Jalapenos = The Devil

I now HATE Jalapenos. The story of last night...

I do not eat jalapenos. My husband on the other hand enjoys them. We had a few jalapenos left over from an appetizer we made a couple weeks ago for a party and Brian decided he wanted some last night with dinner. I was already roasting some veggies so I cut open the jalapenos, scooped out the membrane, and added them with the other veggies- making sure the jalapenos were not touching any of the other food. We ate dinner- no problem.

A few hours later we were getting ready for bed and my fingers started burning like crazy! I kept washing my hands in cold water because that was the only way I was feeling any type of relief. However, 5 minutes later my finger would start burning again, each time with increased pain. I could not figure out what was causing this. I asked Brian to google "burning sensation in fingers" to see what would come up. The first link was this article "HELP... finger are burning from cutting jalapenos. Remedies?"

Apparently this is pretty common.

The heat, caused by capsaicin and related compounds, is concentrated in the membrane (placenta) surrounding the seeds, which are called picante. Handling fresh jalapeños may cause skin irritation. Source: Wikipedia

99 people had commented offering suggestions on how to stop the intense burning. I had never heard that just touching a pepper could cause so much discomfort. I knew better than to touch my eye while handling the jalapeno. However when taking out my contacts last night, I was screaming, submerging my face in the sink. I Had Washed My Hands Several Times!

Some people are more susceptible to capsaicin than other. Brian did most of the pepper prepping when we made the Japapeno Poppers two weeks ago and he did not have any reaction.

Here are some of the suggested remedies:
* Wash hands in bleach. do not touch private areas or eyes.
* Dousing them with rubbing alcohol - did not have but tried with hydrogen peroxide, did not work
* Rub Vaseline all over hands- tried it, did not work
* Dunking fingers in vegetable oil and also apple cider vinegar
* Soak fingers in lime/water bath- tried it- twice, relief while soaking. First time soaking for about 5 minutes. Second time soaking them for 20 minutes. Less than 5 minutes after taking my hands out, finger were burning again.
* Dabbing Sour Cream on fingers - did not have any
* Soaking finger in a milk bath- tried this for 30 minutes; again relief while in the bath. Immense pain within 5 minutes of being out.

Brian read that the symptoms could last up to 24 hours! At this point I wanted to cut off my fingers- no joke. At 1:00 I told Brian I had an idea but I would need his help. Before I tell you- no making fun of me. I was desperate at this point. I remember reading sour cream was helpful. I did not have any BUT I did have some yogurt (Chobani Blueberry to be exact). I scooped up a handful of yogurt, placed my hand inside a plastic bag. Then I placed my hand inside our oven mitt with a rubber-band around the bottom. Finally Relief! This is how the slept the rest of the night.

I tell you this story to pass along a WARNING! Handle Jalapenos with Care- I doubt I will ever touch one again, but if I do I will wear gloves.