Does Avril Lavigne have lyme disease?
WHILE the singer has found immense success in the entertainment industry, she has faced major health difficulties.
Avril Lavigne has been open about her health struggles.
What was Avril Lavigne diagnosed with?
Lavigne was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2015.
She contracted the illness in the spring of 2014 after being bitten by a tick.
In an October 2018 interview with Billboard, the songwriter spoke about the severity of her condition.
She discussed how she began to feel sick during her 2014 tour, prompting her to visit multiple doctors in search of what was wrong.
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Once her tour ended, her condition worsened.
After a friend suggested that Lavigne could be suffering from Lyme disease, she contacted Yolanda Hadid, who had been diagnosed with the illness. Hadid gave Lavigne the contact information of a Lyme disease specialist.
Following her diagnosis, Lavigne said: "I was in bed for f***ing two years."
The Canadian singer added: "It’s a bug — a spirochete — so you take these antibiotics, and they start killing it.
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"But it’s a smart bug: It morphs into a cystic form, so you have to take other antibiotics at the same time. It went undiagnosed for so long that I was kind of f***ed."
Lavigne also told the publication about how her pain led her to pray.
She said: "I had accepted that I was dying. And I felt in that moment like I was underwater and drowning, and I was trying to come up to gasp for air. And literally under my breath, I was like, ‘God, help me keep my head above the water.’"
This inspired her hit song, Head Above Water. The track's music video — which was released on September 27, 2018 — has 124million views on YouTube.
The star told Billboard that the "silver lining" of her health struggle "is that I’ve really had the time to be able to just be present, instead of being, like, a machine: studio, tour, studio, tour. This is the first break I’ve ever taken since I was 15."
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a common, treatable illness that is spread by ticks.
According to the CDC, it is "the most common vector-borne disease in the United States" and is "caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and rarely, Borrelia mayonii."
The public health agency also states: "It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks.
"Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
"Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks.
"Laboratory testing is helpful if used correctly and performed with validated methods."
The CDC also says that the majority of Lyme disease cases "can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics."
Where is Avril Lavigne now?
Despite the challenges she has faced, Lavigne is once again active in the music industry.
She will soon be on her Love Sux 2023 European Tour, which kicks off in April 2023.
The 38-year-old is also active across multiple social media platforms.
Her Facebook page, @avrillavgine, has 50million followers.
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She has more than 20million followers on her Twitter account, @AvrilLavigne, and over 12million followers on her Instagram page, @avrillavigne.
The star has over 12million subscribers to her YouTube channel, @AvrilLavgine, and 5million followers on her TikTok page, @avrillavigne.