Bethenny Frankel revealed that her chronic kidney disease diagnosis has moved into the next stage.
“Just left the kidney doctor, he said I actually have stage 3A chronic kidney disease which is right in the middle,” Frankel, 55, said in a Thursday, February 19, Instagram video.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, stage 3A is mild to moderate kidney function loss. Chronic kidney disease happens when the organs are damaged for more than a few months. The kidneys clean the blood by removing waste and extra fluid. They also help control a person’s blood pressure while balancing salt and minerals.
Frankel added that her doctor informed her she is “not quite at the medication point” and encouraged her to drink more water.
“He said my kidneys have had some damage because presumably my big anaphylactic allergy episode years ago, but it’s not quite for medication,” she said, referring to her 2018 hospitalization after having a severe allergic reaction to fish. “I’m not going to be alarmed yet, and we’ll keep drinking water. He said it’s the most important thing.”
Frankel confessed that it gave her “anxiety” because she’s “always dehydrated.”
The former Real Housewives star also shared that she is going to continue to get tested to make sure she’s fully informed on her health status, because her doctor told her that the condition “could fluctuate.”
“So, right now, this is a step in the wrong direction, but not to be totally alarmed and to come back and get tested in a couple of months,” she shared. “I have a little bit of anxiety and I’m sick to my stomach, but I’m remaining calm.”
Frankel reminded her followers to make sure they complete their regular doctor visits and tests so they can keep their health in check as well. She added that a recent test also discovered a “liver nodule.”
“Please get tested,” she said.
Fans took to the comments section to send their well-wishes to Frankel as well as some advice.
“Bethenny wishing you the best!” one user wrote, while another replied, “Its all about maintenance right now. Many ppl can stay at this stage for decades provided they change their lifestyle.”
Last month, Frankel shared that she was diagnosed with stage 2 chronic kidney disease after a blood test revealed she had “low” kidney function.
“[The doctor] said to me, ‘You have stage 2 chronic kidney disease,’” she said in a January Instagram video. “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.”
Frankel added that she wanted to tell her followers about her diagnosis to spread awareness and encourage others to take necessary “precautions.”
“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.”
