In addition to fighting a number of mystery ailments for years before recently getting a proper diagnosis, Halsey shared on Thursday (May 12) that they also faced some harsh judgment from others who did not take her health struggles seriously.
“I just want to clarify, for the benefit of friends who may have any of the diagnosis that I recently shared,” the singer wrote in an Instagram Story two days after the 27-year-old described being sick “most” of her adult life. “I didn’t ‘just get sick’ I’ve been sick. For a long time,” they said. “My sicknesses just have their names now. I went to doctors for 8 years. Trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I was called crazy and anxious and lazy amongst other things.”
Halsey explained that they changed their entire lifestyle in an attempt to battle the ailments and when that didn’t work, she was “essentially confined to my home for fear of how I’d feel when I woke up each morning. It took me a long time to get to even having a diagnosis so I’m celebrating!!”
After some fans expressed concern over an Instagram photo showing Halsey wearing a heart monitor and a recent TikTok in which she revealed the many things she’s allergic to, on Tuesday Halsey explained that they had gotten “really really really sick” since getting pregnant and giving birth after being ill essentially her whole adult life. Halsey — who welcomed their first child Ender in July last year — went on to share exactly which conditions they’ve been battling recently and how those have been exacerbated by their pregnancy.
“I was hospitalized for anaphylaxis a few times,” she said of the potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that can spur the release of chemicals that send a person into shock; she’d previously detailed a struggle with endometriosis, a painful disorder in which the kind of tissue that normally grows inside a woman’s uterus suddenly forms on the outside of the uterus. “After seeing, like, a hundred thousand doctors, I got diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjögren’s syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, POTS, and I’m still looking for answers to the root cause of some of these things that could potentially be another type of autoimmune disease,” they explained.
The takeaway, Halsey said, was, “don’t roll your eyes” at your sick friends. “They could be fighting a battle that they haven’t named yet. I already know?”
Despite dealing with a panoply of health concerns, Halsey asked fans not to worry too much, since they are still gearing up for the kick off the “Love and Power” North American tour on May 17 in West Palm Beach, Florida. “I am on a treatment plan right now, I’m in rehearsals for the tour. I’m really excited and really confident that I’m going to be able to do it in a way that’s healthy where I can perform my best for all of you.”