Gratitude, Prayer, and Community Help Claire Through Hard Times

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Fast facts

• Name: Claire or @claire57 on Bezzy

• Location: Ottawa, Ontario

• Year of diagnosis: around 2019

• Describe yourself in three words: sweet, kind, loving

• Go-to healthy snack: peanuts, yogurt, popcorn

• Your happy place: playing a game on my tablet, church, smelling flowers, a funny movie, and listening to music

• Best piece of advice you’ve ever received: Stay in church, go on a straight and narrow road, keep your faith strong, try to stay positive, don’t take life for granted, and enjoy the simple things in life.

• Person who inspires you the most: My friend Pam. She had stage 4 appendix cancer and beat it. That’s inspiring to me.

• Hobby: crafting, painting by numbers, reading, and listening to music

• Songs that make you smile: Charlie Rich singing “The Most Beautiful Girl” and Don Williams singing “Cup O’Tea.” These are the songs that my mother listened to, so when listening to them, I’m thinking of her memory.

• Favorite movie or show to watch: My favorite shows are vet shows, zoo shows, and anything about wildlife or nature. I also like true crime stories.

• Celebrity you would love to see play you in a movie: Judy Dench or Meryl Streep

Q&A with Claire (claire57 on Bezzy Psoriasis)

Tell us about your diagnosis. When were you diagnosed, and what were your first symptoms?

One day, I woke up, and I couldn’t get out of bed. I called my doctor, and he said that I sounded depressed. He told me to go to the hospital and to see if I could get some counseling.

I had to wait for months for an appointment. At the same time, my doctor could not diagnose the rash that I had on my body, so he sent me to a dermatologist.

The dermatologist said that I had inverse psoriasis (IP). I have it on my scalp and nails, so he put me on methotrexate, folic acid, topical cream, and gel.

I did finally get an appointment at the hospital for an assessment. The doctor said that I have clinical depression. My family doctor gave me a prescription for sertraline for depression. I’ve also had bowel and nerve issues.

I couldn’t go to work, so I went on unemployment for 4 months.

I first started experiencing these symptoms about 6 or 7 years ago, and it’s been terrible living like this. I haven’t been back to work for 4 1/2 years.

I can’t eat gluten and dairy. I figured that out by myself. I had to cut it all out of my diet.

How do you balance everyday tasks with managing your condition?

It hasn’t been easy. That’s for sure. On days when I can do things, I really do the best that I can. Most days, I’m too tired and in too much pain to do much.

My place gets very cluttered. My dishes don’t get done for days. I take it one day at a time.

When I get around to doing some cooking, I make a big batch of food so that I’m prepared for a while. I snack on things during the day. Sometimes, I’ll have a sandwich, soup, or a bag of salad. I get things that are easy to prepare.

What’s one thing you wish you knew right after your diagnosis?

I wish I knew what caused it and what to do about it. I wish I had a better idea of how I could live and work with this.

I did work right after my diagnosis, but then anxiety and depression crept up on me. From that day forward, I could not work, even after counseling.

What’s been the most challenging part of living with your condition? What helps you get through bad days?

Everything has been a challenge. I deal with it one day at a time and one thing at a time. What really helps me get through my challenges is to be grateful for what I do have and not take life for granted. I think it helps to enjoy the smaller things in life.

I also have a spiritual side. With prayer and having God by my side, I can get through anything that life has to throw at me.

What do you wish friends and family understood about your condition?

This has not been an easy thing because my family has cut me out of their life and so have a lot of my friends. I have tried to tell them about my condition, but they’re not interested. They don’t want to listen to me. Now, I only see my family on Christmas Day.

Most of my friends think I’m too much with so many health issues, and they don’t know how to deal with that.

What does being a part of Bezzy mean to you?

The Bezzy community has helped me a lot. Many people in the community are going through the same things that I am feeling.

It’s helped to read comments from others in the community about how their lives have changed and how they cope with multiple health issues.

When I’m feeling down and really lost, I go to the community. I find it takes my mind off my problems. Sometimes, I can help someone else and make that person feel better. That’s a huge positive thing for me.

When there is no one else I can talk to, there is the Bezzy community.