When Avril Lavigne thought she would die

Singer Avril Lavigne says she thought she was 'dying' when she couldn't talk or move due to suffering from Lyme Disease, a bacterial infection spread by ticks.

She feared her life was coming to an end when she caught the infectious disease in October, resulting in her becoming bedridden for five months, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"I felt like I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk and I couldn't move. I thought I was dying. I had no idea a bug bite could do this. I was bedridden for five months," she said.

The "When you're gone" hitmaker didn't shower for weeks because she couldn't stand up and her mother had to move into her home in Canada to look after her. Lavigne's husband, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, also used to pay her regular visits during breaks from the band's tour.

"There were definitely times I couldn't shower for a full week because I could barely stand. It felt like having all your life sucked out of you," she said.

The 30-year-old realised there was something seriously wrong when she just wanted to stay in bed instead of going out partying in Las Vegas last October, where she and some friends were to celebrate her 30th birthday.

"I could barely eat, and when we went to the pool, I had to leave and go lie in bed. My friends asked, 'What's wrong?' I didn't know," she told People magazine.

While the star admits she is only "80 per cent better" at the moment, she is determined to get on with her life and has thanked her fans for motivating her through her recovery.