Former ‘Real Housewives of New York City’ star Bethenny Frankel addressed fan comments about her appearance, saying in an Instagram reel on Thursday that she is “messed up” and “not doing that great” as she deals with symptoms of POTS syndrome.
“Only because I love you, will I share this with you. Many of you are asking why my face looks different in my makeup videos, and it’s because I am messed up,” Frankel said in the clip. “I am not doing that great.”
The 52-year-old said she is “so dehydrated and riddled with aches and pains,” adding that the liters of water, coconut water, Pedialyte, and kombucha that she has consumed have gone right through her.
“Dehydration is so real,” she said. “This is, like, very intense, and it’s gotten really bad in the last few years since this autoimmune thing I’m dealing with. So, that’s why I look f—ked up, ‘cause I’m a little f—ked up. I wake up, like, every two hours in such pain and dying of thirst. So it’s like my body won’t hold onto it. It’s crazy. My doctor said it’s definitely connected to this POTS syndrome that I have.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, POTS syndrome — or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — is a blood circulation disorder that affects 1 to 3 million Americans, according to estimates. The causes of POTS aren’t fully understood, but research has shown that the syndrome affects women more than men and is more likely to develop in adolescents and young adults. Symptoms include lightheadedness and occasional fainting, brain fog, fatigue, headache, blurry vision, palpitations, tremor, and nausea.
In the caption to her Instagram reel on Thursday, which she posted from a snowboarding trip in Aspen, Colo., Frankel said she suffers from “chronic severe dehydration” and that she has “always experienced extremely low blood pressure and dehydration, but it’s gotten exponentially worse.”
“I make a tremendous effort to stay hydrated [and] get IVs, and I haven’t had liquor for 6 months,” she explained. “Altitude and a dry climate (in my favorite place in the world to do my favorite sport) present additional challenges.”
The former reality star also told followers, “PS: When you comment on someone’s physical appearance, you may not know exactly what they’re enduring personally, physically and emotionally.”