the good, the bad, the ugly...

Hi Lolly friends!

It’s been one month since I had my chemo embolization... or as a medical dictionary would say… a major ass whooping.  In anticipation of losing my hair, I ordered a few cute hats online… better to be prepared. 

Unfortunately… I totally looked like Justin Bieber (just not as pretty. lol). 

The good news… the doctor said that I probably won’t lose my hair. And I’ve already passed the crucial 2-3 week post chemo hair loss period. AWE-some!

For all you non medical people out there, chemo embolization entails the Interventional Radiologist , the great Dr Sudheendra in my case, entering the femoral artery,  going directly into the liver, and locating the blood vessels that are feeding the tumor.  They inject the chemo directly into the tumor and then cauterize/ burn those vessels to cut off the tumor’s blood supply.  

They brought out the big chemo guns for me: cisplatin and mitomycin. 

BANG, BANG... you're dead, cancer! Or so we thought :o(

The bad news... I had my one month follow-up MRI yesterday and the bloody stubborn tumor is still there. 

So now… it’s going to get ugly, we are going to burn that mo fo. “The Roof, the roof, the roof is on fire…” My microwave ablation is scheduled for June 22^nd Hollar!!!! Can’t wait . Please keep me in your prayers… pretty please with sugar on top :o)

lots of love…

little lisa lollipop


P.S. Owen is 15 months today, 
and he is still awesome!

Hickory Dickory Dock...

Hickory Dickory Dock... the mouse ran up the clock.

I know... so much time has passed,  & I am long overdue for a post. Not that i haven't been thinking of you though.

But... as we predicted, my life this past year has been overrun by exhaustion, dirty diapers, bottle feedings, nursery rhymes, and so much joy!!! Owen is growing and learning so much.




As for me, I've been back to work since last May, and i have routine scans every 3 months. Once I asked my doctor when we could transition the scans to every 4-6 months, and he said, "We don't."  I guess due to the usual aggressiveness of this type of cancer. So... every 3 months come around... and i hold my breath... Sometimes you feel like a ticking time bomb. Hickory Dickory Dock.  Unsure of if or when it will go off. Unfortunately, my timer has just gone off :o(

That's the bad news... i have a recurrence of the cancer.
But I'm so fortunate because it could be much worse.
The good news... it is isolated to the liver, & we have a plan.
The best news... Owen is awesome!

Having him does make it scarier though. I can't bear the thought of not being with him or of him not knowing/ remembering me. I know... i'm being a little dramatic. I'm no where near that point, but you know how the mind tends to wander. And also that it's a recurrence too makes it scarier. I've had different types of cancer before but never the same one twice. Guess I'll cross that off my to do list :o).


So I'm just waiting on the clock now... won't have my chemo embolization until early May. Wish that darn mouse could run faster and speed up time. Please keep me in your prayers.



Best & lots of love...
little lisa lollipop

"Bald so Hard"............... by Tom

Welcome back Lollie friends!
Having been meaning to share this awesome You tube video for awhile. It's called Bald So Hard.

http://youtu.be/BHpz3UEmvQg

And speaking of bald being so hard... apparently somebody wasn't using enough sunscreen when she was sporting the baldie hairstyle last year. Had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my scalp yesterday. It would have been perfect if Halloween were today instead of last week.  I could have been Frankenface...but instead I was a mama tiger. And Owen was my baby tiger. Pix of Frankenface at the bottom... in case you don't want to see them.

lots of belated love...
little lisa lollipop

P.S. Apologies from Owen for holding me hostage

The nurse in me also needs to share this great info on skin cancer and mole checks that i found in the waiting room at Penn Medicine. Sorry, no CEUs :o)

Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs

Speaking of the NBA playoffs... this is a long overdue post. Couldn't post this without the pix though... just wouldn't be the same. Good thing we are up and running now.

Future NBA playoff featured here... and if that doesn't pan out, perhaps Sumo wrestling will have to do... the way he's packing on the pounds :o).

Well...you knew the playoffs were going to be good from Game 1 when LeBron had his LeCramp. And whether you are a LeBron fan or not, you have to admit that some of the Spurs fan posters in Game 2 were hilarious!




Giant poster size ones of him crying...                             Kind of reminded me of this...

Disclaimer: Note no babies were harmed or injured in taking this picture.                                  
Another funny sign... "I was gonna make a cool Spurs poster...but then my hand cramped."

Shout to Kawhi Leonard, the MVP.
Side note... after we became pregnant last year, we learned to think of Owen's age in terms of weeks. And now that Owen is here, we still think in terms of weeks... since a few weeks makes a big difference when it comes to babies. But never have a seen a grown man's age written this way. See... Kawki Leonard isn't almost 23, he's 22 years 350 days old.  Hilarious!

lots of love and basketball...
little lisa lollipop

i luh ya papi. i luh ya luh ya luh ya papi.......... by J.Lo.

The song can't say it enough times...
and i can't get it out of my head either...
i luh ya papi. i luh ya luh ya luh ya papi...
that's the only part that i know :o)

Truth be told... Juan, my papi, really liked the Father's Day poem, but perhaps my poem was a little too sentimental for some :o). And truth be told... i am the one always losing things, so that part was more about me than him. But the most important thing is that we can always laugh about things, and that is perhaps what i love most about him. I know how blessed I am, & Mimi said it best, it is all said with love.

To lighten the mood... let's try Jimmy Kimmel's mystery item pictures.  Essentially he shows you a small portion of a picture, & you have to guess what the item really is.






Picture #1:

Looks like real art, right?
Zoom out....     it is really a milk fang.










Picture #2:
I know what you are thinking!
Zoom out...  it is Owen's chubby thigh.










Picture #3:
You guessed it right.
Zoom out... Camel butt!









Hope you enjoyed the mystery pictures.
Forgot to mention that Juan enjoyed his Father's Day with Owen.
They spent all day together... watched the World Cup and the NBA playoffs...
it doesn't get much better than that.

lots of luh...
little lisa lollipop

When Life Gives You Lemons...

When life gives you lemons... 

We all know how the quote ends, right. You make lemonade!

Nobody ever sounded cuter saying it though than Alex Scott. And this weekend was the official Alex Scott Lemonade Stand weekend... the anniversary weekend of when Alex held her first lemonade stand at the age of four.  She made two thousand dollars at that first sale back in 2000... all of which she donated to the doctors... "to help other kids, like they helped me." After raising more than $1 million before her passing in 2004, her legacy lives on and has raised millions to help find a cure for childhood cancer.  

alexslemonade.org

On Friday we went to the annual Pitcher of Hope celebration... and it was bitter sweet... kind of like lemonade. Hahaha. Bitter because there was no flashmob :o(  ...and sweet because we have Owen to celebrate with us... and, of course, because I'm still here :o). Owen suited up for the occasion... as Barney would say. And, he got his first tattoos. I, on the other hand, was tempted to wear one of these T-shirts...  but thought they might not fall within the CHOP dress code standards.

Hilarious!

Bottoms up!
lots of love & lemonade...
"curing childhood cancer one cup at a time"
little lisa lollipop

P.S. Did you know that Alex was also an accomplished author... and all the people pictured in her book depict people in her life. And you might find a certain someone that you know.. hint hint.. look for the person with one leg. :o)

P.S. You are looking at Owen's chubby thigh :o)

Happy Belated!

Team Lolly

I know, I know... I am long overdue to write a post. Our newest addition to Team Lolly though has had me feeling like a zombie at times... and therefore, rendered me incapable of blogging... and also of writing any thank you cards :o).  I'm hoping the one year rule for wedding thank yous applies to baby showers as well.

Guilty as charged of the smell

And I know, I know... what kind of person would blame a baby... but he has to get used to it...  he will be my scapegoat for any unwanted expelled gas in public. Hahaha... and for any tardiness on my behalf.

Anyhows, here's what we've missed writing about these past few months...

Kiss me I'm Irish & adorable.

Happy Belated St Patrick's Day!

First family outing:
Cherry Blossom Festival
in Fairmount Park

Happy Belated Spring!

Happy Belated First Wedding
Anniversary!

Owen's 1st Easter

Happy Belated Easter!

Happy Belated
4th Birthday to
Rylan Cruz
in Heaven!

Happy Belated Nurse's Day!


Happy Belated Cinco de Mayo!




























And best of all...
Happy Belated Mama's Day!



lots and lots of belated love...
little lisa lollipop & Owen Armando