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Ack! Spicy peppers and burning hands…


MEmama
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I just cut up a couple of quart size bags worth of peppers from my garden, destined for the freezer. Most are shishito (mild) but some are a kind I refer to as our crapshoot peppers—most are mild but some are mysteriously spicy. Apparently some were *very* spicy because now my hands are burning, and I accidentally scratched my eye and now it’s burning. 
 

Is there anything I can take before this gets worse? (It’s getting worse…)

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17 minutes ago, Danae said:

Rub sour cream or yogurt on your hands. Put on gloves before trying to treat your eyes, and flood them with saline eye drops if you have them or just splash cool water in them. 

Darn I don’t have any of those, and water isn’t doing it. 
 

It’s both my hands now and getting worse, so I took a Benadryl. Hoping it works.

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Oddly enough, I know this because dd texted me one night a few weeks ago in a panic because she had chopped peppers without using gloves, then to relieve the pain, soaked her hands in ice cold water, which just served to close the pores and keep in what was left of the capsaicin. Warm water with lemon juice eventually helped her get some relief. 

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Update: it’s been over 5 hours since I finished dicing the peppers and my hands still burn. I’ve tried taking Benadryl, rinsing with rubbing alcohol, coating them with baking soda paste, scrubbing repeatedly with Dawn, soaking in warm lemon water, and taking a 3 mile walk to distract myself. I think the lemon water worked best and probably would have been more effective had it not already been several hours. I don’t have any full fat milk, yogurt etc in the house but will keep all these in mind for next time I forget to have DH cut the peppers instead. I can’t bring myself to sacrifice the very delicious (and very full fat) cookies and cream Tillamook ice cream in the freezer on my hands…

Thanks for all the great suggestions! 


 

 

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3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Update: it’s been over 5 hours since I finished dicing the peppers and my hands still burn. I’ve tried taking Benadryl, rinsing with rubbing alcohol, coating them with baking soda paste, scrubbing repeatedly with Dawn, soaking in warm lemon water, and taking a 3 mile walk to distract myself. I think the lemon water worked best and probably would have been more effective had it not already been several hours. I don’t have any full fat milk, yogurt etc in the house but will keep all these in mind for next time I forget to have DH cut the peppers instead. I can’t bring myself to sacrifice the very delicious (and very full fat) cookies and cream Tillamook ice cream in the freezer on my hands…

Thanks for all the great suggestions! 


 

 

Milk cools a burning mouth. I'd try a milk-bath for your hands. Couldn't hurt.

Bill

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2 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Did you try oil? If it is fat soluble, oil would work. Like, cooking oil not motor oil!

Like rub olive oil on my hands? I can’t imagine there are traces of capsicum left but sure, I’ll try anything at this point. 
 

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3 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Well the only other thing I can think of won't work for your eye, at least I wouldn't got this route, but might work for your hands. Plunge them in vodka and soak for a little bit. Apparently a good proof alcohol performs well.

At this point, might be more advisable to take orally. Dose until pain subsides.

Bill

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1 hour ago, Spy Car said:

At this point we need to remember--if my culinary knowledge is correct--the chilis are not actually burning your tissues, they are only tricking your mind into thinking that's what's going on.

I hope that brings you solace.

Bill

 

It does but…

1 hour ago, Spy Car said:

At this point, might be more advisable to take orally. Dose until pain subsides.

Bill

…since I’ve tried everything else by this point, I might as well try this too. 😎

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2 hours ago, Spy Car said:

At this point, might be more advisable to take orally. Dose until pain subsides.

Bill

While eating the very delicious, full-fat Tillamook cookies and cream ice cream with her hands. 😜

Hope you feel better soon, @MEmama. I know your pain.

Edited by bibiche
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