OP, here. So far so good on my repair around 9 months ago of my big 22 YO Amana bottom freezer fridge. My guess that it was a bad thermostat (I bought and personally installed a new one) proved correct. While working through the problem in a semi-crisis mode I bought a few items: One, Yolink sensors, one for the freezer, another for the refrigerator section, and I can monitor the temperature of either very accurately using their Android app, no need for the primitive devices I used to have to look at by opening the doors. I also use Kasa energy monitoring plugs which tell me how much energy anything is drawing. I have several of those plugs and leave the refrigerator plugged into one. Again, an Android app at a glance tells me if the fridge compressor is on or off.
I used to have issues with the freezer door or refrigerator door being unsealed, but have almost no such problems now. One thing that helps, oddly enough, is that my kitchen floor tilts, which causes the doors to want to shut themselves... unless something is preventing that. I keep an eye on that.
I have no ice maker, it seems like an unnecessary complication of an already pretty complicated device-system. We do have hot spells here, but most of the time it's not hot, and that's year round, so my need of ice is sporadic.
Fingers crossed on not losing food from loss of refrigeration. So far so good for me. My worry on that is pretty much an extended loss of power. To that end I have a generator on my shopping list. What to get and how to use it, install it, maintain it is a research project that I've given some thought and energy but haven't made decisions yet. I figure a consequential earthquake would be the event I am preparing for.