Vienna 4.0 With Olaf and Princess Anna in Tow

Olaf enjoying the first flurries (Olaf gained weight over the holidays!)

We are back in Vienna to continue treatment with Dr. Kleef. Layla started treatment on Wednesday and will be undergoing fever therapy with interleukin II next week. Following our last Vienna trip (Sept-November), Layla had two additional immunotherapy treatments. She had three IV injections of Coley's toxins at the St. Andrews clinic in Mexico followed by one of three intratumoral injections of immunotherapy in Mexico City by Dr. Williams. The treatment was aborted due to Layla's sudden onset of pneumonitis. The downside of immunotherapy is the possibility of autoimmune diseases as the immune system can go in overdrive.

Contrary to our liking, immunotherapy treatment was halted and Layla's pneumonitis was eventually resolved through a 4-week course of steroids. The blood work during this period did not look good because the tumor markers were increasing and they are currently at their highest. The blood test pointed to possible progression so we decided to have a Pet/CT scan in Vienna so Dr. Kleef could tailor the treatment.

We had the scan on Thursday and to our surprise, the scan showed stability and some regression but it also showed lots of immune related adverse effects which could be very serious on their own or could appear as such due to the intense immunotherapy treatment. We believe it's the latter and will monitor closely during treatment. The scan is actually in line with Layla's clinical symptoms upon examination by both Dr. Kleef and Dr. Nagy as Layla feels pretty good overall. We are still trying to make sense of the tumor marker values. They are definitely distorted.

This is our fourth trip to Vienna. We have experienced its charm in all of its seasons. We witnessed the first flurries of our stay, yesterday. We are staying in a nearby charming apartment that is only a five minute walk to the clinic. Nina could not physically join us on this trip but we all know she is fully with us mentally and involved in every little detail. So sticking to the Frozen theme and accompanying Olaf, we brought Princess Anna with us to be the eyes and ears of our Nina (or Big Boss) as the sweetest receptionist Petra calls her.

We are extremely thankful for all the donations toward the Gofundme campaign that Nathalie set up. Your contributions have eased the financial burden of our journey. https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-medical-fund-for-layla-aliahmad

With lots of hope and love,

Team Layla

Brr!



Getting Ready for Whole Body Long Duration Hyperthermia

Fever Curve During Whole Body Hyperthermia

Olaf, Keeping Watch 


View From the Apartment


Princess Anna Approving the Blog


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