So much has happened -- both good and bad -- since my last post. Oddly, most everything seems to involve large sums of money. Here are the highlights:
- My old car died, so I had to get a "new" used one. Where I live public transportation leaves much to be desired; thus,a car is a necessity. I have to admit, though, I was not that sorry to go shopping for a newer model. It was actually pretty fun. Unfortunately, we had to take out a loan because we didn't want to spend the money we had saved for our home down payment (see below). Fortunately, we got a good interest rate and hope to pay off this loan by the end of the year.
- Of course, not long after we plopped down a bunch of money for a car, a bunch of unexpected expenses popped up (it's funny how things often seem to work out that way). I started having uncomfortable tremors due to the antiseizure medicine I had started (Depakote ER). Writing and other fine movements became difficult. I stopped that medicine, started having even more seizures (simple partial), then had to try out some different meds. I had too many doctor appointments to count. Prescriptions and medical appointments -- even with insurance -- can get very expensive when you have so many of them.
- While all of the above was going on, we were working on trying to buy a home...something we'd been saving up for (the down payment, that is)for a few years. We saw quite a few houses before we found a "dream" home that was within our budget. It's got two bedrooms and two and a half baths. There are some minor problems and cosmetic issues we've been slowly working to fix, but it's been amazing to call this place ours.
- Not long after we closed on our home and before we actually moved in, I had a terrible reaction to the antiseizure medication I was on at the time (Trileptal). The reaction I had was anaphylaxis. I was alone at the time and had to call 911 for myself. I was taken by ambulance to an emergency room and given life-saving treatment. Because the reaction was so severe, they admitted me into the hospital to monitor my breathing. Though life-threatening, anaphylaxis has a fast recovery time when caught and treated early enough. I was released from the hospital the next evening. I ended up on short-term disability (again) for about a month. I'll write about this experience in detail in another post. I was pretty traumatized by the event.
- Most recently (this month, in fact), I started a new job. It has better hours, better benefits, better pay, and requires less energy. I'm sure you can understand why I accepted the position! It was tough leaving my old job after five years, but the timing felt right...especially after the rough year I've had. Having gone on short-term disability twice in one year was not my idea of a good time; however, I think it was my body's way of telling me to give it a break.
