Céline Dion has been residing with signs of stiff particular person syndrome for 17 years, she reveals in a brand new documentary detailing her life with the situation, “I Am: Céline Dion,” out on Prime Video June 25. One particularly harrowing scene on the finish of the movie provides an up-close take a look at the extra extreme results the autoimmune and neurological sickness, which causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms.Within the scene, Dion is having a bodily remedy session shortly after viewers see her recording a brand new tune, “Love Once more.” She’s going via what seem like customary workout routines along with her bodily therapist, a part of her therapy efforts to enhance her well being and hopefully carry out once more.Céline Dion within the documentary, “I Am: Céline Dion.”Amazon MGM StudiosThen, she begins to expertise cramping in one in all her ft, and inside minutes, her complete physique is tensed as much as the purpose the place she can’t communicate, transfer and even change her facial features, which is contorted in ache.Céline Dion suffers medical disaster in documentaryThe spasm that become a disaster was her first that day, Dion explains within the movie. Her bodily therapist speculates that she was “overstimulated.” He turns her onto her aspect on a therapeutic massage desk as all her limbs twitch and her fingers are caught prolonged at awkward angles. Her lip then begins twitching too.A member of her staff asks her to squeeze his hand if she will be able to hear him. She stays immobile and curled up, however finds a approach to present him that she’s conscious of what’s occurring to and round her. “She’s nonetheless with us,” her bodily therapist says.Because the disaster continues, Dion’s face glistens with silent tears, and she or he wails in ache. Within the scene, she receives benzodiazepine nasal spray, her doctor Dr. Amanda Piquet, director of the autoimmune neurology program on the College of Colorado Faculty of Medication Anschutz Medical Campus, tells TODAY.com. It’s a part of a category of depressant medicine that relieve nervousness and scale back muscle spasms.The spasms appear to final between half-hour and an hour, as her staff watches, involved. Finally her muscle groups relax sufficient that she’s capable of sit up and communicate once more.”Each time one thing like this occurs, it makes me really feel so embarrassed,” Dion says within the aftermath. “I do not know the best way to specific it, , to not have management over your self.”Her PT then theorizes that her pleasure from singing earlier might’ve performed a task within the stiff particular person syndrome assault. The music legend wonders aloud how she’ll ever be capable of carry out once more if an intimate recording session can convey on a medical disaster.”If I am unable to get stimulated by what I really like, then I will go on stage, and you are going to put the heart beat oximeter on me and switch me on my again?” she says.”It is scary, I do know,” her PT replies. “It is arduous. This isn’t the tip of your journey.”The movie’s director, Irene Taylor, recalled what it was prefer to witness this scene in a latest interview with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb. “It was essentially the most terribly uncomfortable second in my life, as a filmmaker but additionally as a mom, as a fellow human, as a result of I didn’t know what was occurring,” Taylor mentioned.”I had this uncertainty whether or not to maintain filming or not. However (Céline) gave me the power to only maintain going. We had been filming collectively for a lot of months at that time, so she had actually skilled me, ‘Simply maintain going. If I’ve to cease you, I’ll cease you.'””Her physique was enduring one thing that was unimaginable, and I wasn’t certain if she was conscious of it,” Taylor continued. “I wasn’t certain if she was going to outlive it. It’s actually arduous to even sit subsequent to her and speak out loud about it as a result of it was very intense.”Amazon MGM StudiosDion replied, “I simply need you to know that you just did the proper factor. I’m sorry that it was arduous.”Reflecting on her extreme stiff particular person syndrome episodes, Dion advised Hoda that she used to “lose it for 2 hours with out realizing.” When she first began getting them, she would inform herself, “OK, it will be superb. (However) then you have got a tough time to stroll, and then you definitely clean for 2 hours, and also you’re like, what occurred?”What’s a stiff particular person syndrome assault?Many sufferers with stiff particular person syndrome expertise muscle cramping, spasms and stiffness continually, however sure actions or feelings can set off “an entire, whole-body spasm,” Piquet, who’s a member of the advisory board of the Stiff Particular person Syndrome Analysis Basis, explains.Recalling the scene with Dion’s full-body spasm, which began in her foot, Piquet says, “That nervousness, that panic, that continued spasm that was not breaking then in a short time triggered only a full complete physique spasm.”Beneficial”It isn’t a seizure,” Piquet clarifies. “It is a spasm that’s occurring, and sufferers are conscious of what is going on on. There’s quite a lot of nervousness, there’s quite a lot of panic, your adrenaline’s dashing.”David Axelrod, 36, of Milford, Connecticut, has skilled comparable episodes attributable to his stiff particular person syndrome.”On the minor aspect of a extreme spasm is, for instance, if I yawn too massive, or if I am chewing in a bizarre means, my whole neck and throat will go into spasm, and the muscle simply bulges out, and my jaw will get locked open in place, and I simply sort of need to breathe via it, throw some warmth on it and attempt to get it to relax,” he explains.However “the worst kind,” he says, is a spasm that extends from his rib cage to his stomach and thru his again. “I flip right into a sheet of strong muscle, and you may even see the person muscle groups spasming. … It causes my again to arch up, and that results in spasming in my again, my legs and my arms as effectively. So it is primarily a full-body spasm. I am unable to transfer, and it will possibly typically final up to some hours.””If I’m fortunate and anyone’s close by, they will get me a sizzling pack, and I put the new pack and stress on it and that may assist relieve it,” Axelrod provides. “Typically it occurs once I’m on my own, and I am unable to rise up, I am unable to transfer, I simply need to lie there.”He describes the ache as “a charley horse instances 100. Typically you may barely breathe.” And the psychological load can be overwhelming.”(You are considering), ‘Oh no, oh no, oh pricey God, please do not let this occur,'” Axelrod says. “It is a panic-stricken second. It isn’t a enjoyable expertise to undergo that. However I’ve undoubtedly discovered making an attempt to stay calm and deep-breathing via it does have a optimistic impact on it.”These sorts of episodes are extra widespread in sufferers who wouldn’t have their signs managed, based on Piquet. Axelrod provides that he is extra prone to expertise one when he is received different stressors in his life. Throughout a earlier job, he had them a number of instances per week.What has Céline Dion mentioned about her restoration?In accordance with Piquet, Dion has made “vital progress” in managing her signs for the reason that documentary was filmed. Dion shared within the movie that her therapy routine includes bodily remedy, intravenous immunoglobulin (which helps with the autoimmune facet of stiff particular person syndrome) and muscle relaxers.She’s shared that she’s desperate to get again on stage quickly, although she does not have a selected date but. Dion has mentioned it is attainable that when she returns she should cancel reveals to prioritize her well being, however she’s nonetheless sustaining a optimistic outlook.”I’ve to belief myself. I’ve to belief my staff. I’ve to belief my voice. I’ve lived robust issues, however all of us do,” she advised Hoda. “However a lot of pleasure as effectively. I’m about to reside quite a lot of happiness.”Maura Hohman is the senior well being editor for TODAY.com and has been masking well being and wellness since 2015.