[Cross-posted from my Patreon]
Since yesterday, I have almost 60 new patrons--and many of my existing patrons have adjusted their pledges upwards in order to help me. I cannot, I can never, thank you enough. Thank you so much.
[TW: Medical Stuff, Internalized Ableism]
For those who do not follow me on Twitter, yesterday I learned that the health insurance my employer switched us over to for 2018 doesn't cover my pharmaceutical meds. The pills I take to manage my pain (and which I gushed about as so amazingly life-changing in my last Patreon newsletter!) are now $400 a month--with another monthly $100 charged to administer a physical examination to determine whether I'm using these drugs properly. (This involves rigorous urine testing to see if I have more drugs in my system than I'm "supposed" to.)
A wonderful and beloved patron reached out to me yesterday and paid for my February meds, because I was having a panicky meltdown about going into the weekend without this resolved. (thank you thank you thank you!!) Meanwhile, new pledges poured in while my phone blew up with love. I have never seen anything like what happened yesterday. You are all magical and beautiful star-children and I feel blessed to know you and write for you. I went from feeling like a "burden" on the medical system and like the world would be better without my existence, to feeling safe in the arms of hundreds of people sending me love and affirmation.
Thank you.
Right now, we have a tentative plan forward in terms of medicine. My doctor wants me to try a different medicine which is itself $500 a month, but for which they have "coupons" which bring the price down to a fifth of that sticker cost. How long those coupons will last and how many I'm allowed to use is something they're checking on. So it's not the best solution in the world, but it'll hopefully keep me alive and pain-free for another couple months while we figure something else out.
My spouse is being wonderfully supportive through all this (as are my comfort cats--who are highly attuned to when mommy is upset) and he's doing everything he can to help. I'm drafting up an "in case of emergency" list of instructions for him on what to do with my Patreon, Twitter, blog, etc. in case I'm unable to post for any reason.
I love you all and thank you so much. I'm humbled and grateful to have you here. Monetarily, your support means more than I can say; emotionally, your support is equally invaluable. When I can create lovely combinations of words that touch others, I feel like I'm bringing beauty into this world. With you here, I don't feel like a "burden". ♥ ♥ ♥
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Today I'll be scheduling Patreon posts for February and they'll go up on the 1st. You'll get a slew of emails that morning! I'm really excited about the things I'll be posting, and I hope you like them as much as I do. ;) I also plan to get a Narnia up this weekend (tentatively tomorrow?) and I'm excited about that, too.
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