on. I take the Zantac before bed am I am always fine. But you can take Pepsid AC or some similar medications. They are relatively harmless and will let you enjoy the foods you like. Tums works to a degree too.
One other note too is that if you drink alcohol, that will mess with your stomach as well. I find I am not the drinker I once was, but that is probably a good thing. So it is not just spicy foods you have to look out for. And yes, all this happened to me after I turned 30. But I tell my wife it was ever since we got married. ha ha ha.
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------ Dave ------
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[Jeff Ulmer]

I'll concur with the alcohol and acid reflux. Nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night gagging. I've pretty much given up booze (never was a hard liquor drinker, but pounded a few brewskies in my day). To me that isn't a big loss, haven't had a beer in a year, and don't miss it.
I do crave a good currie though...

 

[Patrick Sun]

If you think you have it bad, a friend of mine only eats bread and honey. That's basically it.
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[Stephen_Opipari]

I too love spicy food, and can still eat it thanks to Prevacid.
I have a hiatal hernea. It's this lovely little condition where the stomach pops up through the hiatal muscle below the lungs. This in turn causes the little flap into the stomach to be useless and horrible heartburn to result. Mine went untreated for years, I was about 20 when I started to have problems with it. Nighttime acid reflux is the #1 symptom to this condition. In fact, over time you can really put yourself a risk of esophageal cancer if you do not properly treat acid reflux. I saw a specialist and got scoped the week after I got married at 26. I was on what is basically a huge Zantac (800 mg!) for a few years and that did the trick. But, for about the past 6/12 months I would have heartburn all day long and it didn't require any spicy food to set off.
Well, I decided to get my allergies fixed and it ends up that zantac will cause bad readings on allergy tests. So, my allergist put me on Prevacid for a few weeks before the tests. Wouldn't you know, but every stomach ailment that I had went away once I was on this. I called my regular Doctor and explained what was going on and am now happily on one Prevacid a day. I can eat anything I want without any concequence, and the best thing is, I can sleep well without any heartburn.
If you are having any digestive problems at all, I really urge you guys to see a doctor. The acid in our guts is no joke and can really cause a lot of damage to unprotected tissue like the esophagus. Not to mention that better comfort and the ability to eat crazy hot food make life more fun and easier.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I never understood the infatuation with chemical burns
I can't stand spicy food
Jeff Kleist

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

The doctor is in:

I never understood the infatuation with chemical burns

Capsacin which is what makes peppers hot does not result in ulcers, but can exacerbate reflux disease. It is not the spicy foods that is causing the problem(at the upper end anyway) it is gastric acid.
Things you can do to reduce occaisional reflux disease:
1. Reduce fatty food intake(fats cause the stomach to empty slower and reduce the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter(which is supposed to prevent reflux of gastric contents).
2. Don' eat(or drink alcohol) less than 2-3 hrs. before going to sleep. This might maen that you can't have snacks with your movies.
3. Stop smoking.
4. Don't drink a lot of caffeinated drinks or sodas.
5. If you find yourself having regurgitation and choking despite the above measures then put 6" blocks under the head of your bed.
Things to see a doctor for:
1. Trying the above measures without success.
2. Food sticking anywhere when you eat(inability to swallow properly).
3. Wt. loss.
4. If you have had reflux symptoms(acid heartburn) regularly for the past 3-6 years or longer.
There is a condition called Barrett's Esophagus that results from prolonged acid reflux disease that should be diagnosed as it can lead to esophageal carcinoma in about 10% of people who have it(over their entire lives). I don't want to panic anyone so I will rephrase it to say that Barrett's Esophagus is rare and that 90% of people with Barrett's Esophagus never develop cancer.
Someone above posted some info about H. Pylori and ulcers. Another cause of ulcers is non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs). Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Alleve are common NSIADs.
As far as the lower end, no simple measures for that.