Los Angeles, June 12: Singer-songwriter Celine Dion, who spent 17 years battling symptoms of stiff-person syndrome without a diagnosis, looks back on her health struggle with thankfulness.

According to People magazine, the music icon talked candidly about the symptoms, which included breathing difficulties, singing difficulties and muscular spasms that started in the mid-2000s.

She spoke about her 'crisis' episodes during which her entire body locked up, which caused pain. The first time she felt a spasm nearly 20 years ago, she was in Germany on tour. "I had breakfast, and I suddenly started to feel a spasm. My vocal exercise made it worse," she added.

The singer's touching new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, will provide fans with a close-up look at her battle with stiff-person syndrome.

People Magazine claims that the singer booked visits with ophthalmologists and ear, nose, and throat doctors and attempted over-the-counter drugs and steam showers, but none of these treatments worked. What Is Stiff Person Syndrome, the Condition Celine Dion Is Battling? Know All About This Rare Autoimmune Neurological Disorder. 

As her symptoms intensified, the My Heart Will Go On singer, beloved for her vocal precision and inimitable stage presence, was advised to take prescription medications, including muscle relaxants like Valium. Celine Dion Health Update: Singer Continues Battle With Stiff Person Syndrome, Loses Control of Muscle Movement.

"We started with two milligrams to see if it would help, and then 2.5, and then three, and 15 and 50,” she said, mentioning that the drug started to wear off so fast that she had to take 90 milligrams of Valium to get through a performance.

"It could have been fatal. I did not question the level because I don't know medicine. I thought it was going to be okay. It worked for a few days, for a few weeks, and then it doesn't work anymore," she further added.

Celine said, "I did not understand that I could have gone to bed and stopped breathing. And you learn—you learn through your mistakes.” The singer says that she feels "very, very happy and fortunate" right now to be able to share her learnings with others.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 12, 2024 06:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).