Bethenny Frankel held back tears in an emotional update about her kidney disease, which she was diagnosed with in January. When she first learned of her diagnosis, Frankel was at the point of stage 2 kidney disease. Now, though, she said her condition has taken a turn in the “wrong” direction.
In a video shared to her Instagram on Thursday, Feb. 19, the “RHONY” alum revealed that her condition has progressed to stage 3A chronic kidney disease. As she explained further, the 55-year-old expressed her concern, saying, “I have a little bit of anxiety, and I’m sick to my stomach, but I’m just remaining calm.”
Bethenny Frankel’s Stage 3A Chronic Kidney Disease
“Just left the kidney doctor; he said that I actually have stage 3A chronic kidney disease — which is right in the middle, not quite at medication point, except that he said water is your medicine,” Frankel shared of its current state.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, stage 3A chronic kidney disease means a person has “mild to moderate loss of kidney function.”
The former Bravo star added that her doctor found another alarming sign that will continue to be looked into in addition to her kidney disease.
“He found a liver nodule on me in my sonogram,” Frankel said. “So it’s important to get these tests and stay with this stuff because you could find other things.”
She continued by explaining how her doctor, who is a Johns Hopkins specialist, emphasized that supplements aren’t for everyone in the treatment process, and that just because one thing works for one person — doesn’t mean it will work for another.
“He really emphasized with big wellness, that with all the different supplements, whether it’s for your health, for some health benefit, or a call out, that people are just running to do everything and that you have to make sure that your doctor knows about it because some things can affect different parts of your body on different people differently,” Frankel shared of her doctor’s advice. “It’s not really a one-size-fits-all model.”
What Caused Bethenny Frankel’s Kidney Disease?
Frankel went on to explain what her doctor believes has caused her kidney disease, saying, “He said that my kidneys have had some damage because presumably my big anaphylactic allergy episode years ago.”
Although she admitted her worry, Frankel concluded her update by saying she’s going to focus on the fact that her doctor said the severity of her stage 3A kidney disease will fluctuate at different points, meaning that it could ultimately improve.
“I’m not going to be quite alarmed yet, and we’ll keep drinking water. He said it’s the most important thing,” Frankel reiterated. “He also said that it can fluctuate, so right now this is a step in the wrong direction, but not to totally be alarmed, to come back and get tested in a couple of months.”
Many of Frankel’s supporters flooded her comments to wish her healing as she finds ways to minimize symptoms and treat her disease. She was also given several personal testimonies from her fans, who shared what has worked for them in the past.
I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease by my kidney doctor about 3 or 4 years ago. I go every 6 months for checkups. He prescribed Farzia and it’s never gotten worse. They do blood pressures every week. The medication is coved by the manufacturer at no cost to me
Meant to say most people have some kidney disease and I’m 78
Im 73 and have had stage 3 ckd since 2018.It has fluccuated up and down since then. I try to drink 1.5 liters of water a day. I see my kidney doctor and have lab work every 4-6 months and try to eat based on my labs. People with risk factors shpuld be tested on a regular basis since nine out of ten people with Chronic Kidney Disease are unaware they have it until the later stages.
Where do we go to start being tested for
her?