Basil has been popping around here, so I whipped up a whole mess of fresh pesto. In addition to basil and olive oil I added pecorino romano cheese and a generous helping of raw garlic. I use a lot of garlic in my cooking, both raw and cooked. The past two nights our dinners have featured my fresh pesto. I used it as a dressing on my salad and also invented sweet potato pesto bites. (Bake slices of sweet potato, top with pesto).
Following dinner I did some twisty yoga, relaxed with Joseph and went to bed. Lying in bed I started to profusely salivate. I felt intense heaviness and burning in my esophagus and stomach. I ran to the bathroom. A few minutes later I vomited some bright green, completely undigested pesto. Given that I had eaten it 2 hours earlier, it really shouldn't have still been in my stomach.
Joseph came out from the bedroom and diagnosed me with overdoing it on raw garlic. Unable to sit down without extreme discomfort I took to google with my malady. Google, normally the crystal ball of resources failed me miserably. So, in an attempt to add to the knowledge of the internet I compiled this comprehensive Q&A on what I have coined "Garlic Induced Gastritis".
Q: What is Garlic Induced Gastritis (GIG)?
A: GIG is an acute inflammation of the stomach and esophagus caused by the over consumption of raw garlic.
A: Um, no. This is not just heartburn, this is hard core burn. GIG does not allow you to sleep or sit down. GIG presents as "am I dying, should I go to the emergency room burn"? In addition to the sensation of heartburn, GIG makes you feel as though you have just had laparoscopic surgery and are packed tight full of air.
Q: Wow, this sounds serious. What can I do about it?
A: As I am the only documented case of GIG I was unable to conduct a formal study but here are the things I did in an attempt to alleviate my GIG:
-Drank 1/2 bottle of Pepto Bismol
-Drank prescription carafate
-Vomited
-Drank a cup of warm water with 1 tsp of baking soda
-Ate a piece of toast to "absorb the garlic juice"
-Attempted to drink ginger tea (only tolerated one sip, it made the burn worse)
-Paced around outside like a werewolf looking at the moon
-Folded three loads of laundry
Q: Despite the fact that you simultaneously used an extreme amount of interventions, are you able to say which one seemed to help the most?
A: Definitely the laundry and walking. The water and baking soda was a close third because I think it made me burp and belching was the only thing that gave me any relief.
Q: Were you ever able to go to bed?
A: After about two hours of implementing every intervention I could think of I was worn out and feeling slightly stabilized. I was afraid to lay down so I propped myself up on the couch like a heart failure patient with difficulty breathing and dozed off. After I successfully slept for an hour, I went to my normal bed.
Q: Wow! This GIG shit is the real deal! Are you feeling better today?
A: Better, but not normal. I still have some residual burning. I finished off the Pepto Bismol this morning and took some Prilosec. I think I'll skip the pesto tonight.
That sounds AWFUL. My boyfriend occasionally eats whole roasted garlic cloves. I'll have to warn him of this phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteIt's really a raw garlic thing. Tell your boyfriend to keep up on the roasted garlic. It's good for him!
ReplyDelete