Tamra Judge was hospitalized on Sunday after stomach pain led to a her being diagnosed with intestinal obstruction. The Real Housewives of Orange County star, 56, revealed her health issue on social media over the weekend, sharing a selfie snapped from her hospital bed as she laid with a tube up her nose that had been fixed into place with a white bandage.
Intestinal obstruction could be caused by a number of possible conditions, according to John Hopkins Medicine — from abdominal adhesions, hernias, scar tissue formation, tumors, or even Chron’s disease.
Judge hinted that she will need further testing until she knows more. “Praying I won’t need surgery,” she said.
The reality star’s health scare comes days after her return from Scotland, where she was filming season 2 of The Traitors. While away, she’s been absent from her hit podcast with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp, Two Ts In A Pod, and said Sunday that her hospital stay meant she would miss the next recording, too.
“Unfortunately I will not be back on @two.ts.inapod tomorrow 😢,” wrote Judge, who stayed in the hospital overnight. “I’m so sad @teddimellencamp miss you so much.”
This isn’t the first time Judge has had intestinal issues. She underwent a life-saving emergency operation to remove a strangulated hernia in 2012 that were affecting a portion of her intestines.
The procedure left her with a damaged, off-center belly button, something Judge — after years of other surgeries to address her intestinal issues — decided to address a decade later with a corrective abdominoplastyI in December 2022.
It was “one of the most painful things I’ve ever done in my life,” Judge told PEOPLE in February 2023 interview. “God knows I’ve gone under the knife before, but recovering from this has been worse than anything I’ve ever done. I mean, I’ve given birth to four children and even that was easier!”
Since then, Judge had another small procedure in June.
And while she’s been transparent about her health troubles every step of the way, she still found herself on the defense on Sunday when one commenter asked if it was “Ozempic, right?”
Sharing a screenshot of the comment on her Instagram Story, Judge wrote, “These comments are disgusting! I’ve suffered from intestinal problems for years. I’ve had multiple surgeries in the past 12 years. Remember when you all made fun of me for not having a belly button? That was due to emergency life saving surgery. Part of my intestines were being strangled.”
“My grandmother died of intestinal problems,” she added, stressing the importance of the condition.
“I’ve never been on Ozempic and personally wouldn’t use it for weight loss!” Judge wrote.
Meanwhile, as she remains in the hospital, she’s at least not alone. The mother of four’s husband Eddie Judge has been by her side.
“Foot massages from @eddiejudge,” Tamra captioned a snap of her husband of 10 years as he rubbed her foot at the end of her hospital bed.
She’s also been receiving plenty of well wishes from her celebrity friends, including Mellencamp who wrote “Missing you @tamrajudge 🥹🥹🥹” on her own Instagram Story.
Tamra’s RHOC costar Taylor Armstrong also shared a snap of the pair posing together on her Instagram Story with the message, “Sending love, thoughts and prayers to my beautiful friend @tamrajudge 💋🙏.”
In other news – Court reveals Prince Harry’s lawsuit against British tabloids likely to go to trial in 2025
Prince Harry’s lawsuit against News Corp’s British tabloids is likely to go to trial in early 2025, the high court in London heard on Tuesday. Harry, the younger son of King Charles and the late Princess Diana, is suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged invasions of privacy by its tabloids, the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016.
It is one of four cases the 39-year-old prince, who lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children, is pursuing at the high court against British publishers. Read more
