( CNN ) When singer Avril Lavigne went missing from the music scene , there was tons of speculation . Was she pregnant ? In rehab ? Going through a split from her husband , Nickelback front man Chad Kroeger ? Focus on the mystery intensified in December after a fan Twitter account posted a direct message from Lavigne when she solicited prayers , saying she was `` having some health issues . '' Now the Canadian singer has revealed to People magazine that she was bedridden for five months after contracting Lyme disease . `` I felt like I could n't breathe , I could n't talk , and I could n't move , '' she told the magazine . `` I thought I was dying . '' Lyme disease : What you should know . Lavigne believes that she was bitten by a tick last spring . What followed was months of lightheadedness and lethargy that doctors were initially unable to diagnose . The 30-year-old performer said she recuperated in her Ontario home , where her husband would use tour breaks to care for her and her mother moved in to assist . `` There were definitely times I could n't shower for a full week because I could barely stand , '' she told People . `` It felt like having all your life sucked out of you . '' Opinion : Why you should be afraid of Lyme disease . After her direct message about her health went viral , Lavigne was inundated with concern from fans . `` The get-well messages and videos they sent touched me so deeply , '' she said . Now declaring herself `` 80 percent better , '' Lavigne is releasing a new single this month to support the 2015 Special Olympics and says that being ill was a `` wake-up call '' that has given her a new perspective . `` I really just want to enjoy life from here on out , '' she said .
The singer had been off the scene for a while . She says she was bedridden for months . Lavigne was sometimes too weak to shower .