Avril Lavigne Reveals Lyme Disease Diagnosis; Singer Says She Felt Like She Was 'Dying'

A few months ago, Avril Lavigne’s name was trending on Twitter after the “Sk8er Boi” singer revealed to her fans that she was having some health problems. Now that she’s officially on the mend, she’s opening up about her recent struggle with Lyme disease.

When her fans started lamenting on social media that their favorite artist had been missing in action for a little too long in December, Lavigne, 30, interacted with the @AvrilMusicChart fan site and explained to them that she was having some "health issues."

“I feel bad because I haven’t been able to say anything to the fans to let them (know) why I have been absent,” she wrote in a series of direct messages on Twitter (via ABC News). “I’m torn as I’m quite private. I’m not feeling well. I’m having some health issues. So please keep me in your prayers.”

While she remained tight-lipped about her condition - some speculated she was pregnant - she was overcome with well wishes from fans in the form of tweets and videos. Almost immediately, the hashtags “#PrayforAvril” and “GetWellSoonAvril” started trending.

Now, in an exclusive interview with People Magazine, the “Complicated” singer revealed that she’s spent the past five months battling a severe cast of Lyme disease. "I had no idea a bug bite could do this," says Lavigne, who thinks she was bit by a bug carrying the disease last spring. "I was bedridden for five months."

For those unfamiliar with the disease, the Mayo Clinic describes it as the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe. Ticks in these areas carry the bacterium that causes the disease and can often pass it while feeding on human or animal blood. While doctors have an easier time curing the illness with antibiotics in the early stages, even someone who discovers it late, like Lavigne, can completely recover over time with proper treatment. Still, in the meantime the illness can be incredibly debilitating.

"I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't move," she said. "I thought I was dying."

She went on to say how the videos from fans truly helped her and made her recovery that much easier. Now, in an effort to make her absence up to the fans that love her so much, she’s hitting the ground running. Her new single “Fly” will reportedly launch later this month. The song is meant to support the 2015 Special Olympics.