You gotta keep going…Press on: Meet @dadcue

JOHN: What brought you to Mayo Clinic Connect? 

@dadcue: My profile says I joined July 31, 2020. Maybe it had something to do with Covid-19 and I needed something semi-social. I retired a few years prior to 2020 because my health wasn’t very good. I joined a few other health forums before Mayo Clinic Connect. I didn’t feel as connected to the other forums as I do now. 

It is fun to engage with people who have the same health concerns. The online forums are a better way to express those concerns and get information from people who share the same health issues. Most people you meet in person don’t have the same interests and don’t share the same health concerns.

JOHN: What motivates you to take part in the community?

@dadcue: Good question! Sometimes I don’t want to be part of any community but I am drawn to Mayo Clinic Connect. I have a wide variety of health problems. Maybe it is time to put it all behind me and move on. However, I remember when I had so many questions and not many answers. 

My responses on Mayo Clinic Connect are mostly what someone else has told me and about what has impacted my life. There was a person on a health forum who replied to my questions. I didn’t ever meet her personally but she went to great lengths to answer my questions. She told me things that I didn’t know about prednisone. She was in a coma after an adrenal crisis and said she was sent back to tell people about her experience. We communicated for months until I assured her that I understood. She changed my life before she died. Posting on Mayo Clinic Connect is my way of paying it forward. 

I try to look toward the future and not dwell on the past. Revisiting the past is my way of going forward. It is also therapeutic. Does that make sense? 

 JOHN: What about Mayo Clinic Connect makes you feel comfortable to share and to be open with the community?

@dadcue: I’m comfortable because everyone seems to respectfully agree or not agree. I’m not one that wants everyone to agree with me. I like to test my ideas and get other people’s opinions. I still don’t have many answers but I like sharing my opinions. I feel comfortable doing that on Mayo Clinic Connect. I have been on other forums where there were dominant opinions. Conforming to the dominant “expert opinion” was expected and that wasn’t very comfortable. Kudos to the moderators on Mayo Clinic Connect because there aren’t any major conflicts that I have seen.

JOHN: What support groups do you participate in?

@dadcue: Mostly I follow the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) support group. Sometimes I follow the Autoimmune Diseases, Spine Health, Eye Conditions and a few other support groups but I’m not as active. These other groups are all pertinent to me but I don’t select these groups to follow. When topics from these other groups appear I respond. I respond to anything that piques my interest. I’m interested in everyone’s personal experience with health-related problems.

JOHN: Tell us about a meaningful moment on Mayo Clinic Connect.

@dadcue: That’s a hard one because there have been many meaningful moments. I am grateful to anyone that has responded to me in a caring and compassionate way. Anyone that has responded to me has been meaningful to me. Some people respond to me more than others so they probably know who they are.

Sometimes when I don’t get any response, it is meaningful too. Just being able to post my thoughts is meaningful. What I write is therapeutic for me. It is nice that someone reads it.

JOHN: What surprised you the most about Mayo Clinic Connect?

@dadcue: The information people share about PMR and their thoughts about prednisone are excellent. There are things about PMR treatment that are pertinent to the USA and not many other places. I’m intrigued that PMR is receiving much more attention in the USA compared to when I was first diagnosed 15 years ago.

Prednisone is still considered the only option for PMR in other parts of the world. Treatment of PMR in the USA is changing rapidly. My treatment with a biologic seems to be received well on Mayo Clinic Connect. It isn’t pertinent in other parts of the world. Some people say there aren’t any PMR forums in the USA. That simply isn’t true and Mayo Clinic Connect is excellent. 

JOHN: What energizes you, or how do you find balance in your life?

@dadcue: I’m still off balance but that is the result of my autoimmune disorders. I feel like I’m overcoming some of the things that were out of balance in my life and that is what energizes me.

JOHN: Tell us about your favorite pastime or activity

@dadcue: As a retired nurse, I enjoy writing about medical topics on Mayo Clinic Connect. It keeps me in touch with medical topics that interest me. Otherwise, I enjoy traveling and seeing the world. I was blessed with a good life and I had a wide range of experiences over my lifetime. I enjoy revisiting the places where I’ve been and also going to new places. I have a TransPacific cruise to Sidney,Australia planned for October of this year. I have done a TransAtlantic cruise already but might do it again in 2026. 

There was a point in my life when everything seemed to be slipping away from me physically. Now I’m discovering what I can still do. I am learning to be adaptable as my physical therapist says. I’m able to do more in the water than I can on land. A cruise on the ocean is a good way to travel when you have the time. Being retired now allows for more time.

JOHN: What do you appreciate most in your friends?

@dadcue: Honesty. It doesn’t matter if it is right or wrong, good or bad, as long it is what you honestly think or believe.

JOHN: Do you have a favorite quote, life motto or personal mantra?

@dadcue: Maybe a song that inspires me. The title of the song is ”Press On” so that is probably the phrase that suits me. The song is by Billy Sprague: The message for me is that you gotta keep going, press on.  (https://youtu.be/ly7059gbBGA).

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