RHOC’s Gina Kirschenheiter Details Health Scare and Weight Gain, Says She Thought She Was “Dying” and Reveals Her Doctor’s Surprising Diagnosis

Gina Kirschenheiter revealed her recent medical issues as she thought she was “dying.” The Real Housewives of Orange County star shared what her doctor told her, and claimed her diet was “trying to kill me.”

After her DUI in 2019, Gina gave up alcohol and hasn’t looked back. In the past, she’s shared how her decision to quit positively affected her life. On the latest season, she bonded with Shannon Beador, who was arrested after a DUI crash in 2023.

In a June 12 Instagram post, Gina shared a recent health scare.

“So I have had some medical issues in the past couple of months,” said Gina. “I have been going to bed every night, and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I start to get vertigo, and then all through the night, I have it, and when I wake up, it’s so bad. And so I’m finally like, okay, now I think I’m dying.”

“I’m like, I have to go to the doctor. So I go to the doctor,” she continued. “[The doctor said] it’s very odd [as] it’s only happening at night … [I’ve had] a significant amount of weight gain … I don’t drink, so that’s good. [But] I’m a sweet treat person. So I’ll eat candy at night or I’ll eat ice cream at night or both of those things and then I go to bed. And [my doctor asked] how much water do you drink? And I was like, oh, I don’t drink water. She’s like, okay, well, medically, there is nothing wrong with you. So as it turns out, she thinks/suspects that it’s diet [and water] related.”

Gina claimed she followed the doctor’s orders.

“So I go home and then last night is the first night that I literally had no treats of any kind before I went to bed,” she said. “And for the first morning in literally three months, [I woke up with] no vertigo and no dizziness, nothing.”

Gina said her ex-husband gifted her a large water bottle.

“Apparently it turns out when you’re a certain age — medical breakthrough — what we put in our bodies actually does physically affect us … I literally was so naive [thinking], ‘I don’t drink, so I’m healthy.’ I thought I could do whatever I wanted,” she said. “And literally, my diet was actually trying to kill me in the night.”