Vicki Gunvalson from The Real Housewives of Orange County reveals near-fatal infection caused stroke-like symptoms and amnesia

Ex-Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson revealed a recent health scare she had after experiencing stroke-like symptoms and temporary amnesia. On the August 26 episode of her podcast, My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast, the 62-year-old reality star narrated how a sinus infection led to an almost fatal sepsis.

Gunvalson’s problem started in early August when she was diagnosed with a sinus infection before proceeding on a family trip to Europe. She was given antibiotics, saying that the infection was under control. But when she got home, she developed symptoms such as amnesia, confusion, etc.

It was the second time she visited the hospital when the doctors learned that an initially minor sinus infection had worsened into pneumonia and then sepsis, a life-threatening illness.

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Vicki Gunvalson recounts frightening health ordeal on podcast

On Monday, while recalling the incident, Vicki Gunvalson said on My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast,

"I was talking gibberish, and I didn't have any knowledge to know something was going wrong," describing the onset of her symptoms.

She recounted how she lost track of time and was found disoriented by her boyfriend Michael Smith's daughter, Olivia, who works with her. Olivia quickly took her to the hospital, suspecting a stroke, but Gunvalson was initially misdiagnosed with a sinus infection and sent home.

The situation took a drastic turn when her boyfriend, Smith, who was out of town at the time, returned to find Gunvalson unconscious in a bathtub filled with water.

"One of the scariest things for me was when I walked in, for some reason, Vicki decided she wanted to take a bath. So she's in the bathtub with water and I walk in and she's pretty much passed out," Smith recalled.

He further added,

"So I grabbed her, that was scary, and I grabbed her, pulled her out of the water, put her in bed."

Vicki slept for almost 14 hours, which indicated that something was rather off. This prompted Smith to rush her back to the hospital for a proper diagnosis, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia that had caused sepsis.

According to Vicki Gunvalson, doctors had informed her that her chances of survival were as low as 10% to 20%.

"Yes, the sepsis that went to your body is deadly, and you survived it. And so you're going to be okay. It's just going to take a while," she recalled being told by a medical professional.

Vicki Gunvalson at the Los Angeles premiere of Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis (Image via Getty)

As per Mayo Clinic, sepsis, which is an immune system response to infection, and inflammation with the failure of organ functions, is a severe form of infection. Most of the time people recover from having mild sepsis, but in the case of severe sepsis, this leads to septic shock, and its mortality is between 30 and 40%.

It also increases one’s susceptibility to future health complications after the disease has been contracted. Despite being out of immediate danger, Vicki Gunvalson admitted she's still struggling to regain her strength.

"I'm having a hard time getting it up. So that's my biggest thing," she shared.

Vicki Gunvalson is now recovering at home, but the experience has left her physically and emotionally drained. She also added that her right lung is "compacted with junk" from the pneumonia.

"I'm still lethargic. Just don't have energy."

The reality star expressed deep gratitude to her boyfriend Michael and his daughter, Olivia, crediting them with saving her life.

"I really believe I had guardian angels with me with Olivia and Michael and my friend Tina was there and just getting me care. I couldn't do it myself. So I think I have a little bit of trauma from it. I cry a lot and Michael keeps saying, 'Why do you keep crying?' And I don't have an answer."

Vicki Gunvalson's podcast cohost, Christian Gray Snow, described the experience as "devastating" and "terrifying," while her producer, Pat Safford, added that everyone at Hurrdat Media is praying for her recovery. "We love Vicki!" Safford said, echoing the sentiments of Gunvalson's many fans who are relieved to hear she's on the mend.