“There’s nothing we should be more thorough about than our medical care,” the 55-year-old said

NEED TO KNOW

• Bethenny Frankel revealed she was misdiagnosed with a significant health condition after joining a medical community for evaluation
• The Real Housewives alum urged fans to prioritize thorough health checkups and avoid relying solely on online or AI health advice
• Frankel previously shared she has stage 2 chronic kidney disease, long COVID, and POTS, raising awareness about her health journey

Bethenny Frankel revealed that she received an alarming misdiagnosis.

On Monday, August 3, the Real Housewives of New York City alum, 55, posted a video on Instagram and shared a health update with her followers.

“I really don’t want to tell you this, but I have to tell you this, because it could help one of you or several of you,” she began.

Frankel explained that she recently joined a “very legitimate” medical community with teams of doctors who cross-reference lab results, supplement intake, and more.

“They have said that I have been misdiagnosed with something pretty major,” she said. “And they are pretty resolved.”

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The SkinnyGirl founder then urged her fans to “be very thorough” when getting their health checkups and not to believe everything they see online or anything AI chatbots say. 

“I’m very confused because I was sort of operating with the idea that I do have this. I don’t wanna throw anybody under the bus,” she said. “I tried to do the right thing, and it’s very confusing. I just think that there’s nothing we should be more thorough about than our medical care or our health.”

“Do your research #health #doctors #yourewelcome,” she added in the caption. 

Although Frankel didn’t share any specific details about her misdiagnosis, earlier this year she revealed that she was suffering from kidney issues.

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In a January TikTok video, she said she was diagnosed with stage 2 chronic kidney disease after meeting with a specialist and undergoing a series of blood tests.

“He said to me, ‘You have stage 2 chronic kidney disease,’ ” explaining that it could be autoimmune, or could have been caused by “this traumatic experience I had years ago when I almost died from an allergy attack. It could have done damage to the kidney.”  

In stage 2 kidney disease, there’s a “mild loss of kidney function,” according to the Mayo Clinic. It can cause symptoms like nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue and weakness, sleep troubles and more. Lowering blood pressure — along with regular monitoring — can keep the disease from progressing.

Additionally, Frankel was diagnosed with long COVID and the autoimmune disorder POTS in 2023. She said she wanted to come forward about all her medical issues because “maybe this is something I’ll have to deal with forever, but I just wanted to tell you because I think it’s important to go get all your bloodwork done.”

“I don’t know exactly what it means. Many of you will, which is also why I’m sharing with you,” she said.

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