RSS, Part Deux (or Trois)

Okay, so here's the long-awaited follow-on RSS post. (well, at least Laura is awaiting it :-) I'm going to use GReader, because I LOVE GReader (in Google We Trust).

Anyway, go to reader.google.com. You're going to have to sign up for a new account, or log in if you already have one. Go to my blog and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Not yet, you still have to read my post so you know what to do next. Click on the link that says "Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)", and you'll be brought to a new page that has a drop-down menu where you'll find "google". Click "Subscribe Now", and then you'll want to click "Add to Google Reader". Voila! You'll see about 10 of my most recent posts, and you can select "Mark all as read" to get past them, and from now on you'll get my new posts when you log into GReader.

Okay, no more tech talk. I can already see Grandma's eyes glazing over. She has a different kind of RSS feed - it's called the "Dad prints them out and brings them to Grandma's house" feed. It's very retro :-)

So, some of the blogs I've been reading regularly are "Dress A Day," "Sewing Divas," and "Behind the Seams." All are sewing-related blogs where the bloggers discuss patterns, give tutorials, show projects in progress, recently completed projects, etc. I've always enjoyed sewing. I even sewed my wedding dress:


Anyway, so I've been learning all of these new techniques and alterations, and I've found cool new fabric stores on the web. I've really become a sewing geek. And I've been really wanting to get back to actually sewing again, but here's my conundrum - I'll spend all this time working on clothing that is not going to fit me in another couple of months. It may be tough to appreciate if you've never tried to sew anything before, but bust size is crucial to the fit of a garment. In fact, I actually have to make special alterations to a pattern to get the garment to fit my bust properly, which takes a lot more time. After surgery, I'll end up with a different enough bust size that all those alterations will be garbage. Not all that motivating, is it?

Then, Jocelyn and I were talking about cute clothes at our favorite store (Ann Taylor Loft), and about how we covet the new clothes but want to avoid spending too much on new clothes. Then I had a eureka - I could make clothes for her, too! She spends lots of time knitting me things, and I don't do a darn thing to reciprocate, so I am starting on sewing more with the idea that she will be able to wear the clothes that I can't :-) I'm still in the beginning stages of my first shirt (with all my newfound sewing expertise that I've gathered on my favorite sewing blogs), but I'm really excited to be able to resume an activity that makes me so happy :-)

Anyway, I hope you can make use of the RSS feed info. And if you can't, Grandma, I hope you enjoyed hearing about the sewing ;-)

Update 1 on "The Joy of RSS"

As I was driving in this morning, I realized that although I described RSS, I never really explained how to get it working. Duh. Sorry about that. Then I saw Laura's comment and I realized maybe I should give an explanation on how to do it. I'm at work now and I don't quite have the time to write it up now, but I promise to give another update on instructions for using RSS with GReader. For those who are adventurous, go to reader.google.com and play around.

The Joy of RSS

Last week, I promised that I would tell you all about. If you're under 25, you probably learned about how to read an RSS feed before reading a book, so no need to go further. For everyone else, prepare to be rocked.

So, first of all, what is RSS? It stands for Really Simple Syndication (in its infant stages, it stood for Rich Site Summary). It's used to "push" content from a website to a viewer.

The idea is, a web author updates a special file every time they put new content on their website (whether it's a new article on CNN, a new blog post on Megan's Pink Blog, or a new LOLcats picture on ICanHasCheezBurger). You can look for a special symbol to verify that a website is RSS-enabled:

Usually it's a tad bit smaller on the website. To see one "in the wild", you can go to CNN's website and scroll down about 3/4 of the way to the bottom. In the left hand column, there's a cluster of links (RSS Feeds, Emails, CNN Mobile...). CNN actually has several feeds so you can determine if you want to be updated on sports news, international news, etc.

Meanwhile, from the comfort of your own home, you find your favorite reader and "subscribe" to the feed. The reader does the work of checking all of your subscriptions to see what's new. First, let's talk about readers...

I use Google Reader, or GReader as I affectionately call it. But, you can use an add-in for Microsoft Outlook so that it's delivered to you like e-mail. Or, if you use Firefox, it has a built-in reader that displays headlines from a button on the toolbar. I also have a widget on a sidebar of my regular desktop on Windows Vista that has a reader built right into it (neat-o). I like GReader the best, though.

Once you choose your reader, you need to "subscribe" to the feeds you want. Your reader has a way to do this, and most websites will even subscribe for you if you click on their RSS link (but it may or may not work with your reader). With Google's Reader you can even search for interesting feeds. And, in true Google fashion, after it gets to know you it will suggest feeds you might like.

Why is this so great? Well, if you're like I was, you have your usual route of websites that you troll on a daily basis. The problem is, sometimes you forget one. Or maybe you get distracted mid-troll and my, look at how much time has gone by and you're only half way through your list! Or maybe you're lazy. Anyway, I like that my favorite websites tell me when they have new content. It simplifies my life. And all the kids are doing it.

Rusty, looking over my shoulder (of course) has pointed out that many people may not really benefit from this because mine is the only website they read. Well, that may be true, but it would be pretty egotistical for me to think that, so I hope you find this useful.

Chemo Round 7

Round 7?! When did that happen? Wow. I'm almost done!!!! 7 down, 1 to go :-)

Anyway, let me update you on how the wonderful world of chemo is doing, and give you some details about some of the ongoing conversations and concerns I have with my doctors.

First, we started the day by arriving a half hour early. I mean really early. Let me explain. My appointment with Mr. Wizard, or his Nurse Practitioner, Julia Child, NP starts at a different time every round (the NP doesn't sound like Julia Child or dress like her, she just kind of reminds me of the way she looks). Anyway, I'm supposed to arrive a half hour early to get my blood drawn for the CBC (complete blood count). At first, they didn't tell me this, and I would just show up 15-20 minutes early, get my blood drawn, and meet with the doctor or NP. Then they formalized the process and told me to shop up a half hour early. Since then, I've been a little inconsistent about how I write this in my calendar.

Anyway, for some reason, I wrote down 9:00 AM in my calendar, but I thought we had to be there at 8:30. Turns out we had to be there for the blood counts at 9:00 and the meeting with the NP at 9:30. No problem - I'm just a half hour early, right? Yeah, right. If only it weren't for the fact that I'm embarrassingly Type A when it comes to these appointments. Why? I dunno - I don't want them to leave me out there for hours on end. Also, I want to get my good room, damnit! The longer I'm out there waiting to see the NP, the greater the chance that someone could take the last big room with a window, and we can't have that.

So, anyway, I see someone that arrived after me get called to meet with my NP. And THAT, my dear friends, is like adding lighter fluid to a pile of smoldering embers. So, the next time I saw the nurse, I asked her if I was in the queue. She informed me that my appointment was at 9:30, but she would see if they could get me in sooner. D'oh! After she called me, I apologized for being a little too Type A, and she just laughed a little - all was well.

During the appointment with the NP, she explained to me that last week my liver enzymes were way out of whack and she would not treat me if they got even a smidgen worse. We then looked at them, and she explained that last time some where at 4x the high end of normal. This time, however, things were good to go. (Hemoglobin was a low, as usual, but we're okay with that). Which makes me wonder... Did I have a beer the night before my last infusion? Or was it the orange juice mimosa and Bloody Mary the morning of? (just kidding!) Oh well - I will have to remember to avoid that next time.

We also discussed something I've been worrying about since my last infusion (in fact, this was the topic of a near full-on freakout mode a week and a half ago - that Rusty is such a sweetheart). It turns out that my surgeon (who I never gave a nickname... I'll have to think of one - I'm accepting submissions) is going on sailing for 3 weeks in the month of August. This is the one vacation he takes every year. The guy works very hard, and I do not want to suggest that he doesn't deserve a vacation, but this poses a bit of a problem to me...

You see, my last round of chemo is July 31st. Yay! I will be meeting with my surgeon on August 4th to discuss the details of the surgery and to schedule a date. From what I've read, the optimal time to schedule the surgery is 3-4 weeks after the last chemo treatment. This gives my immune system time to bounce back so that I will heal after surgery, but not quite enough time to give the cancer the opportunity to grow. The problem is that my surgeon returns from his vacation on August 28th. That puts me right at the 4 week mark, and if my surgery is delayed any more, I'm pushing 5-6 weeks.

I spoke to Julia Child about my concerns, and she did say that they were very valid questions. She then informed me that the person who was supposed to go on the trip with my surgeon just broke his leg, and it's possible (maybe even probable) that he will not get to go sailing. Ya know, as much as I shouldn't be delighting in the misfortunes of others... I guess I kind of am. After all, it's not like he has cancer.

So, although this situation isn't resolved, I'm feeling better about it because I've voiced my concerns in an assertive way. If it turns out that the trip goes on as schedule, Mr. Wizard did say that he's very happy with the response of the tumor, but we'll have to wait for the results of the MRI and the Mammogram I'm about to take tomorrow and Friday. If the response was really good, maybe it's okay to push it out to 5-6 weeks. On the other hand, it may make sense to do an extra round of chemo. I did suggest the possibility of stretching out my last round (as in, doing it in 3 weeks instead of 2), but that doesn't seem to be an option. And, finally, I could chose another surgeon. HELL NO. He's the best, and I want only the best for my boobs.

Anyway, so that appointment ended, and I walked away feeling not completely satisfied, but much better. I then went to choose my room, and I had a glorious room with a window. Yay! Next, it was time for my infusion nurse. We'll just call her Nurse Awesome because she's awesome (I normally have the same nurse, which makes me very happy - when she's not in, I'm not exactly thrilled). Anyway, Nurse Awesome tries to stick me with the IV, and for the first time, it fails. :-( She had to try a different spot, which eventually worked. I'm not really doing this part of the day justice, but it just wasn't a pleasant experience and it's so discouraging. It hurt a little, and the phlebotomist drawing for my CBC earlier in the day had trouble, too - both times hurt. I think my veins are getting pissed. Anyway, it made me cry a little because this was just such a topsy-turvy day. Eventually the IV went in and I got my Benadryl and feel asleep :-) For the rest of the day, everything was pretty standard and here we are.

So, I hope everyone is still reading. I know I've been a bit sporadic about posting lately, but I will dedicate a post on how to get my blogs more efficiently so you don't have to keep checking this website. It's called RSS, and if you don't know how to use it, it will rock your world once you do. If you want to research it in the meantime, I suggest going to your favorite browser, typing "www.google.com" in the address bar, and then typing "what is RSS" in the search bar. jk. (that's what the kids use for "just kidding") I promise to give some instructions soon.