When I was having chemo, I was trying desperately to change my diet to lots of organic vegetables, live foods and antioxidants. Also, let's face it, the food is horrendous in almost any hospital. I wanted something that had a taste and a texture, too.

I recommend eating organic even more emphatically while you're having chemo or radiation or surgery. Your body is already being bombarded by chemicals, toxins and shock. It needs to be fed and nurtured gently.

Also, hospitals give you food at meal times and it takes forever from the time you've asked for it 'til it gets there. If you're hungry before or after, it is wise to bring snacks.

Personally, I liked Brad's Raw Kale Chips, Nasty Hot, which I buy by the case since you save about $2.00 a box that way. I found chemo made me crave sharp, strong tastes. It battled the nausea, which I feel just thinking about it. Also, snacks that you can put in that big drawer beside the bed so you can get them yourself without having to ask anyone or having to unplug and push your stupid IV all the way down the wall as you try and find the kitchen, are great: Tortilla chips, raw almonds, dried fruit.

What I did keep in the fridge were a box or two of fresh, organic blueberries, some almond or coconut milk.  I could add those to oatmeal in the morning for breakfast or put it in my tea. And any time anyone came over I’d ask them to bring me a fresh green vegetable juice from the local juice bar.

I’d also ask for salads a lot, but later on in chemo, I found it hard to chew all the rough pieces of lettuce with all the sores in my mouth. If I was really nauseated, I could eat tiny bits of iceberg lettuce and it made me feel better. Ice water was good for that, too. (Ugh, i feel awful just thinking about it).

Your NECESSITIES

An EYEMASK is key. A nice silk one or an organic cotton one. They NEVER turn the lights out in the hospital. I found I needed one with an elastic so it stayed on my head when I finally fell asleep and flipped over. If it's pretty, even better. Sometimes it feels good to have something really nice to look at and appreciate and it makes you feel glamorous.

A LONG SWEATER, dressing gown or sweatshirt with a zip or button front makes a huge difference because those stupid hospital gowns open in the back. I preferred a big cotton surfer's sweatshirt because the bright color cheered me up and the cotton was super soft and beat-up. It was the length of a coat so I could close it up and look less like an invalid (or so I thought) as I wandered the hallways. And since it was cotton, I could fall asleep with it on and not get uncomfortably hot in the night. What you have to remember is, whatever you're wearing on your top when you get the IV put in is what you'll be stuck in until they take it out because of your sleeves.

Personally, I hated those blue-and-white printed hospital gowns that looked like they turned everyone into babies or sick people. I liked being able to cover mine up and be an individual. I somehow found it easier to muster up some dignity whilst speaking to the doctors on their rounds if I looked like a normal person. More on that later...

SLIPPERS. Basically, you have to go from your bed to the bathroom repeatedly and you don't want to do it in your socks and then put them back in your bed. Socks also feel really awful if you step in something slightly wet. I recommend hard-soled slippers, like the kind you buy that you can walk your dog in or wear to go get the newspaper in the morning. In the winter, UGGS' Shearling Scuffs are nice though the pastel colors get dirty really fast. I was lucky enough to have a pair of very brightly colored Birkenstocks and I always got fresh pedicures because it also cheered me up to look at my feet (the only part of body that stayed recognizable through everything).