Avril Lavigne revealed this week that she's been diagnosed with Lyme disease, which kept her bedridden for five months and scared for her life.
"I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't move. I thought I was dying,"
Lavigne, 30, told People magazine in its newest issue.
The Canadian singer fell ill last year and for months doctors could not pinpoint what exactly was making her so lethargic and lightheaded. Ultimately, though, they were able to diagnose her with a severe case of Lyme disease.
"I had no idea a bug bite could do this," Lavigne told People of the tick-borne illness.
Her mother moved in to help care for her, and her husband, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, also helped out. Now, Lavigne says she is feeling 80 percent better. Her new single "Fly" will be released this month.
The "Sk8er Boi" singer told People magazine that she is touched deeply by the outpouring of get-well messages and videos from fans.
Yolanda Foster, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, has suffered complications from
Lyme disease for about three years, E! Online reported.
She tweeted her support to Lavigne.
The disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted to humans via a tick bite,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and skin rash. Antibiotics are successful in treating most cases of Lyme disease, but if left untreated the disease can spread to the joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
Twitter users shared their sympathies.