Avril Lavigne has revealed she has Lyme disease . In an interview with People Magazine , the 30-year-old explained the debilitating bacterial infection is the reason behind her months-long absence from the public eye . The singer has no idea where she got the tick bite that infected her . Scroll down for video . Struggling : Avril Lavigne has revealed she has Lyme disease . She is pictured here at her 30th birthday party in Las Vegas when she was fully suffering the effects . ' I had no idea a bug bite could do this , ' she said . ' I was bedridden for five months . ' I felt like I could n't breathe , I could n't talk and I could n't move . I thought I was dying . ' I had complete weakness and fatigue . One night I tried to brush my teeth on the tour bus and could n't even stand . ' 'There were definitely times I could n't shower for a full week because I could barely stand , ' she continued . 'It felt like having all your life sucked out of you . ' Symptoms of the disease range from headaches and joint pain to severe fatigue , heart palpitations , paralysis of the face and even dementia . If not caught and treated early enough with antibiotics the condition can persist for years . Sick : The singer , seen her performing at Planet Hollywood in May , told People Magazine she had no idea where she got the tick bite that infected her . The disease was recently highlighted after Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster contracted it , who reveled she has lost the ability to read , write or even watch TV because of it . Incubation period from infection to onset of symptoms is typically two weeks , although it can be months or even years between the two , so it is impossible to say when the bites occur . Avril was between the Asian and South American world tour when she first developed symptoms . The musician thinks she may have been bitten last spring , and remembers first waking up on night in April drenched in sweat and feeling feverish . She assumed it was the flu , or even exhaustion and dehydration from touring , but when her symptoms persisted , some friends who were familiar with the disease suggested she might have it . However she said doctors were skeptical and did n't want to test her . After her last public appearance in September she tried to celebrate her 30th birthday in Las Vegas with friends , but she could not muster the energy . Awol : The Sk8er Boi singer said hubby , Nickleback frontman Chad Kroeger , helped take care of her while she was bedridden for five months . 'It was terrible , '' I could barely eat , and when we went to the pool , I had to leave and go lie in bed , ' she said . 'My friends asked , `` What 's wrong ? '' I did n't know . ' It was only several months later of , after a number of emergency room visits that a specialist finally diagnosed her . Since October the popstar holed herself up in her Ontario home while she recovers , aided by her mom who came to stay with her , while husband , Nickleback frontman Chad Kroeger took as many breaks as he could from his world tour to be with her . She says support from her fans through social media helped immensely , and she now feels around 80 per cent recovered . She now wanst to raise more awareness about the disease . Around 65,000 people in Europe are infected every year , and 25,000 Americans were diagnosed in 2013 , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The tick normally has to be attached to the host for 36 hours to transfer the infection . Ill : Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Foster also suffers from the disease . Debilitating : Foster recently revealed she can no longer read , write or even watch TV because of the condition .
Singer reveals she was bedridden for five months . Could n't shower for a full week as she was unable to stand . Score: 6