Share and Follow
161

Credit: INSTARimages.com/Cover Images, ET Online
Brandi Glanville is feeling hopeful after falling into major depression and dealing with thoughts of suicide due to her ongoing struggles related to a potential parasite.
In a couple of new interviews, the 52-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum reflected on her efforts to correct the facial disfigurement she’s been coping with for the past two years, as she admitted to spending over $100,000 and seeing more than 20 doctors.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in a video shared on TikTok, Brandi said that her recent Nair incident, which she hoped would help her face, “was nothing,” explaining that after her mom put tea bags on her face to soothe it, it turned brown.
“It looked like someone scorched my face,” she shared.
As for the possible parasite that’s been living in her face, Brandi noted that doctors weren’t certain if it was or wasn’t a specific type.
“But they treated me with all of these parasitic medications, and I did feel better. I just didn’t look better. I think if I had one, it’s definitely gone, but I am left with some residual, really weird, crazy things that we’re trying to figure out,” she shared, revealing that her doctor bills were “well over [$100,000]-something.”
“I saw 21 doctors,” she stated.
“I wanna live my life again. I wanna go outside. I wanna socialize,” Brandi added.
@entertainmenttonight $100K and 21 doctors later, Brandi Glanville is still trying to get back to normal after a suspected facial parasite #BrandiGlanville #BravoTV #RHOBH #realitytv ♬ original sound – Entertainment Tonight
In a second interview, Brandi continued on about wanting to feel normal.
“I’ve never felt suicidal before, [but earlier this summer], I didn’t want to be here,” Brandi told Us Weekly on August 15. “And if it wasn’t for my kids [sons Mason and Jake, who she shares with ex-husband Eddie Cibrian, 52], I don’t know that I would be here.”
In addition to coping with the stresses related to her face, Brandi has also been met with claims of sexual harassment from her Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip co-star, Caroline Manzo, 63, which she denies.
“Almost immediately upon landing [back home from filming], my phone started blowing up about these articles that were incorrect and not true about what happened in Morocco with Caroline, and I immediately took on a ton of anxiety,” she explained. “And I was just trying to get my head around what was happening and why it was happening. I was on the couch in a fetal position for four months.”
From there, Brandi began to notice “crazy lumps” in her face.
“My face started, like, moving around and doing things. I started to lose my eyesight in my left eye. It’s insane,” she shared. “At first, my face was blowing up and getting really swollen. Then it started sinking in, and I felt like something was just eating me from the inside. I’m like, ‘It’s eating my flesh.’”
Brandi also experienced gray spots on her “sunken-in” face, drainage from her ear, and headaches.
All the while, she struggled to have her insurance help pay for her care.
“They didn’t believe me,” she revealed. “My insurance was like, ‘Nothing’s wrong with you. It’s just inflammation and old filler.’”
Because she had to pay for so much out of pocket, Brandi found herself in financial turmoil.
“I’m paying the minimum on my credit cards. I’ve exhausted my savings. At my age, I feel like such a loser in a way, because I was taking care of everything,” she said. “I was together. I had great credit. Now I’m scared about every little thing.”
As she attempts to have some of her bills reduced, Brandi has started new treatments with Dr. Michael R. Scoma, an infectious disease specialist who contacted her on X.
“They say Twitter is the devil but all it took was me screaming in my tweets asking for help for this lovely man to reach out. Thank you so much [Michael R Scoma MD] for taking the time to meet with me and help me try to figure out what is going on inside,” Brandi told her fans and followers last week.
According to Brandi, the first step of her new treatment plan was intravenous antibiotics.
“We can expect to see meaningful progress within the next few weeks,” Dr. Scoma said. “And I do believe Brandi can make a full recovery.”
While she admitted to feeling like a “hopeful wreck,” Brandi said she felt she was living in Groundhog Day.
“I was sleeping until 5 p.m. I couldn’t get out of bed. Everything ached — at one point, I couldn’t move my neck. I couldn’t get out of bed for four hours. And I’m just like, ‘This is not an existence,’” she admitted. “I stay in this house every day. I’m paying crazy amounts of rent. I’m worrying about money all day long. I have brain fog. I get one thing done a day, and I’m just frazzled.”
Brandi Glanville was featured in a full-time role on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills from season three through season five.