Day 9: The pain is gone.

For almost forty years, I have suffered pain from food. Heartburn, GERD, acid reflux, whatever name you choose to use, I have had it. The first trigger I noticed was the scones in the Sequoia Hospital cafeteria in the mid seventies. They were absolutely delicious, but within 30 minutes of finishing one, I had heartburn. Did I quit them? Heck no. I went to my doctor instead and was given a prescription of Tagamet, new on the market then. I knew every flavor of OTC antacid there was and had a particular fondness for a lemon Swiss creme flavored one. They all worked fast, but not for long. the Tagamet gave me long lasting relief.

Fast forward 25 years. I have now graduated to Prilosec before it was OTC. Finally, I had the ephphany I was searching for; how about if I figure out which foods make me sick? Well, the list was not acid and spicy foods as suspected, it was refined carbs. Sugar. Bread. Oh, and get this one, tuna salad sandwiches. Tuna was easy enough to quit, but sugar? It's everywhere and I wanted to be where it was. (There's another story here for a later date.) I tried the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet and was extremely successful. I felt good, looked good and lost 50 lbs. Yet my nemesis lurked, luring me to failure. Of course, carbohydrates won.

There have been many times I take a bite, swallow and feel the food explode in my stomach, causing horrific pain, a sharp, jarring burn. French fries were a frequent offender, however, it could just as easily be caused by milk or vegetables. Luckily, Bourbon was never an offender.

Now, over a week into this challenge, I no longer have pain. I no longer have the napalm moments, the esophegeal burn or the cough. Maybe it was the chemicals in my food. Maybe.

Today I'm roasting tomatoes and eggplant for a soup. The recipe calls for garbanzo beans and I don't have those in stock. I do have left-over London broil, though. I don't have the carrots either. Oh well, I guess I have to fix the recipe to work with my ingregients, because we all know, it's all about me.