Thursday, January 10, 2008

Follow your nose, right?

Okay...there's something wrong with me. My mission today is to discover if I'm all by my lonesome with this bizarre...."disorder", we'll call it. I want to eat my laundry detergent. I know that sounds like the most asinine statement ever on Earth, but I do. I haven’t. No panicking necessary. But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to. When I was pregnant with my first child, I had this symptom – no I’m not pregnant. I remember doing the laundry and as I scooped the detergent – always powder, no liquid for me – and it passed my nasal passages on its way to the water flowing into the washer, I was compelled to “taste” it. I can’t believe I’m divulging this information! I love my new detergent…Arm & Hammer – Cool Breeze scent! It is almost damaging how much I want to eat it straight from the box. Sigh… The strange thing is that I think it has to do with the consistency of the detergent more than anything else. The scent only amplifies the compulsion. I say that because, I will eat other things – possibly strange but always food – that have the same consistency. Sugar – I will purposefully allow moisture to get to my sugar so that it forms clumps. That way, I can pick the clumps out and eat them. Same goes for salt…not as much as sugar, but I’ve done it. Brown sugar is good too. I’ll buy the cheap store brand brown sugar because I know it will have clumps. (Domino never does.) What is this? I’ve read up some on a few topics on the internet and there is something called Pica. Pica is a defined as an appetite for non-nutritive substances or an abnormal appetite for food ingredients (flour, sugar, starch, etc.) It leans toward a cause of iron-deficiency, possibly. Who knows!? I just know it’s probably the weirdest idiosyncrasy I have to offer and I’m curious to know who else might be craving their Arm & Hammer Cool Breeze laundry detergent!!

8 comments:

martinstone said...

you said moisture!

yes, this is weird. very weird!

dont eat the detergent!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I thought you were kidding! I can't believe that I have to tell you not to eat the soap! One day at a time Jenn...

KristinRanae said...

Ha! I can't believe that you are divulging this secret to everyone! Like I've told you before, my aunt had the same problem...when she younger. My grandmother finally took her to the doctor and she had a salt deficiency. She ate all kinds of strange things....pages from the telephone book, toilet paper (clean of course), spray starch, and laundry powder. Sooo, I think you need to discuss this with your doctor. And until then, don't eat the "Arm & Hammer!" hee hee;)

Anonymous said...

Have you recently began a lot of foul mouthed speaking?? Are you secretly thinking of punishing yourself by washing your mouth out with soap?? I dunno - never really wanted to eat my soap. I use Arm and Hammer Alpine Clean and ...... well.... I never really consider eating it. :)

Misty said...

you're normal; just deficeint! My mom has a Pica; she eats cup after cup after cup after cup (you get the point) of crushed ice. She even bought a little machine that crushes it up really tiny (the fridge pieces were too big, apparently). She went to the doc and turns out, she is anemic! She takes iron pills now.....but she still eats ice!

Anonymous said...

God Bless Jenny! I've told you, there are some things that you just don't share. This would fall into that catergory. At least I know what to put up when you come visit for the weekend. Is my baby powder safe?

Anonymous said...

Wow! I have never heard of that. Did you not get enough soap in the mouth as a kid. Remember Ralphie with the soap -- I think he said Life soap tastes the best. Please don't eat the soap! I am sure it will not be as good as it smells!

KristinRanae said...

Ha! Okay, I HAVE to quote it...

"It was...it was...soap poisoning!"

Don't eat it or you will go blind like Ralphie:)