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arkpdx

Am I not normal

  
By:  arkpdx  •  Qustion  •  5 years ago  •  29 comments

Am I not normal

Ok I know how some of you will answer that question and I will concede that no I am not normal. That is a trait I am extremely proud of. The reason I am asking is because my sister said I wasn't normal (I know that is a common opinion if many sisters about their brothers and vice versa) because I am currently in the hospital to have possibly two stents put into the arteries in my heart and I am not worried or concerned or worried about the procedure. I was also this way when I had open heart surgery three years ago and when I had a craniotomy. A little over a month ago. I just consented to all three operations and never gave them another thought. 

So I ask you does that make me weird?

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arkpdx
Professor Quiet
1  author  arkpdx    5 years ago

Ok I will put it to you all. Does not being concerned or worried about major heart and brain surgery make me abnormal.

BTW, the photo is of my new cat , Missie Meow, doing what she does best.

 
 
 
shona1
PhD Quiet
1.1  shona1  replied to  arkpdx @1    5 years ago

Evening arkpdx. I am currently sitting in hospital under going treatment for multiple myeloma. There is no cure but they can put it to sleep. I can honestly say I have not fallen into a screaming heap. I think my practical instinct side kicked in and has remained to this day. Ok no cure tick can put it to sleep for how long who knows tick. We are all going to die tick and some of us will go before others tick. Are there others worse off bloody oath. So no you are not abnormal. We know what is what can't change it so just get on with it... some people can't accept that...fair enough but they aren't in our situation. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you. Best wishes from across the Pacific.

 
 
 
shona1
PhD Quiet
1.1.1  shona1  replied to  shona1 @1.1    5 years ago

Nice cat by the way...

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
1.1.3  Paula Bartholomew  replied to  shona1 @1.1    5 years ago

I know little of you, but if first impressions count, I feel you will come out on top.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
1.1.4  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  shona1 @1.1    5 years ago

shona,

Hope that cancer remains asleep. I am sure you know that Mac's wife is going through treatment for multiple myeloma. I know that it is a long hard journey to put it to sleep. My fingers are crossed for you, and may you have the easiest possible treatment. 

Please keep us up to date with how things are going. 

 
 
 
Freefaller
Professor Quiet
1.3  Freefaller  replied to  arkpdx @1    5 years ago
Does not being concerned or worried about major heart and brain surgery make me abnormal.

Not in my opinion it doesn't.  Though I've only had a couple knee surgeries (plus scuba, skydiving, 5 deployments) I was the same way with no plans of changing

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
1.4  Vic Eldred  replied to  arkpdx @1    5 years ago

I don't know if it is normal or abnormal. I knew a man who hated fear of any kind. I got to watch him for the first 30 years of my life. What I learned from him was that things seem to go better when you are prepared and free of worry.

BTW: good luck on the surgery.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
2  Buzz of the Orient    5 years ago

If you're so courageous that you simply fear nothing it would be, at least, unusual.  We all have certain instincts and fear, to assure our survival, is one of them.  On the other hand you could have such incredible confidence in doctors and medical procedure that the operations you've experienced and are presently undergoing are no different for you than getting a haircut is for me (which, by the way is a surgical procedure of part of my body). .

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
3  charger 383    5 years ago

  Being able to put the worry aside is a good thing and hope all goes well

 
 
 
XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
3.1  XXJefferson51  replied to  charger 383 @3    5 years ago

I hope that all went well. 

 
 
 
Sunshine
Professor Quiet
4  Sunshine    5 years ago

Your cat looks like she doesn't have a worry in the world.  

Nothing wrong with that...jrSmiley_79_smiley_image.gif

Well wishes arkpdx.  

 
 
 
1stwarrior
Professor Participates
5  1stwarrior    5 years ago

Arkpdx - I'd say, and, again, this is just me, that you are normal for someone who has already had a heart procedure.

I had a massive cardiac arrest in 2015 and was "dead" for a little over 4 minutes - no blood flow to the brain, no heart beat - nothing.  A few bits of plaque had busted loose from my arterial walls and, while getting pumped into the heart - just shut me down.  "My" cardiologist inserted two stents, a couple jolts of electricity, and got my heart ticking again.  Since my brain and heart hadn't been "communicating" for over 4 minutes, the placed me in a medical coma in ICU for 13 days to get the two to become friends again.

Three years later, after undergoing my annual nuclear stress test and two 90 minute turns in their machine that looks deep into your cardiac functions, Doc's office calls me on a Wednesday and tells me I will be receiving another stent to be placed inside one already inserted the following Monday.  Told my wife and went out and played a round of golf Wed/Thur/Fri/Sat and rested/watched a PGA tournament on Sun.

No worries in my mind - no concerns - wife and i even joked about it.  After having spent 34 days in ICU and Rehab being punched and poked continuously all day - the additional stent was actually no worries.

You're doing good my friend - let me know when you get through and I'll have a huge cup of caffeine loaded coffee for you.

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
6  Trout Giggles    5 years ago

You're simply you and that's ok. Why worry about something that you have no control over? Good luck on your procedure and I love your cat especially her attitude and name

 
 
 
JaneDoe
Sophomore Silent
7  JaneDoe    5 years ago

Normal like beauty, is all in the eye of the beholder. I am not sure anybody is 100% normal.

Stay strong!

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
8  Perrie Halpern R.A.    5 years ago

You are not crazy. You are keeping a cheerful outlook, and that has been shown to give the best outcome. I wish you the best of luck, and please keep us informed of how things are going. 

OK so you have a really cool cat, but who is the dog? I love basset hounds. I used to take care of one when I was a kid.

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
9  Ender    5 years ago

I don't think any of us are normal. Hell we are posting on NT.  Haha

Good luck on the procedure. A positive attitude is the best medicine.

Wishing you the best !

 
 
 
Larry Hampton
Professor Participates
10  Larry Hampton    5 years ago

I don't know any interesting "normal" people. 

Keep your chin up Ark.

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
10.1  Paula Bartholomew  replied to  Larry Hampton @10    5 years ago
I don't know any interesting "normal" people. 

Hi.  I'm Paula.  Nice to meet you.jrSmiley_9_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
arkpdx
Professor Quiet
11  author  arkpdx    5 years ago

Thanks for all the kind words and wishes. I wish I would have asked this before I ordered a t shirt with this on it.

 
 
 
1stwarrior
Professor Participates
11.1  1stwarrior  replied to  arkpdx @11    5 years ago

Great Tee Ark.

 
 
 
arkpdx
Professor Quiet
11.1.1  author  arkpdx  replied to  1stwarrior @11.1    5 years ago

I got this one also

White, Straight, Republican, Male - Funny Republican T-Shirt lolm_sw_r_cp_aptcxwpa_i_Rav9DbG3NA1KZ

 
 
 
Steve Ott
Professor Quiet
14  Steve Ott    5 years ago

Normal is just a statistical aberration. Hope all stays well.

 
 
 
Veronica
Professor Guide
15  Veronica    5 years ago

arkpdx, there is no normal fro everyone - just normal for us individually.  My family keeps telling me I should go have my medical physical & all the tests to tell me if I am healthy or not and I tell them no because I do not want the doctors putting me on meds for non-existent ills.  I tell them when it is my time I will go.  They tell me I am not normal.  I am who I am as you are who you are.  That is normal for us.  

BTW - Love the picture of your Basset Hound... I love Bassets.

 
 
 
Enoch
Masters Quiet
16  Enoch    5 years ago

Dear Friends Arkpdx, Shona1 and All Who Posted Here: 

To Arkpdx and Shona1: I am here for you if and as wanted and needed through site private notes, then private email during your procedures, recovery and return to the day to day journey of life.

May you both enjoy complete and speedy recoveries. 

To all who posted on this discussion thread.

Know that I am very proud of how you all came together for two of our best.

Your support of fellow News Talkers is exemplary.

You did yourselves and our community proud. 

It does get dicey here often.

When the chips are down all can know and ret assured there are fellow News Talkers who will be there for you.

We are all members of this on line same family. 

Peace and Abundant Blessings To One and All.

Enoch.    

 
 
 
shona1
PhD Quiet
16.1  shona1  replied to  Enoch @16    5 years ago

Morning Enoch. Currently I am in the cancer clinic hooked up to this new wonder drug. It is 11am here. Will it work who knows it is in the lap of the Gods as they say. The weather is calm hot and expecting 40oC here in Melbourne. I can see an oak tree from where I am sitting nice and green and throwing shade for people to sit under. I asked for a window seat as I want to look out. I am not use to being hemmed in... wide and open spaces for me... thank you for your care and concern as many of us from all corners of the world travel down an unknown paths. This year I am spending Christmas hundreds of kilometres away from my family and I struggle with that greatly. But it is what it is and I will just have to make the best of it. Thank you to everyone for your support through these last few months...Yes mankind can be the absolute pits at times with what we do around the world to one another....but at the end of the day human compassion and friendship will always win out...as we can see on here...Happy Christmas to everyone from an Aussie from the Land Down Under.