I haven't been posting much at all. February was an atrocious month for my health. I had bronchitis, then influenza a, then a 3 day stomach bug (vomiting the whole time), then a sinus infection. It never stopped, just went from one thing into the next, all the while I didn't have Enbrel for 5 weeks. Getting it okayed by the new insurance was an absolute nightmare. And not because they ever planned to deny it, but because everyone involved but me kept dropping the ball.

First the receptionist did not give my new insurance information to the approval specialist and it was two weeks before I checked up on them because they said give it two weeks. Then the approval specialist quit. Then they hired a new one. From that point on I went in and plopped myself down in the waiting room once a week. Okay, two of those times was an appointment for my daughter and one for me, but still, once a week I was in there.

After five weeks without meds they finally go, "Oh, we can get you samples," so I was able to get shots again. Then on Friday the approval specialist said it had finally gone through and I should hear from the speciality pharmacy any day now. I heard from them on Tuesday, but I was out doing appointments and couldn't call back until Wednesday, but it is all set up now and my prescription should arrive next Tuesday.

I have two sample shots left, one I take tomorrow, so that will put me one up on the prescription for back up. Hopefully the company does not change insurances again, because it was horrible to be without that drug. The rheumatologist said that she'd been thinking of doing a trial of a month without the drug to make sure it was really helping and now we don't have to do that. It is definitely really helping, because those weeks I did not have it I went into a full on flare, the most painful one of my life, and it took two weeks of having it again before that went away.

In the middle of all that I was taking care of my mother after her shoulder surgery, except when I got the flu and I literally went to bed for ten days. DH and DS pitched in there. Then eldest sister got really, really sick with massive bleeding. They thought it might be cancer, but the biopsy came back clean, but she will have to have a hysterectomy due to a mass. She's 61, so it's not like she needs that.

So I have been miserable up until about four days ago. I am still sick but have been on antibiotics for six days now. And my brain is functioning again. While I was so sick I watched a lot of mindless youtube videos (mostly reddit readers) because I couldn't hold plots in my head until about two weeks ago. Not even sitcom ones. I haven't read a book in a month, but I think my brain is working enough to do that again.

I still have to take it easy because I have so little strength, but I am slowly trying to get the house back in order and make meals again.

As for finances, I have stayed on top of that. It took all my brain power, but I did. Today I worked out the March budget. There were 20 hours of overtime on this paycheck and there will be 20 hours on the next one (as projected, one week has already been worked of that, so ten down). We will be paying for our vacation with part of the OT (I did have money in savings I could use, but would rather not) tomorrow.

If all goes to plan, we will be about to pay of $2500 in debt this month. $1000 this week and $1500 the next payday. If not, $2000. We did spend a lot on takeout while I was so ill, so some of the OT is going to pay the credit card. And by part, I mean around $1000. But with DH working on so much OT, taking care of mom, taking care of his mom's stuff, take us to the doctor because I was too sick to drive, and having to do laundry and cleaning, he was far too exhausted to cook. And I literally could not get out of bed for a good chunk of time. But still, $2500. That will leave a balance of $2500.

Oh, and our back up refrigerator died on my 50th birthday on February 12th. That was fun. I was too sick to do anything for a milestone, but oh, well. We picked out a new fridge on the 16th. It was the first time I went out and it sapped all my energy for the next few days. Most people could probably get by on one fridge, but I have two tubs of dough going at any one time, and we buy in bulk, usually for a month at a time, so a case of oranges, a case of apples, 20 pounds of potatoes, 20 pounds of sweet potatoes, plus my ferments, and all of the cheese take up a lot of space. It also helps in the summer when I am harvesting a lot of veggies and might not be able to can it or blanch and freeze it on the day I harvest.

We did get one with an ice maker and filtered water, so we can stop buying ice and we don't have to have a filter on the kitchen sink anymore or two gallons of water taking up space in the main fridge. I can see everything now and we can have meal prep in the main fridge. It is nice. But man, refrigerators are expensive now. This one didn't even have all the bells and whistles, it was just a simple side by side. The really fancy ones, what I all my dream fridges, are over $3K.

It cost $1100, but would have cost $1500 if it hadn't been on a President's Day sale. It could have been cheaper with out the ice maker and water in the door, but only by $200. MIL paid for it. We didn't ask her to, but apparently she'd been spending a lot of money on SIL's family so far this year and wanted to even it up. She wouldn't have even known about it, but since she called me on my birthday I mentioned it and that we were going to look at Habitat for Humanity's store where we got our last back up fridge for $25. And she said, "Oh, just get a new one, I'll pay for it."

I did go around with her about that for a bit because I had done some online research before I talked to her and I knew how much they were and that's when she told me how much she spent on SIL and her kids and grandkids and I stopped hemming and hawing and accepted the offer. She said we could spend up to $5K if I wanted. I don't think I could ever do that on an appliance. Maybe for a stove, washer, and dryers, too! No, if we ever get the dream fridge we are paying for it ourselves.

Anyway, that is why I have been so quiet for the last several weeks. Now if you all could pray for me that I can beat this darn set of illnesses down, not contract Covid-19 (killed 10 people here so far), and be able to go on our vacation in a week and a half for our 25th wedding anniversary, I would really, really appreciate it. I can be sick there, too, but I really would like to be able to enjoy the seaside.