Bethenny Frankel is sharing a medical announcement with her fans and followers.
“Months ago, I decided I was going to be very proactive about blood tests, bone density, all the things I heard people talking about,” Frankel, 55, shared via Instagram on Thursday, January 22. “I started to take a series of blood tests. Each time, my kidney function was coming up low.”
After making an appointment with a kidney specialist, the former Real Housewives of New York City star received a diagnosis.
“He said to me, ‘You have stage 2 chronic kidney disease.’” Frankel revealed. “He said it could be a function of this traumatic experience I had years ago when I almost died from an allergy attack. It could have done damage to the kidney. It could be autoimmune.”
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In December 2018, Frankel was hospitalized after a severe allergic reaction to fish. At the time, the SkinnyGirl founder revealed to her followers that she almost died after eating a cup of soup.
In her latest social media post, the “Just B With Bethenny” podcast host admitted that she doesn’t drink enough water, which also could have contributed to her diagnosis.
“I always have a hydration packet,” Frankel said. “He said, ‘Water is your medicine. You have to drink a liter and a half a day.’”
According to the Mayo Clinic, stage 2 chronic kidney disease can result in “mild loss of kidney function.”
Chronic kidney disease happens when the kidneys are damaged for more than a few months. The kidneys clean the blood by removing waste and extra fluid, which leaves the body as urine. They help control blood pressure and balance salt and minerals.
Frankel said she didn’t want to share her story to worry fans. Instead, she wanted her community to “take precautions” in their own life and “be mindful.”
“Maybe I’ll have to deal with this forever,” Frankel said. “But I wanted to tell you because I think it’s important to get all your blood work done. Do the follow-ups for anything that seems like an outlier. I don’t know what it means, but many of you will hence another reason why I’m sharing because you are part-time doctors and I love you guys.”
Soon after sharing her news online, Frankel started receiving advice and support from her community.
“Feel free to ask your physician if you can audio record appts so you remember stuff,” Food Network star Sunny Anderson wrote in the comments section. “In many states you don’t need to ask to record.❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
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Influencer Lora McLaughlin Peterson added, “Thank you for sharing! This is so important. So glad you’re on to this! I lost a sister to kidney disease years ago because we didn’t know what we know today. REALLY appreciate you being so honest about this! Information is power ❤️.”
Frankel also expressed gratitude to her team for pushing her to attend this week’s doctor’s appointment after confessing, “I didn’t feel like going today.”
“Medical cautionary tale,” she captioned her video post on Instagram. “#drinkwater #kidneydisease.”
