In Focus

Prior to my Crohn’s diagnosis, I had little tolerance for spicy food.

Buffalo chicken was about the only thing I could tolerate along with the occasional jalapeño popper. Even then, I would occasionally break out into a strange rash with white bumps for a few hours. Granted, it has been many years since that happened, but looking back on it now, it was a sign of this disease.

Now my tolerance for spicy food is non-existent, and it irritates the Crohn’s so I tend to stay away from it. Even too much pepper will set it off. It never ceases to amaze me what I can and can’t tolerate. Too much pepper on my food is bad, but I can eat a packet of Starburst candies with no problem. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to me either.

I was recently at a store when I came across some sort of bacon-wrapped stuffed sausage. It looked really good, so I bought it. On the Fourth of July, I decided to cook them up for dinner. I saw flecks of green and red, thinking they were bell peppers, which I have no issues with.

I made my plate and dug in, cutting a piece of sausage with my fork. I stuck it in my mouth and bit down. It was instant. The heat of the pepper instantly scorched my mouth. I spit it out and ran to the kitchen for my lactose-free milk, which I drank entirely too much of in one go. Once my mouth had calmed down, slightly, I inspected the food. It was a green pepper all right, a jalapeño.

Needless to say, I picked out the peppers and attempted to eat the rest, occasionally getting a sting of heat from the juices. I was too hungry to stop. This was a terrible idea.

After eating the food, the reaction began. My stomach was extremely irritated. My mouth tingled and throbbed the rest of the night. Whatever tolerance I had years ago, was completely gone. My gums are still inflamed.

It’s my fault for not paying attention to what I was buying or popping in my mouth, but it was also a not-so-pleasant reminder for me to pay attention to what I’m putting in my shopping cart.