Kristi Karnopp's Diary & Blog

I have lost a lot of my thought I have written due to deleting it by accident on Sunday, March 31, 2024, when I was trying to copy and paste it to my Dear Diary this morning at 7:56 AM! UUGGHH! I am not retyping it today. I will write it in today’s journal…maybe…

My Day

My day today has been great. I am still up and updating my day before 9 PM. I have been watching Downton Abbey all day except when Ken and Tanya have been here. They were here from 2:45 PM to 4:00 PM. We watched Home Restorations where homes in Britian were being restored to their former glory or being remodeled to better the building. As a renter of an apartment, I do not have the luxury of remodeling a home or building, but my dad has the opportunity a few years ago to two homes he lived in in Janesville, Wisconsin. The second home dad bought and lived in for a few years was gutted out completely and built back up from scratch on the inside of the home. New kitchen appliances and counters, and a kitchen counter table to sit at for dinner leaving the dining room for company and family gatherings. I lived in the new home for the last two weeks of high school before graduating, and left home in December 1989 to be in the UCP Apartment Living Program until it closed down in 2020 and was renamed IDS (Independent Disability Services because our new Executive Director changed the name and were no longer under certain affiliates anymore) I was okay with the name change and the new executive director being Gayle at that time, a friend of Nancy’s who retired as executive director s once UCP Apartment Living Program opened before I became a member of the program in December 1989. Now, let me remind you that I was reminded about this last December that I was kicked out of the house about my sisster finding by the time I moved out because I kept dropping my pills on the floor where their two-year-old picked them up and put them in her mouth. To be honest, I did not know that my little sister was finding my dropped pills on the floor. I would have remembered a horrible experience if I saw it for myself, but I did not see it for myself. Now I am not saying it did not happen, but my relationship with my dad had always been a love/hate relationship ever since I was a teenager, and I did not measure up to his standards throughout my lifetime this far and age of 53 ½ years of age. I will be 54 on July 3^rd and if God wills it, I will see July 3, 2024, and turn 54 years old.

Thoughts on Chromebook

I am an Apple user. I have an iPhone 12 Pro Max and an iPad. I use them faithfully on a daily basis. I play my games on my phone and iPad everyday while at home or at my dialysis treatment for two hours and forty-five minutes. But lately I have been reading from books from the public library just down the street from my apartment building while I have been at dialysis treatment. The story I am reading now is A Ghost in the Machine by a British author Caroline Graham. Her character she has in her books is a gentleman by the name of DCI Tom Barnaby who has his way of solving a mystery—a canny way of figuring things out for the mystery at hand. As a matter of fact, the gentleman who plays Tom Barnaby is an English actor named John Nettles and his trustworthy sidekick and partner is Sargent Gavin Troy. Daniel Casey is Troy. Tom Barnaby was thirteen seasons and from season 14 – to season 21 is John Barnaby played by Neil Dudgeon and is Tom Barnaby’s cousin, and he had a role in season 12 as a different character not Tom Barnaby’s cousin. Neil’s character was a man who worked in a garden and took plants to the Barnaby’s she and her husband Tom Barnaby’s wife. My thoughts om Chromebook are moot and positive and is rarely used because of my iPad and iPhone. I do like my Chromebook, though. My thoughts are not necessary. I prefer Apple products anyway. I also have a series 5 Apple Watch for the past year now. It was my mom’s until she got a newer iWatch from Papa Lon. Lon is the very man who got me into electronics back when I was ten years old, and my first computer system was a Commodore C64 at the age of 17 at Christmastime in 1987, the year I learned I needed a kidney transplant, and the following year on March 12, 1988, I had my first kidney transplant at UW-Hospital and Clinics and was in the hospital a lot during 1987 and 1988 because of some complications that dealt with my blood pressure or twice regarding my transplanted kidney getting sick a little bit but turned around for thirty-one years before kidney disease grabbed it in 2016. I, then took medication to slow the disease from progressing fast, and I am notopo  w dialyzing since May 7, 2019, at the dialysis clinic. Now, starting May 24, 2024, i will have my first meeting over the telephone tele visit with faculty at Froedtert Hospital and Clinics in Milwaukee, Wisconsin since I will not be going to UW to be on the kidney list. Covid vaccines have been required…

Anyway, as far as having my Chromebook, I just wanted something different and Apple products are more expensive now. In fact, Apple products have always been more expensive. Getting my Chromebook from  Amazon.com was done in January. With Chromebook not being an Apple product, I do have to admit that I need to refresh my memory about Windows operating system versus Mac iOS (Mac operating system). It has been a few years since I have had a Windows operating system in my presence minus a Fire TV in my bedroom since January now. Alexa versus Siri is a change, and I must remember some things between the two operating systems sometimes, lol. I watch my living room TV that has a Roku box, and my bedroom TV has Roku on it, but it is a little different. Anyway, the Chromebook is something I’ve wanted for some time, and it is a nice product. Steve Jobs versus the other guy does not mean I doesn’t mean I like one over the other—preference—get it? I do…I think. 

With the Chromebook Pro I have got in front of me right now has a computer keyboard with the letters being in small capital letters when a normal keyboard has capital letters on the keys. Otherwise, the keyboard does have all the keys in their regular spot I have learned the keyboard in eighth grade using their computers for the first time. Mr. Rotar was my eighth-grade homeroom teacher and science teacher while in eighth grade at Milton Middle School.

This weekend, I have decided to use my Chromebook laptop to get some use of it, and the battery has a long life because I did not have it plugged in and charging for a couple of weeks until a couple of days ago, and the battery percentage was 88%. The other day it was at 78% and has been unplugged for three weeks when the computer was unplugged four weeks ago the first time. Amazing battery life? Maybe, so. I do like my Chromebook, but prefer MacBook Pro series muc

I am confused right now. lol, because I seem to be posting the same entry for Dialysis Update I & II to get my diary updated. It is not working for me today–apparently and honestly. I am glad company has left for the afternoon so I can get my diary at Dear Diary straightened out before late. Oops at my brain farts today by not paying careful attention. What a wonderful day today turned out–a very good day so far at 5:18 PM

Home 

I have been home now for the past two hours. After getting into the building, I met Jackie at my apartment for the first time in a while, by myself. I was glad I got the good, big elevator to ride up to the third floor when I pushed the button to call the elevator to the ground floor. In fact, the good elevator was already on the ground floor. I a Just my luck and thank you, Jesus, you know I do not like the small elevator when in my power chair. I really hate it, the small elevator, and I rarely hate things openly like this. I had my supper at the kitchen table by the living room window, then I got out of my chair and walked with my walker to the bedroom where I got into bed with my clothes on to be removed and change into pajamas tomorrow when Debbie gets here at 9 AM to work for a couple of hours since she has a baseball game to go to in order to support her son playing ball. Her son Tyler is in baseball for high school this spring season and summer practices and games. 

I am looking forward to my weekend of having my caregivers here for a short time in the morning and letting me have the rest of the day by myself with the cats Magic and Millie. Having time for myself is coming back and it feels good even though I am lying on my bed all day and night. I do sit up and read, write in my journal, eat and drink, and cuddle with Magic when he wants his loves and cuddle time with mommy/me. Millie has not cuddled with me yet. She is a little skittish and does like to be touched yet. She was a stray before I adopted her, and Jackie and Debbie brought her to her new home. She is eight months old and may never want to be held and cuddled. We will wait and see. She is a good girl, though. This is going to be a good weekend, and I may not see my sweetheart and his mom tomorrow because of a concert in the afternoon but will wait and see. 

Dialysis Update II 

With dialysis almost done for the day, with 1.56 out of 2.00, i have a few minutes left to dialyze. Sitting to wait, as patient as I can, is getting ready to head out by putting something things aside and to be put back in my bag on my power chair. I am excited about the next two days, for the weekend to get some things done with hopes of seeing my sweetheart Ken and his mom after church in the afternoon after lunch. My church always has a potluck after worship service. Although, I have not attended church for the past five years because I was being dialyzed on Saturdays until July 11, 2023, and I being bedridden at home for a year and a half—not anymore—I have yet to return to church. In July 2022, I ended up having Covid for a few days in the hospital and then a month and two weeks later, I ended up with a hematoma by my right hip, and a blood infection in my fifth catheter, and from that hematoma made it unable to walk and I relearned to walk within a year with a walker through therapy that I hated every minute of the 45 minutes every other day before dialysis treatment. Anyway, I am going to take a break in my journaling and come back shortly. Goodbye for now at 2:25 PM and being unhooked now. 

Now downstairs waiting for my ride home, I can take a few minutes to say that my weigh-out goal weight was at 87.6 and take 3.2 kilos from my walker and 1 kilo from my brace, I am at 83.4 if my math is correct or close enough if I am not correct. Sometimes doing computations in my head I can be off a number or two when computing without a calculator, and yes, I use a calculator faithfully when computing my expenses with Jackie once or twice a month, and weekly creating spreadsheets for my debits and credits, and money transfers. So home is close at hand because my ride and the driver being Don this afternoon is right on time at 2:55 PM, and I will be home by 3 PM today. Woohoo! 

Dialysis Update I 

With my weigh-in weight being 94.6 kilograms with the brace at 1 kilogram, at and my walker at 3.2 kilograms, my weight is 90.4 kilograms right now seems discouraging, and I have not done anything different with fluid intake this winter as I can only have 30 to 34 ounces (about 1.01 L) of fluid in one day all day long, and sometimes I go over a couple of ounces after 34 ounces (about 1.01 L) of fluid. It is just frustrating and depresses my hunger a bit at times. Oh well, right? Things will even out as Dr. Anjum states because the dry months are almost over, and the weather will be warmer and cooler because no heat will be running in homes soon. He still wants my goal weight to be 84 kilograms right now because I have been leaving at 86 kilograms, 85 kilograms upon leaving dialysis for the day and weekend. Okay, sometimes I wish to have his enthusiasm and upbeat attitude daily to be very honest with you because I do not have it right now it seems to me. I just accepted my handicapping condition the way it has been for two years recently. UUGGHH! 

Anyway, I got hooked up to the machine before 11:45 AM this morning. I like days like that. Yeah, I get done before 2:30 PM and may have to wait for my medical ride home until 3 PM, but that is okay unless I wait until 3:15-3:30 PM like I did on Wednesday is unacceptable. I have called specific people to complain about my medical rides not picking me up at a reasonable time before MTM took over February 1, 2024, when it was Veyo, and Veyo screwed up a lot on my medical rides, that working with people in government made programs can be hard to work with. Veyo was a bad scheduling company for medical rides. They did not listen to me a lot. Today I will be off and outside waiting for my ride by 2:35 PM and waiting for them should not be until 3:30 PM today—if so, well, I will be calling the right people to lodge another complaint. No one will abandon me today! 

I am so looking forward to my weekend for the first time in a very long time. I am not sure if it has anything to do with the weather getting warm again for the spring season because the weather all this week has been cold with some inches of snow, rainy and chilly days, and now more rain tonight before it gets warm again like spring has finally arrived. I will have cares, but only a couple of hours during the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. With it being Good Friday, the day and night Jesus was crucified on the cross because his haters wanted him to be crucified, I do have one more dialysis treatment left for the week to worry about. Also, I cannot forget to text my mom happy birthday wishes because she turns 80 years old today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! 

I took a quick break to send a message to my mom for her birthday and now it is time for me to go to the first floor and wait for my ride to dialysis treatment. Goodbye for now and be back later this afternoon or evening. 

Okay, I feel bad for Jackie’s friend for losing her dad the other day or earlier this morning, but when Jackie goes away to help her friend during the time she is supposed to work with/for me makes me feel like shit, and to me it looks like she does not want to work with/for me. Jackie runs in a rush to get out of my home just to go help others, and I don’t like it at all. It hurts me and I wish her not to be around at all because my mood about her changes to the point I wish her out of my life. Now the damn waiting game is going to be happening and I have hated the waiting game with her ever since she has worked with me. When she acts like she doesn’t want to be here, why bother coming at all. Ugh!

Today, my non-dialysis day, I don’t mind lying on the bed and watch Midsomer Murders on Roku Live TV channel 522 or Unsolved Mysteries on channel 520, or The Resident on Netflix. Jackie got me on that show. It was on for a few years. I’m also into Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD. I like S. Apatha Merkerson on Law & Order and Chicago Med a lot.

Well, the weekend is coming up and I have dialysis in the morning. I don’t want to go because I have been very frustrated with the idea of getting my weight back down to 84 kilos which makes 185.1 pounds if you want to be technically correct like I am with my numbers these days. Yeah, it is just downright uncomfortable to be close to 190 pounds these days when I’m not as active as I once was. In fact, although I am not as bedridden like I was a year ago, I am in bed a lot these days. Cannot wait for warmer weather so I get outside more with my caregivers during the day they are here … but hopefully will get to 84 kilos soon!

I have minutes left to dialyze. Yippie and an update will be written shortly. Goodbye for now.

Good morning from Janesville, Wisconsin. It looks like another cold day today at only 27 degrees this fine March day. It’s a dialysis day number two this week. Do I really want to go? No, not really, but I am not like some of the patients who will come when they want to or wish to, though. I am obedient to my doctors for the most part anyway even though I don’t like going to the doctor’s office. Dialysis is a must that needs to be done three times a week unfortunately. I hate it some days, but it does get me out of the apartment for a while and I see other patients there.

Speaking of other patients, I haven’t seen Linda and Paul for a while, and I learned they had died. Oh my goodness gracious  those two patients made me smile. There is another patient who makes me smile as well. His name is Ray. To be very honest, his jokester attitude also makes me roll my eyes a lot—practically every day he jokes with the techs in such  way that  can be eye popping scary sometimes yet we laugh with him after telling him that’s not nice. On Monday I volunteered to chop off his arm while one of the techs would chop off both legs. He loved and laughed at the idea saying he deserved that backtrack of the damn joke. Lol. I was glad of that to be very honest with you. What a jokester Ray is.

On occasion, I will see or hear patients who have Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday appointments but not all the time. I do miss my friends and regulars from those days, too. I did see Sally and another once this month because they needed an extra day. I don’t miss Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, though. I am glad to have normal weekends off dialysis now to be very honest. I just don’t like the 11:45 AM-2:30 PM time slot, and I can’t get up and going at 4:30 AM in the morning because my caregivers don’t get up that early. Julie M does 5 days of the week and every other week, 4 days of the week she is at her hospital job cooking for inpatients. She has Tuesdays and every other weekend off when there is enough workers those days, and sometimes she works overtime. It has been a rare occasion for her being off lately because other workers don’t want to work these days. The younger generation don’t want to work. How stupid. Because of my recent change in my physical condition and I am not bedridden anymore. I do like ti lay in bed when I’m home, though. I have low energy these days with low kidney function.

Well, the time right now is nothing to worry about. My medical ride will be here by 11 AM – 11:30 AM today. On Monday, my ride did not come until 11:15 AM and we didn’t leave the parking lot until 11:20 or 11:25 AM. It did not make me happy … not real happy about that. I think dispatch needs help. He is doing a good job most of the time, but I did not get a text at 2 PM yesterday regarding my wide, so I had to call and double check with Harry or Monica. You Buy We Fly is a family-owned business and it is a good medical ride company.

I am watching Midsomer Murders season 12 on Freevee this morning on my living room television. When I leave for dialysis, I will turn on the Roku Live channel for the cats so they have something they can hear during my 5 hours I am gone. Even though I am on the dialysis machine for only two hours and forty-five minutes each clinic visit, it takes a few minutes to clean and hook me up and a few minutes to unhook my catheter to and from the machine. It may seem a mundane to someone, but the techs and nurses want no problems with the machines. The patients as well.

Waiting for my ride to dialysis this week so far has been frustrating and longer than usual. I haven’t gotten to the clinic until almost 11:30 AM this week. It makes me feel very frustrated when I do not have time to sit for a few minutes before going to get a weigh-in before sitting in my chair. Picking me up between 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM is not acceptable, but I’m not complaining as long as I am on by 11:45 AM that happens to my on time anyway, but I love it I get on between 11:30 – 11:40 AM. No, I don’t like my on and off time always because getting here at 7:30 AM does not work for my caregivers. Deb is a mother to a high school in his junior year and Jackie is not a morning person before 9 AM. Before I moved to a time with having no dialysis on Saturdays did not happen until the clinic moved to the third floor of the hospital of the Sister Michael Barry Building above the cancer treatment center on the second floor.

I want to look into the Sister the building is named after. The building is attached to the hospital and the third floor was built above the cancer treatment facility in two years and we moved from 903 Mineral Pt. In July 2023. That was when the dialysis social worker was able to move my days to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I have yet to return to church in Beloit, Wisconsin on Cranston Rd on Saturdays.