VivaBeavis

I'm actually not big on having gimmicks on Iron Chef, besides the antics of the chairman. When I watch Iron Chef, I want to see the culinary equivalent of Ali vs Frazier. I want to see premier level chefs work their magic in ways most of us home cooks can only aspire to. I don't like the culinary curveball...you must cook five dishes, but now integrate a kazoo in to the process somewhere. There are shows for that kind of thing, like Chopped, Cut throat Kitchen, etc. Not every show needs a circus act thrown in to make it entertaining. I don't know why having top chefs cooking fantastic or unusual ingredients isn't enough.

Don't leave us hanging...what are some of your go to ingredients?

I'm not a donor, but I was the one with cancer and have received a bone marrow transplant. I have had my hips drilled dozens of times as it is how my oncologist tests the status of my cancer. The bone marrow biopsies I've received aren't fun, but I was awake for all of them. When a bone marrow donor gives via a hip drill, they are typically under anesthesia and don't feel anything until afterwards. My brother was my donor, and he had a small hole drilled in either side of his hip for my transplant. He donated on a Friday, and went home with some prescription pain meds. He was able to return to work on Monday with minimal discomfort. He said he barely used any of the pain meds.

I'd be happy to go more in depth or answer any other questions. So many people need a bone marrow transplant, and there might only be one person out there that matches them and can save their life. I strongly urge anyone and everyone to join the national registry at Be the Match!!!

I'm a recovering cancer patient that's been through a lot. I think when it comes to people going through cancer, there's no universal right way to do things. Some people will appreciate the cheeriness, and others will be grumpy. When you find the grumpy patients, please remember that it isn't always because of you. There is so much stress while going through the chemo and radiation. I know I had quite a bit of physical pain. There's always the thoughts of your mortality floating through your mind. You're fighting an enemy you can't run across the room and attack. It's within us, and that's a very frustrating feeling...it was for me at least. So some people dealing with all of these things lash out because they can't lash out at the cancer within them. It can be a helpless feeling, so being ultra controlling of things like your environment or people that enter the room is that patient's only sense of having control. I'm not excusing it or saying it is right, but I've talked to many patients over my time dealing with this. I always did my best to treat every doctor, nurse, tech, orderly, etc with kindness, but I'm sure I had bad days too. I'd say that you should be yourself, and even if being cheery is rebuked by the patient, remember it isn't about you. They are typically just grumpy with their situation and the battle they are facing.

Hey man. Although my cancer diagnosis was different than yours, it sounds like we did a lot of the same things at hopkins. I was diagnosed with leukemia with the Philadelphia chromosome, and had a half match transplant in the clinical trial. I'm not from Maryland, so being able to stay at Hackerman was a big selling point to go there. Are you on the top floor in the apartments? I had to take one of the studios when I first went down since everything on the top floor was booked. It was such an upgrade to get the apartment with the little kitchen and washer and dryer. My only complaint was the little couch in the living room. I guess they picked it for some kind of modern design look, but for me, when I'm sick, I just want a big comfy couch to lay on and watch tv. If the couch is ugly, it seems to make it even more comfortable. I'm guessing you go to 5th floor IPOP every day for your blood work and treatments. Do you know Ms. Tammy that does your vitals? She was always so nice to me.

How are you feeling at this point in the recovery? It sounds like we took the same types of things..cellcept, prograf, antiviral,antifungal,antibiotics, etc. Are you experiencing any gvhd? My transplant did not go smoothly, so to this day, I still deal with gvhd. It took me tons of steroids to help get it under control, but that takes a toll on your body and joints. This Wednesday is actually the anniversary of the day I got my transplant, and I'm excited because this is the first time I don't have to get my hips drilled for the bone marrow biopsy. I'll bet they are a favorite of yours as well.

At any rate, feel better brother. I don't have to tell you that this isn't an easy process, but it sounds like you've already faced the worst of it. Wear your mask when you go outside, although I wasn't the best at doing that myself. If you need someone to talk to, I'll definitely be a friend to talk to than can relate to your journey. Feel free to reply here or pm me. If there has been one big positive I can pull from my experience with cancer, is that it brings out a real sense of humanity in people, from caregivers, family, friends, and especially other patients and their families. I hope that has been your experience, and I'd like to offer the same to you.