Vicki Gunvalson is opening up after a recent serious health scare.
On Monday, August 26 The Real Housewives of Orange County the 62-year-old star and her partner Michael Smith joined My friend, my soul mate, my podcastwhere she described her experience in and out of the hospital – at least what she remembers.
The founder and CEO of Coto Insurance said she was with a client last Thursday, August 22, when she started “talking nonsense.”
The individual happened to be a retired doctor and warned Smith’s daughter Olivia, who works at the practice, that Gunvalson “may be having a stroke.”
“I don’t remember anything and [Olivia] took me to the hospital,” Gunvalson said.
Vicki Gunvalson.
Vicki Gunvalson/Instagram
Gunvalson said doctors at the hospital told her her symptoms were simply a sinus infection and sent her home that night.
Smith was in Scottdale, Arizona at the time and Olivia called him and told him to come home.
After catching the first flight and returning home, Smith found Gunvalson “pretty much passed out” in the bathtub, which he called “one of the scariest” moments he had ever experienced.
“I grabbed her, pulled her out of the water, put her in bed. The doctor said that she just needed to sleep, so I put her to bed and she literally slept for 13, 14 hours without interruption – he recalled.
When he tried to get her out of bed, Smith said Gunvalson looked “incapacitated” and couldn’t walk, so he took her back to the hospital.
“She had a major infection … it was actually sepsis, but it was pneumonia,” Smith said. “Way [the doctors] he explained that when your body is fighting an infection that big… your whole body attacks it which affects the brain and everything else in your body because your body sends everything it has to fight it.”
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Vicki Gunvalson.
Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
“It was dangerous. It was scary,” Smith added.
“I don’t remember much and it’s brain trauma,” Gunvalson explained. “It’s very similar to a stroke or PTSD where the brain just goes into silent mode, it just won’t remember to protect you.”
Gunvalson said she’s “fine” now, but her energy level is “super low” while she recovers. The reality TV star also praised the “amazing” Smith for “giving me medication because I can’t remember when I took it,” as well as the help of his daughter Olivia.
“I sleep enough – probably too much, but I don’t have the energy to walk right now. But it’s very similar, it mimics a stroke, and I’m only three days off,” he said RHOC star added.
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PEOPLE has reached out to Gunvalson’s rep for an update on her condition.
Never miss a story — subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. On Monday, Gunvalson’s RHOC Costar Shannon Beador sent well wishes via social media.
“I love you my friend! ❤️ You are one of the strongest women I know and you will be stronger every day!” she captioned a photo on Instagram of the two of them smiling together for a selfie.
“Nothing can bring you down! You are always in my prayers! I love you my Aries Amiga!!! 😍😍😍”, she concluded.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education