Too darn hot

I was in bed, just reading a bit to relax before switching lights off to go to sleep. The Fox came in.

“I think I’m going have to go to the hospital,” he announced.

I’m instantly alert. He’s cradling his left hand. Another stroke I wonder, & fear. I know he’s been worrying of late & is overtired. I’ve even wondered if that was the cause of his recent nosebleeds.

“Why?” I nervously ask.

“The tips of my fingers are on fire. I’ve washed them, scrubbed them, tried putting some antiseptic, but they just keep getting hotter & hotter. It’s really hurting.”

I suggest instead of going off to Accident & Emergency he tried dialling 111. They should be able to advise him on some home treatment that would help, rather than waiting for hours at the hospital. If they advise going to the hospital, then we go to the hospital.

He went off, I got up once more & threw on my dressing gown.

He managed to get through. He went through the usual routine questions as well as the symptoms. He explained he’d finely chopped a green chilli for the dinner some 6 hours earlier. He’d forgotten to wash his fingers immediately. He thought the burning sensation was related. They said they’d ring back.

Within seconds the phone went. Did we have any anti-histamines in the house? They should ease the situation. While we checked, they would consult with the appropriate clinician. They would ring back. We had a rummage in our medicines’ drawer but found none. We weren’t surprised. The only time we’ve ever had any anti-histamines was when I had that severe allergic reaction years ago that set off the recent allergy tests I’ve been having. I was confident I’d only had a few prescribed & they were long gone.

We moved to the kitchen to make a pot of tea. We’d barely got the kettle on when the phone rang. They’d concluded it was probably an allergic response. She went on to suggest he had some paracetamol immediately. No problem there. We always have those in. They then suggested he put his fingers in a bowl of milk. He duly did. Within minutes he felt easier. They did tell him green peppers are hotter than red, that he should avoid touching the seeds & white membrane inside (he’d used his fingers rather than a knife or spoon), and above all scrub his hands very thoroughly after handling chillies again. There was nothing else he could do except wait, or find a 24 hour supermarket to buy some anti-histamines. They told him exactly which ones to buy & they should be available on the supermarket shelf.

We were very grateful. We had our tea. By then he’d taken his hand out of the milk. By the time he had finished his tea, he felt he needed to put to put his hand back into the milk.

I left him to soak it & went back to bed. I tried to sleep but I was too churned up. I put the lights back on & read a bit more to relax, only to find I was in a very exciting part of the storyline, sending secret agents off to France during the Second World War. Eventually I calmed down enough to switch off the light, switch on the radio & finally drop off to sleep. By now it was well past midnight, long after my usual bedtime hour.

As far as I know the gaps between soakings got longer as the night wore on. He didn’t have to resort to a trip to the nearby 24 hour Asda. By the time he joined me in bed his fingers were back to normal.

He’d ended up feeling such a fool. He’s chopped chillies, usually red ones but not always, often before without trouble. However, I’ve always reminded him to wash his hands thoroughly immediately after handling the chilli. Last night I forgot, & he paid the price. I suspect he’ll never forget again. It wasn’t even a very strong chilli like a bird’s eye chilli or a scotch bonnet, this time. It just goes to show important it is to wash those hands thoroughly as soon as possible, before those juices really seep into the skin.

When we do our supermarket shop, we’re intending to get some anti-histamines so we are prepared if another such incident arises. It won’t harm to have some in. The Fox tends to have a bit of a problem with hay fever. When it’s bad he can always use them then.

Meanwhile tonight we're having  Beef  Popovers (a sort of  Toad-in-the-Hole with minced beef rather than sausages) - not a chilli in sight, hand or even mouth.