Avril Lavigne gets super honest about her struggle with Lyme disease
Yesterday morning, Avril Lavigne stopped by Good Morning America and opened up about her harrowing experience with Lyme disease. In a tearful interview, she explained the difficult diagnosis and her time struggling to get back to health.
The journey started in October, but doctors at first struggled to figure out what the problem was, assuming it was exhaustion from touring. She was told she was suffering Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but Avril kept looking for the cause of her symptoms.
As it turns out, she had Lyme disease, a bacterial infection transmitted by tick bites that can cause symptoms ranging from headaches to fatigue to problems with the nervous system in later stages. It’s also the source of a controversial medical debate. With limited research and understanding, the disease can be difficult to diagnose, and if left untreated, can have life-threatening consequences.
For Avril, who is now halfway through her treatment, the struggle with Lyme was “literally the worst time of my life.” At times she struggled to stand up and didn’t have the strength to brush her teeth.
“I had night sweats, and I felt like I had the flu,” she shared. “They didn’t really know what was wrong with me.”
What changed was finding a Lyme disease specialist who confirmed her diagnosis and aggressively treated her symptoms before the disease progressed too far.
Now she’s on antibiotics and resting while her body recuperates. She told GMA she’s seeing progress and expects to make a full recovery. But she wants to send a message to others who may suffer from the same overlooked and misunderstood illness: “There is hope. Lyme disease does exist. And you can get better.”
(Image via Instagram)
