Reality Star Urges Fans to ‘Get Tested’ Amid Scary Diagnosis

Reality star Bethenny Frankel, 55, shared emotional details of her recent diagnosis while urging fans to get tested.

“Just left the kidney doctor,” the Real Housewives of New York alum said at the start of her new Instagram video, which she titled, “Health update... please get tested.“

“He said that I actually have stage 3A chronic kidney disease,” she explained, adding, “which is right in the middle.”

Chronic kidney disease is categorized into five stages, with stage 1 being a very mild condition and stage 5 being kidney failure. Stage three has two categories, 3A and 3B. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 3A is the most common.

Frankel said her condition was “not quite at medication point” but that the doctor told her “water is your medicine.”

“He found a liver nodule on me in my sonogram, so it’s important to get these tests and stay with this stuff, because you can find other things,” she said.

A liver lesion is an abnormal growth in the liver. There are many types, both cancerous and noncancerous, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Frankel also shared her doctor’s tips on supplements, reminding everyone that each person’s body is unique and reactions are personal.

“He really emphasized with big wellness that all the different supplements, whether it’s for your health or 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,” she said.

“It is not really a one-size-fits-all model,” Frankel said, adding that her doctor had noticed issues with his kidney patients using turmeric and moringa.

The doctor also told Frankel that her kidneys “had some damage,” presumably due to an “anaphylactic allergy episode years ago.”

“I am not gonna be quite alarmed yet, and I’ll keep drinking water. He said it’s the most important thing,” she recalled, adding that this dietary change gives her anxiety. “I’m always dehydrated.”

“I’m just saying it to you because I want you to mind your supplements, mind your water, and mind [that] you are getting tested regularly for things like this,” she said.

“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 months,” Frankel noted.

She admitted to feeling anxious and “sick to [her] stomach,” though she was trying to stay calm regardless.

Earlier, Frankel said she would be making many dietary changes following her diagnosis, including avoiding ice cream and ibuprofen.