Avril Lavigne is speaking out about her battle with Lyme disease, joining previously stricken Yolanda Foster to explain how the condition impacted every part of her life. But for the singer, getting an accurate diagnosis and then learning how to cope with Lyme disease was the most challenging part of the journey, reported ABC News.
After becoming ill during her tour last year, Avril has been forced to rest more. She also has taken antibiotics.
“I’m about halfway through my treatment,” revealed Lavigne. “I’m doing a lot better. Seeing a lot of progress…. I’m just really grateful to know that, like, I will make [a] 100 percent recovery.”
But now, in retrospect, Avril still feels haunted by just how difficult it was to find a specialist to determine what was wrong.
“I literally became bedridden last October,” recalled Lavigne.
The doctors that she initially visited came up with diagnosis ranging from chronic fatigue to depression.
“They would pull up their computer and be like, ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome.’ Or, ‘Why don’t you try to get out of bed, Avril, and just go play the piano?’ It’s like, ‘Are you depressed?'”
Avril’s symptoms included night sweats and feeling as if she repeatedly had the flu. It took two months before the singer suspected that she might have Lyme disease, after which she began her hunt for an expert.
“I started going to other doctors and, like, specifically telling them and asking, like, ‘I have Lyme disease. I know I do. Can you check me?'” she said. “Then I finally figured out, ‘Find a Lyme specialist.’ And the thing is, when you’re a specialist, you also really know the disease inside and out and you can diagnose their symptoms.”
Linked to tic bites, which did Avril says occurred in the spring of 2014, Lyme disease put Lavigne on bed rest for five months. She noted that her husband, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, and family helped.
But now Lavigne has a message about the condition.
“There is hope. Lyme disease does exist. And you can get better,” the singer declared.
And her eyes are on the prize of doing what she adores for the rest of her life.
“I really just want to go out there and truly do what I love. So I’m so excited for life after this.”
Yolanda Foster takes pride in Avril’s honesty about her Lyme disease, reported Us Weekly.
“I took Avril under my wing when she first got sick and shared all I know,” said the 51-year-old Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star about the 30-year-old singer.
“I am so proud of her for going public,” declared Yolanda.
But Foster herself continues to struggle, having ups and downs since her Lyme disease diagnosis in 2012, reported the Daily Mail.
At one point, Yolanda had a port in her arm for the delivery of medicine. She was doing better and then relapsed in 2014.
“I have lost the ability to read, write, or even watch TV,” wrote Foster in a blog. “It feels like someone came in and confiscated my brain and tied my hands behind my back to just watch and see life go by without me participating in it.”
As the Inquisitr reported, Ashley Olsen also reportedly has been battling Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by a tick infected with the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. That tiny creature attaches itself to the body. After it has clung there for 36 to 48 hours, the tick has given the disease to its human recipient.
After someone does get infected, 80 percent notice a rash. It looks like a target for shooting: The center may be a solid red, with a white ring around it. In addition, those infected might feel feverish or chilly and experience an aching sensation or pain.
And some may be stricken for longer periods of time in what is known as persistent or chronic Lyme disease. This variation of the condition impacts 10 to 20 percent of patients. They may experience brain fog, chronic exhaustion, and ache all over for months or even longer. In addition to the physical symptoms, they may become emotionally distressed.
However, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) emphasize that those who are diagnosed and treated with antibiotics early typically recover quickly and thoroughly from Lyme disease. Those medications may include doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime axetil, although intravenous drugs may be given to some patients.
An estimated 10 to 20 percent of patients suffer from what is called Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) or “chronic Lyme disease.”
[Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Clear Channel]
Avril Lavigne’s Lyme Disease Battle Helped By Ailing Yolanda Foster: Lyme Disease Diagnosis & Treatment [Video] is an article from: The Inquisitr News
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