Avril Lavigne 'thought she was dying' after contracting Lyme disease

Avril Lavigne says she was stuck in bed for five months with Lyme disease and thought she was dying.

"I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't move," the singer told US celebrity magazine People.

She was diagnosed with the condition, which is spread by ticks, at the end of last year.

Symptoms include a rash and flu symptoms, like tiredness, headaches and muscle or joint pain.

The 30-year-old says she could often barely stand, saying: "There were definitely times I couldn't shower for a full week.

"It felt like having all your life sucked out of you."

There had been rumours about the singer's health when she hadn't been seen in public for months.

But she now says she's "80%" better after being cared for by her mum and husband, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger.

Avril Lavigne hasn't released an album since 2013, but recently announced she had written a song for the Special Olympics, which open in July in Los Angeles.

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the UK, Europe and North America.

You're more likely to catch it if you spend time in woodland or heath areas where animals like deer and mice live.

Ticks are parasitic arachnids that attach to animal and human skin to suck blood

Public Health England estimates there are 2,000 to 3,000 cases in England and Wales every year.

It says 15% of cases are caught abroad.

In 2002, a vaccine was introduced America but it was later withdrawn because of worries over side-effects.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube