'American Idol' judge Paula Abdul explains her secret illness
UPI News Service, 04/22/2005
"American Idol" judge Paula Abdul has revealed she suffers from a rare and painful physical disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy.
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Her disclosure followed a wave of speculation she may have drug or alcohol problems, E! Online said Friday.
Abdul told People magazine the RSD started after she suffered a disc injury some 25 years ago. Two car wrecks and a plane crash made the problem worse, she said.
"If people only knew what I've gone through with pain and pills. I'm dancing for joy at the fact that not even a year ago I was in so much pain I could barely get up," she said in response to the rumors.
"It was getting ugly with the lies people were saying. It was time to set the record straight. I want America to know that I have never been addicted to anything, no chemical dependency, nothing for recreational purposes."
Abdul said she is taking the prescription drug Enbrel to deal with the pain.
