This disease has forced singer Avril Lavigne to live in hiding for the past 5 years and sometimes felt like she was close to death.

A strange illness caused the once famous female singer to be close to death, feeling like death was only a split second away.

Suddenly “disappearing” from the music market, Avril Lavigne was caught up in many rumors, from an unhappy marriage with Chad Kroeger to “a strange illness”. In fact, for many years, this talented singer has had to fight the extremely dangerous Lyme disease, sometimes feeling like she was close to death.

This disease has forced singer Avril Lavigne to live in hiding for the past 5 years and sometimes felt like she was close to death - Photo 1.

When she first got sick, Avril Lavigne was subjective and did not go see a doctor.

When she first got sick, Avril Lavigne was subjective and did not go see a doctor. She said that she was “protesting” with the busy tour schedule, and that she was just sick with a bad cold and tired. However, the illness prevented her from partying on her 30th birthday, and now Avril Lavigne was forced to go to the doctor. The doctor made a preliminary diagnosis but did not ask her to perform general tests. They only gave her temporary medicine because they had not found the cause of the disease. Several months later, doctors confirmed she was suffering from Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a zoonotic disease (borne by tick bites), and the causative agent is the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). The disease causes damage mainly to the skin, nervous system, heart and joints.

And during the time that followed, the female singer remained silent without any news. In early September, Canadian Punk princess Avril Lavigne released her first single in 5 years.

Along with her return to showbiz, the female singer shared horror stories about Lyme disease – a disease that seems unlikely to be contracted and is easily treated. Avril Lavigne’s case once again reminds people not to be subjective about the disease, to proactively prevent it, otherwise they will spend many years unable to live as desired, or even die without realizing it.

This disease has forced singer Avril Lavigne to live in hiding for the past 5 years and sometimes felt like she was close to death - Photo 2.

Lyme disease is a zoonotic disease (borne by tick bites), and the causative agent is the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). The disease causes damage mainly to the skin, nervous system, heart and joints.

Lyme disease may continue even after treatment

Dr. Rafal Tokarz (Associate Researcher at the Center for Infectious Diseases and Immunity at Columbia University) has provided some clarity in the “chronic Lyme disease” debate. Among the most mysterious and troubling aspects of Lyme disease is that some of its symptoms can continue even after treatment. The best part is that a diagnosis of Lyme disease and follow-up antibiotic treatment will help reduce symptoms.

However, this does not apply to everyone with Lyme disease. Some patients with Lyme disease continue to have persistent symptoms that require several years of treatment. This condition called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome has puzzled many doctors for years. Why do some patients develop Lyme disease complications after treatment, while others do not?

Unfortunately, up to now there is no clear answer to this problem. A lack of understanding about this condition, coupled with a lack of treatment options, has led to alternative beliefs that question what Lyme disease actually is.

This disease has forced singer Avril Lavigne to live in hiding for the past 5 years and sometimes felt like she was close to death - Photo 3.

The best part is that a diagnosis of Lyme disease and follow-up antibiotic treatment will help reduce symptoms.

Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome and accompanying symptoms

In the majority of cases, if you receive a Lyme disease diagnosis and begin treatment in the early stages of the disease, your symptoms will disappear within a few weeks with no long-term complications. Unfortunately, a quick diagnosis and antibiotic treatment are not guaranteed to cause the condition to immediately return. In rare cases, you may continue to have symptoms even after you complete antibiotic treatment.

Symptoms or complications of Lyme disease can vary from person to person, but often include fatigue, joint and muscle pain, loss of concentration, and even depression. If you continue to have these symptoms after you have completed antibiotic treatment, and they persist for at least 6 months, you are susceptible to “post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome” (PTLDS for short). ). In some cases, this condition recurs continuously for 10 years.

This disease has forced singer Avril Lavigne to live in hiding for the past 5 years and sometimes felt like she was close to death - Photo 4.

Symptoms or complications of Lyme disease can vary from person to person, but often include fatigue, joint and muscle pain, loss of concentration, and even depression.

The main symptom, present in nearly every patient, is fatigue. In some cases, it can cause the patient to have insomnia and not even be able to do anything. Fatigue is often accompanied by muscle pain and headaches, with about a quarter of people’s pain being rated as severe.

More than half of PTLDS patients experience joint pain or stiffness. It is often felt in a particular joint, such as the knee, but can occur in any joint in your body. This becomes more intense in people who progressed all the way to Lyme arthritis before they received treatment.

Some other symptoms include pain all over the body, neck pain, tingling sensations and loss of feeling in the arms, legs, hands and face. There are also a variety of mental problems that come with PTLDS, such as changes in normal behavior, mood swings, and experiences of “brain fog” that affect the brain’s normal functioning. thinking process and inability to concentrate.

This disease has forced singer Avril Lavigne to live in hiding for the past 5 years and sometimes felt like she was close to death - Photo 5.

Experiencing “brain fog” is also easy to deal with if you have Lyme disease.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends that people bathe within 2 hours after entering the house from outside to help eliminate the risk of ticks clinging to people causing disease. If walking in the woods, wear long-sleeved clothes, tuck pants into socks, use insect repellant, and check for bites before going home. Ticks are not only found in the forest but can appear in city parks, on tree branches in your backyard, ticks live on deer, dogs or rodents such as squirrels, mice… So everyone needs to be very careful.