Brandi Glanville’s Facial Disfigurement Battle Takes New Turn

Brandi Glanville says she is preparing for surgery as she continues to deal with a severe and unexplained change to her face.

The 53-year-old The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum said she has “scheduled an exploratory surgery” later this month to determine whether “a fungus” or “some sort of worm” could be affecting her face.

“Something is in my face, eating it,” Glanville said during Thursday’s episode of her podcast, Brandi Glanville Unfiltered, before discussing the next step in her treatment.

Glanville told listeners that she is “scared” of the procedure but also “so excited” to learn more about the health problems she says have consumed the past four years and cost her more than $113,000 to treat.

“I know they’re going to find that out when they go in there,” Glanville said. “I’ve scheduled exploratory surgery in a couple weeks.”

She continued: “I have two appointments this week. I am so excited. These past four years, I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

Her announcement came soon after Glanville said she had been diagnosed with “highly resistant ESBL Klebsiella and Enterobacter with biofilm, Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever), Demodex dermatitis and Mononucleosis.”

During the podcast, she said the surgeons “are going to go in and see [what happened].”

Speaking to her cohost, James Maas, Glanville acknowledged her anxiety, saying: “I just get scared. Surgery scares me.”

She said doctors plan to insert “balloons” into her Eustachian tubes as they examine the passages of bone and cartilage linking the ears with the nose and upper throat.

“They’re going to clear that out so everything can drain,” she explained.

Although Glanville said she believes “some sort of worm” may be involved, she added that doctors have told her the issue is fungal. “Funguses are alive as well and it’s going down my body,” she said.

After years of pursuing different diagnoses and treatments, Glanville said she is eager to move forward. “I’m excited to just get my life back,” she said.

She also described a recent medical visit during which she told her doctor that she did not “feel like my neck is a part of my body.”

Glanville said watching herself on Special Forces and seeing how dramatically her appearance had changed left her feeling as though she had “a thick neck with a Beetlejuice head.”

‘[They told me] there’s a whole extra piece here,’ she said about how her face has continued to dramatically change. 

‘It’s like something made a cove for itself [in my face]. It’s so crazy,’ she continued.

During a podcast episode from recent weeks, Glanville also touched on receiving support from fellow Bravolebrities amid her health struggles.

After one of her friends started a GoFundMe page to help her pay for treatments, she said she also received financial support from some Housewives.

Glanville also said she got medical advice from her former RHOBH costar Yolanda Hadid amid her medical journey and in spite of their past feud.

‘Yolanda’s been very helpful, and she’s hooked me up with some doctors,’ Glanville previously shared with her podcast listeners back in September. 

‘It’s just spending, spending, spending. If I had her bank account, it would be different.’ 

In mid-September, she shared a statement on Instagram in response to the support she received after her GoFundMe page was launched. 

‘I’m honestly overwhelmed by all the love and support,’ she wrote to her fans. 

‘Thank you to every single person who has donated, shared my GoFundMe, checked on me, prayed for me or sent me love.’ 

Glanville admitted ‘asking for help isn’t easy for me.’ 

‘But knowing I have so many people in my corner means more than I can ever explain,’ she added. 

‘I still have a long road ahead, but you’re helping me keep fighting. From the bottom of my heart. THANK YOU. I love you guys.’