Lady Gaga just announced she's postponing her tour because of her chronic illness

“I have always been honest about my physical and mental health struggles,” she wrote next to photos of herself praying with a rosary and a press release announcing that she will be rescheduling her European tour. "Searching for years to get to the bottom of them. It is complicated and difficult to explain, and we are trying to figure it out. As I get stronger and when I feel ready, I will tell my story in more depth, and plan to take this on strongly so I can not only raise awareness, but expand research for others who suffer as I do, so I can help make a difference,” she continued. “I use the word ‘suffer’ not for pity, or attention, and have been disappointed to see people online suggest that I'm being dramatic, making this up, or playing the victim to get out of touring. If you knew me, you would know this couldn't be further from the truth. I'm a fighter. I use the word suffer not only because trauma and chronic pain have changed my life, but because they are keeping me from living a normal life. They are also keeping me from what I love the most in the world: performing for my fans.”

Gaga says she is looking forward to touring again soon but needs to be under the care of doctors now “so I can be strong and perform for you all for the next 60 years or more,” she wrote. “I love you so much.” The European leg of the singer’s tour was scheduled to start later this week in Barcelona.

Gaga’s announcement comes just days after she revealed to fans on Twitter that she suffers from fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder that causes sufferers to experience widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in certain areas. Fibromyalgia affects up to 5 million Americans, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health, and about 80 to 90 percent of them are women.

As Gaga said, she’s been candid about the health struggles she’s faced in the past and helped raise awareness of under-discussed issues like chronic pain and PTSD, which she says she suffers from as a result of being raped as a teenager.

According to the press release, Gaga’s Joanne World Tour has been postponed until early 2018. Gaga plans to “spend the next seven weeks proactively working with her doctors to heal from this and past traumas that still affect her daily life, and result in severe physical pain in her body,” the press release says. “She wants to give her fans the best version of the show she built for them when the tour resumes.”