My Saga with Leukemia

The Hospital Menu looked better than it was!

I have no doubt that feeding a huge hospital full of people is a daunting task...one I would never want to be charged with. I have never enjoyed cooking and at 62, probably never will. But I love to eat, or at least I did until my only food came from the hospital kitchen. The one thing I craved most was fresh fruit (grapes, cherries, cantalope, etc.) and fresh salads. You can well imagine my disappointment to learn on was put on a "low-microbial" diet and could have none of my favorite things to eat.

I knew the doctor would be very upset with me if I didn't eat enough, so for breakfast I settled on one of the hot cream cereals (rice or oatmeal) and doctored them up by adding a serving of canned peaches or pears. It was enough to fill my stomach to a point where the early morning pills that were always given to me by 6 a.m., were buffered by something filling and relatively nutricious.

As the days and weeks rolled by, I tried nearly everything on the menu. Since I love cheese, I anxiously tried the macaroni and cheese, as well as their grilled cheese. I tried them several times before declaring them off limits. The cheese on both these items was much like Velveeta, but a generic sub-standard version which turned my stomach. Not only did it taste poorly, but by the time it got served to me in my room, it was so sticky that when I put the fork into the mac and cheese, the entire length of it (a good 6"), came off the plate in one long chunk! (Ugh!)