What NOT to do...
Last time I was at the grocery store, I bought a fresh pineapple, not because it's good for me but because I love the stuff. Yesterday, I decided it had reached the peak of succulent ripeness so I "butchered" it and put it in the fridge in a glass dish. It looked lovely sitting there all sunshine yellow and juicy chunks. This morning when I opened the fridge to get the half-n-half for my coffee, I swear I could hear that pineapple plaintively wailing "Eat Me". Being the good little Alice In Wonderland that I am, I got out the dish of pineapple and the plain yogurt. A generous layer of golden fruit on the bottom, topped with two big spoonfuls of yogurt and sprinkled with just a touch of cinnamon, I felt like I was in the tropics.
Fast forward a few hours. Lunchtime. I can't even remember what I ate but I noticed an ugly burning sensation on my tongue, where it meets the lower teeth. Hmmm, says LadyDoc, that's kind of strange. So I go into the bathroom and consult the mirror, mirror on the wall. Is that really what I think it is? I get a 4x4 gauze pad and swipe my tongue. Exactly what I thought it was, blood!!!
In my other life (I have many) I like to play medical detective so I'm puzzling it out. Isn't meat tenderizer made from something in pineapple? Yes, an enzyme called bromelain. What is your tongue. MEAT! Just to be sure, I called my renal care nurse because she knows everything. I told her what had happened and she said "Oh, girlfriend, diabetics are especially sensitive to bromelain and papain, you are in for a world of hurt." I had already figured that part out. She recommended rinsing with lukewarm water and Tylenol for pain. I mentioned I had some Gabapentin for nerve pain, she said it couldn't hurt, especially at night. In the meantime, no hot or spicy foods. So I think I'll have squash tonight.
And by the way, I have some pineapple looking for a nice home.
Comments
klysmaphile 10 years ago
Love your pineapple story. So this was your first bout of the dreaded pineaplle toungue. I can remember my first brush with it as a kid. Did you know fresh uncooked pineapple will keep jello from forming?
Toby
n/a 11 years ago
Your story of your pineapple is teasing my unquenchable hunger for fresh fruit. Since my first treatments I have been having problems keeping food down. I have no reason why but I have this overbearing hunger for fresh fruit of any kind, must be something in the fruit my body needs.
Funny how the human beast reverts to it's origins when it is sick and wants to become a vegetarian again. I shun all necrotic tissue not out of lack of want but my body won't accept it anymore.
My savior has been fresh apple sauce and apples they even stay down. Your little story has lit a pineapple light in my thoughts and it will be on the shopping list.
How I wish you had done better with your experience with your pineapple and yogurt it sure got my taste buds going. Be well ladydocisin
Lady Teddy 11 years ago
Dear Lady Doc,
I hope that the pain from eating the pineapple goes away very soon. I learned something new from your blog today, as I didn't know that about eating the pineapple. I do love the fruits of summer myself!
Hugs,
Lady Teddy
Elizabeth2010 11 years ago
Gosh sorry to hear what has happened, hope you are okay. I like pineapple baked in the oven with just a sprinkling of sugar on it, so if you'd care to send some over please lol.
skybear -N Florida 11 years ago
I also LOVE Fresh Pineapple, Yes capital letters, however to make sure there are no problems I soak the pineapple chunks in good quality rum for at least over night or two days and serve them COLD.
No more problems, except a slight slurring of speech if one enjoys too many chunks. Needless to say it is a big hit on the boat, I have even been asked over the VHF radio if the pineapple is ready.
Sorry for your misery, however feel free to use my solution to the problem.
Cheers
Skybear
Dr Viking 11 years ago
Sorry to hear that Ladydoc - hope you recover soon... Send me the pineapple, I can't get enough of the stuff. I eat it almost every morning with my breakfast!
Mashie 11 years ago
You know, oddly enough I love fruit of all kinds just about, I like all of them fresh, (although many I have to add sugar to them because I like my fruit really sweat)and I am pretty sure love them all canned, (and dare I be even more honest here, I love them in the heavy syrup the most, lol, I know shame on me. But it's just so yummy!) I also like most of my fruit cold over room temp, even my bananas, well then you freeze them on a stick and add chocolate sauce, well that's jsut a sin all of it's own, and since I started Remeron, I have lost my ability of any sort of moderation when it comes to food, so eating one of something jsut isn't quite in my rehlm of fathomability at this juncture, lol. I also really like I said, perfer my fruit cold, which is where I run into the issue with fresh pineapple. It's so sweet usually, especially with a bit of added sugar on top of it that again, because my moderation abilityis really such, I can't just eat a few bites here and be satisfied, oh no sister, I have to get a very healthy, or not so healthy portion of it. And in the end, not right away, but in a few hours and even in to the next day, well, the most accurate way I can describe to you how my tongue feels is, well, burnt, for lack of better terms, or maybe lke there are a thousand and 20 paper cuts all over it. I'm guesing in my little bit of knowledge that the acididity in the fresh pineapple very quickly and without much difficulty has no probllem chemically "burning" those virgin like ends of my tongue, making it sore for at least a day, sometimes longer depending on what's for dinner, then you are are back to the same choice all over again. Then in a few days when my tongue heals back up, well, I can' let the rest of the fresh cut pineapply still cut up, still lookin and smelling good, now nice and cold go to waste, it has to be eaten, every last juicy yummy delicioous bite. Tastes great going down, it's just everything after it that tastes not quite so yummy. But, all told, said and done, those first bites of that fresh cold ripe pieapple on a hot summer day just seem to make it all worth it, no? lol.
MissStress 11 years ago
I can't do raw pineapple (think flu like symptoms and a very real need to sleep for a couple of hours) either. Love it too. I feel for you ladydoc.
StephenS 11 years ago
We normies, (non-diabetics), can also be sensitive to the digestive enzymes in pineapple. I have to limit myself to only an occasional taste of fresh pineapple. The canned stuff, (I know, its not the same), does not cause the reaction because it is cooked and the enzyme is destroyed in the canning process.