The reality star says she’ll be ‘as proactive as possible’ as she looks out for signs of the cancer that killed her father, Robert Kardashian

NEED TO KNOW

• Doctors said Kim Kardashian’s esophagitis inflammation appears healed following an endoscopy in The Kardashians
• She has a small hiatal hernia and doctors will monitor Barrett’s tissue
• She’s shared her concerns about her diagnosis, as her father, Robert Kardashian, died of esophageal cancer in 2003 at age 59

Kim Kardashian says it’s “scary and triggering” to monitor her esophagus for signs of the very same cancer that killed her father, Robert Kardashian.

The Skims founder, 46, is given some positive news at the start of the Nov. 11 episode of The Kardashians. The episode picks up in the hospital after Kim’s endoscopy, as she shocks her mother, Kris Jenner, with a request to get her eyebrows done. 

“We were already in Beverly Hills! Why not?” Kim says in a confessional. “I wanted to look good. That’s me for ya.”

Their beauty chatter is interrupted, however, when the doctor comes in to share Kim’s prognosis with her. The news, at first, seems positive, as the doctor says her inflammation looks healed. “That was exactly what we were hoping for. You have a small hiatal hernia, that’s super common,” the doctor says, prompting Kim to share that her father also had a hiatal hernia, which is when the upper part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Earlier this season, Kim was diagnosed with esophagitis, a condition that, per the Mayo Clinic, causes a “swelling and irritation, called inflammation, of the tissues that line the esophagus.” Gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly called GERD, is a leading cause of esophagitis, but it can also be caused by a buildup of white blood cells in the esophagus, or by medication. 

Her diagnosis and ongoing treatment have been a source of concern for the reality star, whose father died of esophageal cancer in 2003 when he was 59 years old. As Kim shared last week, he wasn’t a smoker, but he had GERD.

“They said if my dad had the surgery to fix his hiatal hernia, he wouldn’t have had his esophagus cancer,” she tells the doctor, as a hiatal hernia can cause GERD.

While esophagitis and esophageal cancer are not the same thing, Kim’s condition can be associated with an increased risk of developing cancer. According to the University of Washington’s Division of Gastroenterology, one in 10 reflux patients could develop Barrett’s esophagus, “in which the normal lining of the esophagus is replaced by one prone to cancer.”

Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.

Her doctor tells her that the medication she’s taking is “really, really good and essentially makes [hernia] surgery optional” — but he does share that they’re going to “keep an eye on” some Barrett’s tissue. “Everything looks good, and I think you kind of healed yourself,” he says.

While Kim says she has “peace of mind,” in a confessional she shares that having to constantly monitor herself for symptoms is worrisome. 

“It’s something I always have to be aware of and watch and that in itself is scary and triggering,” she says. “But it’s also life. I’m gonna be as proactive as possible.”

New episodes of The Kardashians stream Thursdays on Hulu.

#Kim #Kardashian #Scary #Triggering #Monitor #Esophagus #Rest #Life