Justin Bieber recently confirmed a TMZ report that he’s been suffering from Lyme disease and is getting treatment for it. He posted the photo above, a screenshot from a TMZ article with a caption describing the problems he’s been having. He said that he feels awful, basically, and also has chonic mono. Given how long people can suffer from Lyme without knowing or getting a diagnosis, it’s likely he’s had it for some time.
While a lot of people kept saying justin Bieber looks like shit, on meth etc. they failed to realize I’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health. These things will be explained further in a docu series I’m putting on YouTube shortly.. you can learn all that I’ve been battling and OVERCOMING!! It’s been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever NO CAP
I’m old and I didn’t know what “no cap” meant, but it means “no lie.” Lyme disease is devastating and I feel so bad for him. He’s been open about his mental health struggles and Lyme can cause that too. My aunt has Lyme and she has good and bad days, but when she was really sick she couldn’t get out of bed. You probably heard that I have alpha gal syndrome, an allergy to beef and pork, which I developed after a tick bite. Whenever people say they feel sorry for me I tell them I’d rather have that than Lyme any day and consider myself lucky. I’ve heard stories of people suffering from Lyme for years and losing everything.
Justin’s wife Hailey recently defended him on Twitter from people being a-holes, because they do that about illness.
For those who are trying to downplay the severity of Lyme disease. Please do your research and listen to the stories of people who have suffered with it for years. Making fun of and belittling a disease you don’t understand is never the way, all it takes is educating yourself.
— Hailey Bieber (@haileybieber) January 8, 2020
Hailey also thanked the other celebrities with Lyme disease who have been open about it.
I wanna say a huge thank you to @YolandaHadid and @bellahadid and @GiGiHadid for bringing me so much clarity and information on Lyme disease and for helping answer my questions about course of action, symptoms etc. Love you 3 amazing women!
— Hailey Bieber (@haileybieber) January 8, 2020
and sending so much love to @AvrilLavigne thank you for all you do to educate people about Lyme. You’re amazing 💕
— Hailey Bieber (@haileybieber) January 8, 2020
Avril responded and offered her support. She’s been open about her own Lyme disease battle.
Thank you @HaileyBieber for your kind words. So sorry to hear about @justinbieber having to go through this awful disease. The fact that it’s hard to diagnose and is so debilitating was something I suffered through also https://t.co/nbCRTFWv53
— Avril Lavigne (@AvrilLavigne) January 9, 2020
I hope Justin is ok and that he’s getting the best treatment. Lyme is awful and can explain so much of what he’s been going through.
Oh and TMZ reports that Justin said on Instagram that he and Hailey are going to work on starting a family once his tour wraps this year. That will be in mid September. I bet they start sooner than that.
That’s sad. I thought it was depression. It all makes sense now.
He grew up in the spotlight and was over exposed for so long that his actual talent was overwhelmed by negative press. He really is very talented, and I’m pulling for him.
It is also depression. One of the symptoms of Lyme is inflammation which 90% of the time affects the Brain => depression.
I feel for him… My uncle had a serious case of Lyme Disease and then become quite depressed. He then turned to alcohol to self-medicate… I am rooting for Bieber!
I always wonder if Lyme or fibromyalgia are diagnoses people get when doctors just can’t figure out what’s going on. I don’t doubt people who are in pain or chronically ill for a second, but I have friends and family members who have gotten diagnoses like these just to end up being successfully treated for something entirely different later on. Yet celebrities have all the resources and it seems like they’re getting the Lyme diagnosis more and more.
I have fibromyalgia. But I will say… I think there are some lesser doctors out there slapping a diagnosis down without going into as much detail as they should. But I can remember all the way back to being a child, probably 10 or 12 and not being able to understand why I was in so much pain. It wasn’t nearly as bad back then – but even when I was in middle school I remember that my skin was just so sensitive and tender in places that I couldn’t even touch spots on my lower back without pain. And I was a fit middle schooler haha. It only really started to REALLY affect my life in my early 20s – I had just spent so much time telling myself that all these weird symptoms were normal because I had always felt like that.
Lyme is one that I do side eye a bit as well, but I’m not side eyeing patients. There’s a lot of people who like to prey on people who are suffering. There’s a lot of naturopathic BS out there that is SO dangerous, and it’s frustrating as someone with a chronic condition knowing how much incorrect information gets floated around.
I live in an area with a LOT of ticks. I do wonder if some of the issue is that ticks are showing up in more and more areas where they weren’t as much of a problem before. I was taught from toddler age on that you have to check your clothes and check yourself with a mirror if you’ve been out in the woods or in the grass or whatever. So any ticks that I’ve found on myself have been barely latched on. It takes something like 48 hours (not 100% on the time frame, but it’s definitely in that range) of a tick being attached for Lyme to spread. And it’s not like all ticks carry Lyme. But for people who have moved from areas with minimal ticks into areas with more – they wouldn’t know the tips and tricks that people who’ve always dealt with ticks know.
@Erin have you ever read the book ‘Stop the Thyroid Madness’ in regards to your Fibro? There is also a website with lots of free info. It’s patient and advocate led so very supportive.
Thanks for sharing this, hope you’re managing it well today.
^^^ THIS 100% – allopathic (traditional) Doctors are useless when in comes to anything to do with bacterial infections, viruses etc as everyone’s symptoms are different leading to a vast body of symptoms which are difficult to quantity as a concrete illness.
It’s literally pot luck as to what damage Lyme causes and which bodily systems it affects. Doctors also have a very combative approach towards Lyme i.e. they try to kill it with antibiotics that cause further damage as opposed to gentler methods or putting it into remission and working to boost the immune system of the sufferer.
I live in New England – Lyme is everywhere here and finally they are just starting to treat it, as well as the co-infections that go along with Lyme, effectively. The bacteria is particularly nasty as it sounds itself with a biofilm making it hard to detect (it literally hides out in the body) and as soon as your system is weakened from anything, stress, virus, poor night’s sleep and it flairs up.
Ugh, tired! Excuse my typos! *to, *their, etc.
Aww, I feel for him. I know someone whose case was so severe and debilitating that they had to fly to India for experimental stem cell treatment – which did ultimately work. It seems like Hailey is being very supportive, so I’m glad he’s got that. That disease is truly awful and affects everyone differently.
People have been talking about Justin’s appearance and weight loss and calling him a drug addict. Turns out the dude is suffering from a debilitating illness. You never know what people are going through and I think we need to be careful about the words we throw around and use when we don’t know the full story.
Yeah, but…is Lyme the new “exhaustion”?
I’m wondering if Lyme is overly diagnosed or doctors are just noticing it now. A lot of people have it.
I recently went to a headache doctor to manage my migraines and one of the tests she recommended I have done is for lyme. Thankfully negative, but just an example of how doctors are more aware of it now and thinking to test for it without someone specifically coming in saying they were bitten by a tick.
Mine is dormant, but I get flair ups when I’m in a moldy building/house. This disease sucks. It took years to diagnose mine by a doc in Washington state. I hope he gets it under control and is on the path to recovery.
Call me cynical but I highly doubt he has Lyme disease. This just seems like a convenient excuse to cover up his drug abuse.
People seem to be conveniently forgetting that time he was trawling for a score with his bodyguards on skid row.
I’m cynical too Sabrina.
I’m on that cynical train with all of you as well…
I’m sorry, but I’m cynical too — especially when she name-checked the notorious Lyme grifter, Yolanda Hadid, whose disease — I’m sorry, but it must be said — was more mid-life crisis attention event than anything else. And I DO have sympathy for that. Depression CAN and DOES manifest physical symptoms. But Lyme? No.
It was hilarious when Bella Hadid blamed her DUI on having Lyme. Learned from her mama.
Sabrina, you are so right.
Lyme disease is considered rare to very rare yet a whole lot of celebrities seem to get it🤔
That’s because they don’t have Lyme disease caused by ticks, which is easily diagnosed with a blood test and treatable. What these celebs claim to have is “chronic” Lyme disease which is a made up illness pushed by rich people and quack doctors, when it’s really just a set of symptoms, probably caused by drug abuse and general poor health.
I had Lyme last year. I’ve never used drugs. It felt like being hit with a horrible flu that wouldn’t go away, and got worse.
It is not that easily diagnosed with a blood test – there is not a test for the bacteria, only the antibodies, which sometimes take a long time to show up. I caught mine fairly early (6-8 weeks) and only had 1 marker show up – most specialists won’t consider it a positive test until at least 2 do. Several, at large healthcare systems, wouldn’t even see me without a “positive” test, despite living in tick-central and my family doctor diagnosing me and putting me on the antibiotics (she recommended I see a specialist as I was still having strong systems). That also leads it to be underreported to the CDC, and is definitely not as rare as they say it is. I live in the Northeast, and a LOT of people here have had it. Most see the bullseye rash and luckily get treatment before any symptoms, and never have a problem beyond that. I never had/saw the rash.
Even at 6-8 weeks, I had horrible symptoms – dizziness, joint pain, awful headaches, difficulty breathing, chest pain, brain fog, extreme fatigue, and extreme anxiety. The specialist I did see told me it was acute, tested me for a ton of co-infections. I did three 10 day rounds of antibiotics over 2 months (the side effects of that were awful too), and thankfully had no co-infections. I went to balance and ENT specialists, and a neurologist who had me do a bunch of MRIs, and all determined it was nerve damage caused by the Lyme. It took a full year for me to finally feel better. I still have occasional vertigo and anxiety that comes out of nowhere, and was once so bad I went to the ER to make sure it wasn’t a heart attack. It sucks, but it’s a huge improvement over where I was.
I simply cannot imagine what it would have been like to go untreated longer than I did, and some people go YEARS. The physical and mental health effects of it can be devastating, lasting, and life changing.
I don’t doubt that Bieber was a heavy drug user and abused his body. But if he contracted Lyme, it can do massive damage to a person, both mentally and physically, and feeling that way may have led him to abuse drugs even more. I
I’m not a fan of his, I think he’s kind of a shitty person, but having gone through this myself, I feel awful for anyone going through it, and it’s more people than many realize. And some of them happen to be famous.
@Lucy this was so well put and I’m very sorry you went through that it just sounds awful.
Thanks CB. I’m sorry you went through an issue with a tick bite too. I hate those little @#*@s!
Also, just wanted to point out, you don’t have to go camping or hang out in the woods to get bit. Anywhere that deer and other animals go, including your pets, like tall grass or trees, so check yourself carefully! I go out to garden in what looks like a homemade hazmat suit these days, lol.
Yes! This is what I was trying, and failing, to say above. It’s shocking how many get this. (And, I’m gonna say it, I think the Hadids are all quacks and it’s in their head)
I really feel for him, I didn’t know much about Lyme until i watched that amazing Kathleen Hanna documentary, it looks just awful. AND he had mono/glandular fever at the same time, what a horrible combo, he must have been feeling like total cr*p
As someone with an autoimmune disorder which I now strongly believe is the result of living for a period of time in the boondocks of South East Asia, I strongly empathise. It is a tough and unpredictable journey and you are just grateful for the good health periods you have.
I also hope that he is not seeking the help of traditional everyday doctors who are close to useless in this area,
Ugh. This is sad. My brother has lyme disease and there have been devastating side effects/consequences of this disease for him – things that will never be able to be “fixed.” I am glad Justin is getting treated for it.
This is an awful disease with lasting side effects. I think it’s good that he has made this public. Makes people more aware. Often people are not tested appropriately for this. Good luck to him.
I really don’t wanna be insensitive but why do so many famous people have Lyme disease? Maybe Yolanda Hadid made me this cynical.
I mean… sure. Who am I to say he doesn’t. But he does not seem to be someone who spends that much time in nature? Why are all these celebs bitten by ticks?
My aunt gets about 25 ticks every summer, she’s like a juicy steak to them. I’ve never had one and I do spend time in nature. Overall, this seems to be a serious but rare disease.
Having said that, depression is f*cking awful. I have a colleague who’s been off sick since August. Before that she was constantly sick and always gave different reasons. Which were actual physical issues but I’m almost convinced the root cause is her depression. Migraines, head colds, inflammation, she injured herself a few times. People in the office are not kind. I tell them to mind their own shit but they just can’t relate. So maybe it’s Lyme, maybe not. He is still unwell though.
My father had Lyme Disease from a tick bite, and has made a full recovery, it took about a year of treatments from our amazing doctor, who specializes in Lyme and autoimmune disorders. If you know of anyone who needs a great doctor, I highly recommend Dr. Eric Gordon MD in Santa Rosa, CA.
I wish him well, of course I believe him. I also believe that as a child product of Hollywood, he struggles with addiction and mental health issues, which in some way is connected to his physical health. Maybe he will do some deep soul searching.
However his new video and song Yummy is cataclysmically horrendous.
I’m torn on this. I hope he gets Effective treatment for whatever ails him. Also, I hope they’re testing Hailey because Lyme can be sexually transmitted. That’s my fun fact of the day.
really? I did not know this…
@ Lucy
There is no proven evidence of this.
I’m bit cynical as well, you just never know with celebs, they have PR people who look for strategic way of covering up stuff. But who really knows. If is is Lyme, I do feel for him, however unlike 99% of the population, he has the the money to get THE best treatment, meds, and get it fast (this Canadian boy is NOT waiting 10 hours in emergency like the rest of us). And I thought (could be wrong) they have treatment for it once they know it’s that? Is that true? Meds that help with the pain etc. – but maybe the side effects of the meds make other things come up.
Us regular people have medical but not the cushion of $ and access to the top doctors…
My 23 old old niece was just diagnosed with Epilepsy – that’s a HORRIBLE disease, it can affect that can affect everything in youreveryday life, they have meds, but the side effects can be brutal. Plus females suffer extra each month when they menstruate, like extra pain. Not that I don’t feel bad for Justin but he has the money and people around him to cushion the disease. Yes it sad, but at the same time, he has major support. Yet my niece just started her dream job, having trouble concentrating and is stressed about losing it and then living life without an income, potentially having kids harder, moodiness and stress affects relationships etc. they say 80% still live long lives, but the fear of seizures is terrifying and you have to take extra care of yourself or else it flares up and even then it can flare up. But maybe others can enlighten me about Lyme, is is a lifelong/forever worried about flareups diseases or eventually controlled? Seems Shania is fine now and Avril (or do they get lifelong systems?).
Hi, I just wanted to let you know my brother has epilepsy. He had his first seizure when he was about 16. They put him on medication and he has only had a couple of seizures in the past 30 years. Once after our father died and one recently when he ran out of medicine and didn’t tell anyone. It’s scary to see someone have a seizure but he has always been fine afterwards. in my brother’s experience with it, it’s been very manageable with medication. Have a good night.
I’m rooting for him, and for everyone else who suffers with this. For some reason I really like him and Hailey as a couple. He was headed down the wrong path a few years ago, but he was very young and faced a lot of pressure. At least he seems to be working to improve his situation.
Is Lyme disease the new “exhaustion” among the celeb set?