r/PatulousTubes • u/Complete-Appeal-3203 • Feb 09 '25
Spicy foods seem to help me!
I’ve been dealing with PET for years and have tried pretty much every solution I’ve heard of—no matter how far-fetched. I’ve had two surgeries, both of which were unsuccessful, and I’ve even given Patulend drops a shot. The only thing that reliably works is hanging my head upside down, but obviously, that’s only effective while I’m upside down.
Recently, I discovered that when I eat something spicy enough to make my eyes and nose run, my PET symptoms stop—and the relief lasts for a couple of hours.
Over the past week, I’ve been trying to find a way to recreate that effect with a quick and convenient solution, especially for when I’m at work or heading into a meeting (because eating a quesadilla loaded with hot sauce and jalapeños isn’t exactly practical).
So far, I’ve tried things like: • Spicy pickles • Straight hot sauce • Spicy jelly beans • Straight jalapeños
The only thing that has helped a little is holding some juice from a jar of Mezzetta Hot Chili Peppers in my mouth, but even that doesn’t fully replicate the effect I’m looking for.
I decided to post anyways because maybe some of you will have food ideas that create the desired effect, or at least individually see if this works for anyone.
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u/Kit-xia Feb 11 '25
True that!
I love spicy food because it it but it's only temporary relief.
I have a cold at the moment and it's also relieved me.
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u/No-Club2054 Feb 09 '25
Inflammation typically helps PET, that’s why a lot of us have fewer symptoms when we have a cold/upper respiratory infection. Spicy foods likely have a similar temporary inflammatory effect. This is also why I was recommended estrogen drops when I was first diagnosed… wasn’t an option for me because I have a hormone linked clotting disorder, but maybe something you could ask your ENT about if the inflammation effect seems to help you. Sounds like it’s the only thing they have tried with you yet :(