Better skip the garnish

Here is my free information on what Neutropenic means. About 10-14 days after your first dose of chemo is when your white blood count is at its lowest. This is when your body is most in danger of developing a fever from any bacteria or infection that you are exposed to. So for those days I have been good to stay at home and not go out to public places. I don't let my friends come over, or the kids' friends. I wear a mask when the kids are home and Kenneth has even slept on the couch so I am not in personal contact with anyone. Well, even with all our precautions some germ got in my system and I got a fever and that is why I ended up in the hospital after the last two rounds. But here is my interesting fact. When I would get my food in the hospital it was always stamped with "Neutropenic Diet. No Garnish". So, of course I had to ask the nurse what was wrong with the garnish.
Any guesses?? ........

 I can't eat anything Fresh. That means no salads, no fresh vegetables, no fruit, no raw nuts, and no raw meat (not a problem with that one). What???? I have been trying to eat as healthy as I can and that included lots of fresh fruit and vegies. I was very proud of myself actually at how good I was eating. What the heck?? Well, since fresh produce can contain trace amounts of bacteria, it is a risk to eat it. I wish someone would have mentioned that. Oh, perhaps I should have gone to the "Getting ready for Chemotherapy" class I opted out of. (I didn't want to sit though a whole class telling me how I was going to practically be poisoned to death for the next 3 months). Oops.
So lets hear it for overcooked and processed foods!