Hi deepsouthpool and welcome to the forum!

Good decision to get a good kit. That will make things much easier for you. In the meantime the cheap OTO/Phenol red kit will help. Do you have a reliable pool store near you that you can let test your water one time so we can get a baseline on some of your readings? Make sure that CYA is one of the things they test. Don't let them talk you into buying any goop of any kind. They will try!

Don't add anything else to the pool right now other than plain, household bleach. Get several bottles of 6% bleach (generic is fine) and also a box of 20 Mule Team Borax (laundry aisle) while you are at Walmart getting the OTO kit.

Report with a current total set of readings and we'll go from there.