Heather Rae El Moussa.Photo:Lisa O’Conner/AFP via Getty
Lisa O’Conner/AFP via Getty
Heather Rae El Moussais opening up about the not-so-subtle symptoms she experienced in the lead-up to her autoimmune disorder diagnosis.
The reality star, 36, revealed that prior to learning that she has Hashimoto’s disease — a chronic condition in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland — she suffered intense fatigue. The exhaustion made filming her Netflix seriesSelling Sunsetparticularly challenging.
“I remember saying to my assistant, ‘I feel like I’m dead,'" El Moussa toldToday.com. “My brain was so tired. My body was so tired. I was exhausted all the time, and no amount of sleep could make it better.”
She said she dreaded the days when she had to get in front of the camera for her reality show, which is set to premiere its seventh season on Friday. “Filming was absolutely brutal because I could barely get out of bed,” she recalled.
El Moussa’s symptoms first began when she was four months postpartum after she and husbandTarek El Moussawelcomed their son Tristan, now 8 months old, in February. Initially, she shrugged off her fatigue as a normal result of being a new mom with an infant still not sleeping through the night.
“I was like, I’m probably just foggy because of mom brain,’” she explained.
However, she also experienced a drastic drop in her breast milk supply. Her lactation consultant suggested she get blood work done, and she later received a phone call from her doctor, who determined she has the common autoimmune disorder.
Heather Rae El Moussa in season 7 of ‘Selling Sunset.'.Courtesy of Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix
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Hashimoto’s disease causes an array of symptoms including fatigue, weight gain, joint and muscle pain, and problems with memory and concentration, according toMayo Clinic. Patients are typically treated with a synthetic hormone called levothyroxine, taken in pill form.
“When she told me what I had, I was in total shock,” Heather recalled of her diagnosis, before adding that she is “feeling much better” now.
Heather is one of several celebrities — includingGigi Hadid,Kim Cattrall,Gina RodriguezandZoe Saldaña— who have opened up about living with Hashimoto’s disease.
“We had a lot of things working against us, including my autoimmune disorder, but we did it,” she said. “I’ve heard so many women say, ‘I only breastfed 2 months,’ and that makes me feel sad. Why ‘only?’ You should feel so proud that you even did it at all!”
source: people.com
