Chapter 9:Embryo Transfer #2
Jan 19: Met with Dr. Dorothy Roach with HART Fertility.
She performed an ultrasound to make sure my uterine lining was healthy and to make sure there were no cysts on my ovaries. Everything looked good, as well as my blood work. We were able to look at my work and travel schedule and set an official date for an embryo transfer!! February 28th, a little HD-free embryo will be transferred. We are so excited. We are also nervous. She showed us pictures of the embryos. It is fun to see them. I still have the photo of our first embryo that did end up working out. There is so much work and money that goes into making just one of them. I treasure ALL of them and pray to God that this next try will be a success!
I went back to the house we were staying in to have dinner with Joe and then took off on a 3-hour drive to Dallas for my game the next day!
Jan 20: Woke up feeling excited about what is ahead. I got a good walk in, picked up a prescription at the local CVS, and went to the arena to call the Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks game on TNT!
Jan 21: Today, I woke up feeling ready to start the embryo transfer process!! This phase is easy and requires starting estrogen pills by mouth. I take three all at one time, once a day. My flight to Ohio was on time, and the trip to Texas was a success!
Jan 30: Today, we welcomed our new HelpCureHD video crew to our home in Ohio! They set up in our living room, and Joe and I talked for about an hour and a half on camera, so they have plenty to work with when editing our new charity video! We wanted to make a new video that focused less on how devastating the disease was and more on how many amazing HD-free babies have been born!!
Jan 31: Today, we had the wonderful Dana Jacobson and her producer, Natasha Singh, from CBS This Morning arrive for dinner and wine! They are doing a feature story on our charity, our personal IVF story, and the amazing families we have helped grow. Since they flew all the way to Ohio, we wanted to treat them to dinner and a fire.
Feb 1: The crew arrived at 8 AM with full lighting and equipment set up. We shot with Dana for CBS This Morning for about 4 hours. We did a sit-down interview with her, we played basketball, walked the dog, and just spent time together. I am so excited to see how this piece turns out!! It is a reminder that what we are doing is major work that SO many families need. We are thankful to the media for helping us spread the word and showcase all of the hard work everyone is doing.
Feb 2: Today, I flew to LA for my Clippers game. I got to the hotel and ordered dinner to the room and got a great night's sleep!
Feb 3: I woke up at 9 AM, and we had our game day production meeting from 10-11. It went great. I went to the Clippers shoot around to speak with players and then went to Brentwood to walk about in the sunshine and have lunch. Then back to downtown to call the Clippers vs. Lakers game! Pooja and Ronak came to the game, and we were able to grab fries and a drink after! Then they drove me to their house so we could stay the night together for when Pooja and I flew together the following day. She is starting her next round of shots for egg retrieval, and hopefully, I will be pregnant soon, so we decided one quick day trip to Napa was necessary!!!
Feb 4: Today I started estrogen pills by vaginal insert. Not fun, or pretty!! You basically pee blue and wipe blue all day long and get to wear a pad as well. Fun! Luckily, Pooja has been there and done that! We were able to poke fun at it. Our flight to Napa was on time, and we were greeted by a driver who got us to St. Helena safely! We started with a croissant and a coffee while she took a work call, then walked down the street to Merryvale for an amazing tasting with Armando!! We then had lunch at Charter Oak next door. Next up was a tasting outside at Alpha Omega. In three years, we both miscarried, had multiple egg retrievals, she got married, we both lost parents…sometimes you just need someone who gets it. Pooja is like family to me, and this was just what the doctor ordered.
We got an Uber to Healdsburg and finished the night with an over-the-top dinner at Single Thread. Our friends got us reservations and we stayed at a cottage owned by Valette chef Dustin Valette. Pooja and Ronak bid on a dinner and stayed there at our Houston HelpCureHD Gala, and we used the stay on our trip! It was adorable, and the food and whole experience was fantastic.
Feb 5: We took our time getting to the airport, and when we got home, we had close friends over for an Italian take-out type of night. Dhash and Grace made us laugh. We recorded our first tik-tok video and continued the sisterhood love.
Feb 6: I got to see another great friend tonight. I Ubered down to Newport Beach, where I got to snuggle up with Kelly and her new puppy Poppy (not really new anymore, but still new to me!) We went to dinner at an old favorite sport, the A restaurant. Two bar seats opened right up, and in the two bar seats next to us, we were entertained by old men, hookers, a WWE former wrestler, Kelly's old friend from school. To say it was entertaining is an understatement. That is part of why we go back. It’s a hoot.
Feb 7: I woke up and went to Orange Theory for a workout. It felt amazing to work in a workout. Once IVF shots start, working out is not encouraged. I was able to get coffee with Susie Dicker. Susie used to be my chaperone when I was Miss Teen USA back in 2005. She has since moved to OC, done two egg retrievals, got married, and is kicking ass. Just to hug her gave me so much joy. I then got an Uber back up to LA and got to have dinner with Kelli Raftery, another Kelli! I worked with her father, Bill, during March Madness for years, and their family became family to me too.
Feb 8: The Cali trip continued. This time I got to call the Bucks vs. Lakers on TNT!
Feb 9: Goodbye Cali, hello Arizona! One step closer to getting to see Joe. But first, more close friends who we consider family. I flew to Phoenix and got to have dinner at my best friend Courtney’s house with her husband Jeremy, her son Conrad, Joe’s best friend Lou, his wife Sarah, and all three of their kids. We are Godparents to one of the twins, Mikey!!! They are so adorable!!! There was one child per adult it was hilarious. Baby fever over here!!
Feb 10: Production meeting, Uber to lunch with Courtney and Sarah, Uber to ultrasound via outside monitoring at Advanced Fertility in Glendale for endometrial thickness and to check ovaries for any cysts, Uber back to the hotel, walk over to Footprint Arena for Suns vs. Bucks. Interview DeAndre Ayton, JaVale McGee, and Jrue Holiday. They were all awesome. Jrue’s family is so impressive from both parents playing division I hoops, both brothers in the NBA, his sister, was a UCLA star, and his wife is an olympian for soccer. I love stories like this. Can you imagine how competitive holidays are? Or what a group text looks like??
Dottie said my lining looked great. The doctor printed me out a picture of it. The thickness was 8.3, which is looking right on the money for the transfer. This kind of news is great, but I do not let myself get excited. It is one more step closer to having a beautiful baby, but there are so many ways to fail still. Once you miscarry once, it makes you more hesitant to celebrate every small victory. It doesn’t mean I am not enthusiastic about having a baby, but it is more of an “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Feb 11: Fly to Nashville to meet Erin for a HelpForHD Dinner!
Labcorp Estrodial and Progesterone level draw upon arrival
Vaginal inserts on the plane and also in the bathroom of The Palm Steakhouse in Nashville. While in the bathroom, a woman told me she had one baby naturally, four miscarriages, and two babies through IVF. I am telling you, these stories ALWAYS give me perspective, set me straight, and remind nee to count my blessings. They also remind me that WOMEN ARE BADASS!!!!!
Feb 12: From Doctor Roach after bloodwork: "Absolutely perfect! Let me send you a schedule on Monday for the seven days before transfer. Keep everything the same right now."
Dinner with Brantley's
Feb 13: Drive to Naples for my dad’s birthday
Feb 14: In Naples for Valentines day
Feb 15: Today first day I only had to do one estrodial vaginal insert daily! Added in a low dose aspirin daily as well.
Feb 16: I had an All-star outfit fitting with Layne from Threadwell Clothiers, who are local out of Columbus. I worked out at Orange Theory and then picked up my meds from the pharmacy, including low dose aspirin, Medrol, and Valum for surgery week! After, I flew to Chicago and drove to Milwaukee.
Feb 17: I worked out with Mike! Once you complete your embryo transfer, you’re not supposed to do any strenuous activity. I wanted to get one last good sweat and workout in before I started my shots, and Mike came to the rescue! Mike was my former strength coach at Ohio University! He opened his studio in Milwaukee and made me feel like family by picking me up and taking me to his gym!
I also attended shoot-around and talked to James Harden for about 20 minutes. It was good to get his perspective about the trade from Brooklyn to Philly.
Game time! Philly vs. Milwaukee was awesome! The arena was packed, and the game came down to the final seconds!! Now off to Cleveland tomorrow for NBA All-Star Weekend!!
Feb 18: Drove to Chicago and then Flew to Cleveland for NBA All-Star!
Feb 19: Made it in late to Cleveland after some weather delays. Better late than never! I met my closest friends at the hotel for a bite and a huge. Kari, Craig, Kelsey, Jack, Lexi, and Drew all came. It was the best group!!!!
Feb 20: I met the local jewelry company who brought me the most amazing pearl and diamond choker. Sheiban Jewelers. They are an amazing family and were great to work with!!
Joe got in with Brantley, our dog, and checked into the hotel!
We stopped by the CAA HH party and went to the Marble Room to meet Arian and my family for apps and drinks.
I went to All-Star Saturday night, and it felt like Joe, and I were in our first year together! We stopped by the suites, where we knew some of the workers and bartenders and had friends. We stopped by Travis Kelces suite as well. Then we went to Barley Houses’ new basement lounge called Lost. It was a very cool spot. It didn’t feel like we were in Cleveland. We couldn’t get an Uber or Lyft, though, so we had to walk back…THAT felt like Cleveland haha.
Feb 21: Joe and I drove to my parents in Vermilion to stop and see my aunt Connie who was recovering from her double knee replacement. She is doing great and even walked to the door to greet us!! Her scars are big but healing well. After, Joe and I took off to Dayton to unpack and get some sleep before I leave again in two days.
Feb 22: Tonight, I started progesterone oil shots! Joe did an awesome job. I couldn’t even feel it! I used the heat pad after and the massage chair. We snuggled all night, and it was awesome. It felt like we were dating again!
Daily protocol starting today and leading up to my embryo transfer:
Estrace PO 2 mg, take three tablets daily by mouth in the evening.
Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate 100mg/ml. Inject 1 ml daily into intramuscular from 6-8 PM
Medrol 8 mg, take one tablet by mouth, twice daily.
LD-ASA 81 mg. Take one 81 mg tablet by mouth every day,
Feb 23: Meds for the day!
Estrace PO 2 mg, take three tablets daily by mouth in the evening.
Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate 100mg/ml. Inject 1 ml daily into intramuscular from 6-8 PM
Medrol 8 mg, take one tablet by mouth, twice daily.
LD-ASA 81 mg. Take one 81 mg tablet by mouth every day
I left the house at 10 am for a noon flight, connected through Atlanta, and took a flight to Portland for my Warriors Trail Blazers game tomorrow! At 6:00 ET on the Delta flight, I pulled out my needles and progesterone oil and shot up in the bathroom. Haha. I have now done shots in a Circle K gas station, a baseball stadium, a basketball arena, and an airplane! I can’t make it up! I had the best crew dinner with Lori Brooks, Brian Anderson, Jeff Randolph, and Rich Russo! I also emailed work telling them that I felt most comfortable taking off from the day of the embryo transfer until my pregnancy test. I was scheduled to do seven flights in 10 days following transfer. While the doctor told me you could fly as long as you aren’t doing strenuous activity, I am not aware of the stress traveling has on my body, and I wanted to have a peach of mind knowing I did everything I could to give this baby the best chance of sticking. They were extremely supportive. I am at peace.
Feb 24: Meds for the day!
Estrace PO 2 mg, take three tablets daily by mouth in the evening.
Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate 100mg/ml. Inject 1 ml daily into intramuscular from 6-8 PM
Medrol 8 mg, take one tablet by mouth, twice daily.
LD-ASA 81 mg. Take one 81 mg tablet by mouth every day,
Tonight I had the honor of covering the Warriors after Stephen Curry’s historic 50 point NBA All-Star night! They faced Portland, who is young and exciting to watch. It has been amazing how many co-workers have shared their support and prayers for our IVF process with me! I even had a friend come to the game who brought me a spa kit and a crystal that was energized with love and energy. SO SWEET. I also got to do a story on a kid who was born just 3 lbs and told he would never walk again, let alone play basketball. He ended up making the varsity team, and Stephen Curry met him after the game to tell him how amazing he was. It was great perspective for me. My sister is also going through serious medical issues. Perspective is everything. She reminds me that anyone has the strength to overcome ANYTHING. Someone always has it worse. And you are never alone.
Feb 25: Meds for the day!
Estrace PO 2 mg, take three tablets daily by mouth in the evening.
Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate 100mg/ml. Inject 1 ml daily into intramuscular from 6-8 PM
Medrol 8 mg, take one tablet by mouth, twice daily.
LD-ASA 81 mg. Take one 81 mg tablet by mouth every day.
I am flying to Houston!! I will be here until the transfer. I am excited to get unpacked and comfortable in a city where I can give my full mental and physical attention to this process. I am thankful for a great husband, a great doctor, and great friends.
Feb 26: Meds for the day!
Estrace PO 2 mg, take three tablets daily by mouth in the evening.
Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate 100mg/ml. Inject 1 ml daily into intramuscular from 6-8 PM
Medrol 8 mg, take one tablet by mouth, twice daily.
LD-ASA 81 mg. Take one 81 mg tablet by mouth every day,
Feb 27: Meds for the day!
Estrace PO 2 mg, take three tablets daily by mouth in the evening.
Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate 100mg/ml. Inject 1 ml daily into intramuscular from 6-8 PM
Medrol 8 mg, take one tablet by mouth, twice daily.
LD-ASA 81 mg. Take one 81 mg tablet by mouth every day,
Feb 28: Embryo transfer day!!!
Estrace PO 2 mg, take three tablets daily by mouth in the evening.
Progesterone in Ethyl Oleate 100mg/ml. Inject 1 ml daily into intramuscular from 6-8 PM
Medrol 8 mg, take one tablet by mouth, twice daily.
LD-ASA 81 mg. Take one 81 mg tablet by mouth every day,
Start stomach shots daily of blood thinner as well. This was decided because of my previous miscarriage. Bloodwork showed a problem with my “natural clot buster” in non-medical terms, and this is supposed to help reduce the chance of miscarriage.
I love this day SO MUCH!
Not only do you get to stay awake for the procedure and see your little embryo go in, but you sleep like a baby the rest of the day! I came home and drank my beet, pineapple, watermelon juice, had a big lunch and took a BIG nap. Then I snacked and took another nap. Then dinner. Then sleep. I mean CAN THIS BE EVERY DAY??
Embryo Transfer Tips from Allie
Channel your inner superwoman! Remind yourself you are brave, remind yourself you are loved, and remind yourself its in God’s hands.
Listen to your body. If you are tired or overwhelmed, get rest. Try meditation, mindless TV, music..whatever works for you. If you feel great and have a lot of energy, keep doing what you’re doing!
Invest in a heated massage pad for heating up your progesterone oil and using on your glutes after your inter-muscular injections.
Invest in a therein as well to massage the glutes after your shots. The oil can harden and form balls which can be painful.
Eat pineapple if you like it! Don’t stress too much about this, but blood thinners, like aspirin, are commonly recommended to women trying to conceive by their doctors to support blood flow to the uterus. The bromelain in pineapple can have a similar effect.
Get lots of good fats, lean proteins, fruits and veggies!
Stay hydrated!
Manage your expectations. The two week wait can be extremely nerve wracking. Just remember if you have done everything you can, that has to give you peace. This process is NOT perfect. But YOU ARE.
March 1: It is not every day Joe and I are BOTH in Houston together and he doesn’t have a baseball game! We maximized this to make sure we got some of our 2022 Houston Gala planning in place! Our newly hired VP of Development, Sarah, flew in from Louisianna to take the meetings with us. We started with the Astros Foundation meet! They have a newly hired prez. She was incredible and we planned our third annual HelpCureHD day at the ballpark and talked about potential dates for a gala. That night, we met friends who are not only the most amazing people but also huge supporters of HelpCureHD. They had us over for pizza and it was a very productive day of HCHD meetings. It wasn’t too strenuous. Every meeting besides the Astros revolved around food so I wasn’t complaining haha.
March 2: Today I started with my beet, pineapple, watermelon juice, and a decaf coffee (shocker!). Then I went to an all women’s breakfast meeting with a guest speaker who is one of the most knowledgable sports hosts I know. The women in the room were very engaged and they will all be invited to our gala.
We then met with Texas Children's Hospital and their marketing group. They were excited about what we were doing. Not only giving the gift of life (we like to say we are in the healthy baby business!) but also about eliminating a rare disease using this process, which is truly remarkable. I thank God every single day He led us down this incredible, life-changing path. We would have never had this vision without Him.
Next, we went to Dr. Erin Furr Stimming’s house. This has become our home away from home. Her incredible mother and father came over, as well as her sister-in-law, and we introduced her to Sarah and also accomplished gala planning.
From there we went to dinner with the very first fertility practice partner who donated two cycles to our foundation. Joining us was one of his doctors, and a dear friend who has worked in this business her entire career and is always willing to help HCHD. It was a 3+ hour dinner!!!! Everyone is all aboard to help us make HD-free babies. That is what matters!!!
March 3: Today I woke up and had breakfast. Two eggs and half an avocado with a decaf coffee and a cup of pineapple. I went to a Houston Symphony luncheon to support one of my dear friends and see lots of my Houston family that I knew would be in attendance. I then went to an awesome hat pop-up shop to see another friend and walked away with a cowboy hat as a bonus! The highlight of the day came when I went to my friend's clothing shop, Alchemia, to meet a clothing designer named Alexandra. Jen, who owns the shop, connected us. Listen how meant to be this was…
Alexandra started a clothing line called Hera. Hera is the goddess of women, marriage, family, and childbirth. Alexandra had her own battle with infertility. She used it to inspire her new line of clothing that is all about making sure women remember they are true goddesses JUST AS THEY ARE. She was so full of life and bravery and we even talked about teaming up together for an event for HelpCureHD to feature women and their fertility journeys. What a blessing!
I was wiped out after the last two days of meetings. I went back to the house we are staying in, warmed up leftovers, and was in bed by 9! I fell asleep by 10. What another blessing!
March 4: Today I slept as long as I possibly could (which was 9 AM because I went to bed at 10 haha). I had a great breakfast with a beet, pineapple, watermelon juice, a decaf coffee, two fried eggs and toast, and a banana. Then I went for my first walk since the transfer. I walked for 20 min and was exhausted after. WHO AM I???? I always tell people to listen to their bodies though, so I did. I came back and made a shake and grabbed a bunch of snacks and just relaxed on the couch. Then I did a foam roll session on my glutes which was TORTURE. SO worth it, but that is never easy during this process. My friend reminded me today that I can pee on a stick tomorrow instead of waiting for the blood pregnancy test on the 9th. Do I do it????
March 5: Another great day of sleeping in!! I woke up and made a smoothie with spinach, kale, vanilla plant protein, banana, and peanut butter and made a decaf coffee of course! Then I went to see a friend's, new little baby!! We went for the best 20 min walk! She is an IVF momma and shared with me some encouragement and reminded me of tips. One of them was to use lidocaine patches before the progesterone shot goes in. She gave me her leftover patches so I will try that soon. I have yet to try it. I then was an idiot and peed on a stick to see if I could detect early pregnancy. Of course, it said not pregnant. My friend I was with told me her friend tested positive on day three once and it was a miscarriage, and her other child didn’t show pregnant until day 7 and is a healthy child. There is no perfect system here. I wasn’t sad or mad. I was more laughing at myself for trying to know 5 days after transfer. I then went to another friend's house to see her baby who is 20 months old! She is also pregnant with number two!! Baby fever!! Funny thing is, when I got home, my pregnancy test showed a very faint pink line under the pregnancy column. Turns out it is showing up early. Too funny. I am staying level-headed until the heartbeat, so the pregnancy test via stick or blood isn’t going to get me too high or low.
So then the day gets more exciting. I get home to do my shots, and I FaceTime Joe like I always do. I mix the needles and attempt to put the progesterone in my glute. That is where ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!!!! I hit a blood vessel!!!!!!!!!! It was the first time I have ever done that!!!! Blood was literally gushing like a foundation all over the bathroom!!!!! I plugged it and cleaned everything up, but when they tell you “you’ll know,” they mean it!!!!!! Make sure you never do your shots over carpet!!!!
But today was fun. I just ordered food and waiting on Joe to get back from San Antonio while watching Duke and UNC. It was another great, relaxing day for my body and mind. Besides the blood vessel. Haha.
