WHEN Brandi Glanville noticed her skin swelling with fluid in summer 2023, she chalked it up to stress.
But when the 52-year-old found herself , unable to speak or eat, she realised that something much more sinister was afoot.
The reality TV star, who shot to fame on , was admitted to hospital with angioedema.
The tissue deep within her skin had filled with fluid and sparked immense swelling.
The that the condition “can be very serious if your throat becomes swollen and your breathing is affected”;, which was what started happening to .
Over the past two years, Brandi’s from angioedema – and the mum-of-two has candidly shared the gory details with fans.
She has painful lumps in her jaw, is convinced something is “moving”; under her skin and has even suffered “acidic, foul-tasting drainage”; that corroded five of her teeth.
“I literally want to get a scalpel and cut my face open,”; Brandi said.
The mum-of-two told Daily Mail that she has undergone a slew of procedures, including four biopsies, lymphatic drainage and an ultrasound treatment that uses waves to break down fat.
She’s shelled out over £54,000 in search of answers, yet is still no closer to a diagnosis.
“There's something wrong in my body,”; she stated.
“I don't know what it is and that's scary. I need an answer.
“I need to get to the bottom of it because I don't want to not wake up one day.”;
Brandi initially claimed the swelling was triggered by stress after her Real Housewives co-star Caroline Manzo accused her of sexual assault while filming a seven months prior.
She has vehemently denied the allegations.
In December, she shocked followers with a selfie of her sunken face, claiming a doctor had diagnosed the disfigurement as the result of a facial ‘parasite’ possibly contracted during the Morocco trip.
I don't know what it is and that's scary. I need an answer.I need to get to the bottom of it because I don't want to not wake up one day
Brandi Glanville
Brandi told Daily Mail that she has consulted an immunologist, an infectious disease doctor, a rheumatologist and an ENT specialist.
At a loss, she also enlisted the help of Dr Terry Dubrow, the host of TV show Botched, to perform the four biopsies on her face.
The famous plastic surgeon claimed he “didn't find anything”; under her skin and suggested the swelling could be due to either a fungal infection or a reaction to “something she'd had injected”;, such as cosmetic filler.
Brandi was also prescribed intravenous antibiotics and antifungal medication which seemed to help, but the telly star says she couldn’t afford to stay on them.
I just want an answer, even if it's the worst answer in the world. I literally want to get a scalpel and cut my face open. It's just frustrating
Brandi Glanville
“I just want an answer, even if it's the worst answer in the world,”; she said. “I literally want to get a scalpel and cut my face open. It's just frustrating.”;
The financial strain has also impacted her mental health, but she joked that she has “a good antidepressant”; for that.
Brandi cited her two sons – Mason, 21, and Jake, 17, whom she had with her ex-husband actor Eddie Cibrian – for helping her stay strong amid the medical turmoil.
“If it wasn't for my sons, I'd be in a straitjacket,”; she said. “I don't know where I would be.They are the reason I live. They're my joy, my happiness, my everything.”;
In her exclusive interview with last year, Brandi vehemently denied wrongdoing in the Caroline incident.
She pointed to a filing in the ‘s lawsuit against Bravo and NBC Universal.
The reality star said: “With the Caroline Manzo situation, I didn't do anything wrong.
“That's why , because I didn't do anything wrong. And I think she's suing Bravo, because she wants money.
“And what would she get from me? My rental? I don't have any money to give her.
“I think that Bravo hung me out to dry for a storyline, for a show, knowing that all of that press would cause me to lose other jobs, and it did, and they didn't care. They don't care about me.”
