Avril Lavigne is opening up about battling Lyme disease, something she discovered she had last October while celebrating her 30th birthday.
"I could barely eat, and when we went to the pool, I had to leave and go lie in bed," she told People. "My friends asked, 'What's wrong?' I didn't know."
After months of not knowing what was ailing her, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease.
"I had no idea a bug bite could do this," the singer, who thinks she was bitten by a bug in the spring of 2014 said. "I was bedridden for five months."
The 30-year-old singer feared the worst.
"I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't move," she continued. "I thought I was dying."
Adding, "There were definitely times I couldn't shower for a full week because I could barely stand. It felt like having all your life sucked out of you."
With the help of her family and husband Chad Kroeger, Avril explained that she's "80 percent better."
"This was a wake-up call," she told the mag. "I really just want to enjoy life from here on out."
-- Jesse Spero
Copyright 2015 by NBC Universal, Inc.
Perhaps as it is April we will be seeing more stories such as this one, naming celebrities who have been dealing with lyme.
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Ann-Ohio
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So sorry to hear!! I remember when she first hit the music scene at age 17 (or younger). Even though I don't like rock music that much, she really impressed me. SO FULL OF ENERGY!
I hope she continues to improve.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Abxnomore
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posted
This should be in activism. We all need to place a comment in their comment section. I did.
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droid1226
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34930
posted
I hope we keep it in all 3 sections. Med questions, General Support, and Activism.
This is similar, maybe not as big, as Freddy Mercury, Rock Hudson putting AIDS on the map.
All the activism in the world isn't going to do what a little bit of media has the power to do.
She opened up a bunch of new people to the odd symptoms they've been feeling for the past months, years, whatever.
Now they can put a face to an illness and a name to that illness.
Abxnomore
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18936
posted
I totally agree but the site works against it's own best interests by shoving important issues in sections that get the least traffic.
Also, I don't sense a lot interest on the part of the membership for this kind of thing. It always feels like it's falling on deaf ears, but this precisely is how we can effect some change.
Everyone one should be posting in the comment site, like crazy.
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droid1226
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34930
posted
Agree. It exists to educate and prevent. Unfortunately that topic gets little traffic. It's all good now.
Fortunately, it's a steamroll now. Thousands doing the #lymediseasechallenge all over Twitter and Facebook.
beaches
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Member # 38251
posted
Again, It is my belief that no celebrity will ever be a "poster child" for this disease. I hope I am wrong.
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droid1226
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 34930
posted
I agree Beaches. I don't see having a poster child for an immune dysfunction. Like Dr H lays out, there's at least 16 factors making us sick so for one is mold, another yeast, another is bart....Lyme just seems to be the umbrella term.
I think it will give an upswell of people who have been laid up in bed for 5 months to seek "out of the box" treatments instead of going into a hospital and making your issues way worse..
That may eventually lead to greater research because someone will be losing financially..
Maybe it helps legitimize someone's disability case....Idk. But it can't hurt.
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