Melissa Gorga is now opening about her struggles with anemia after being diagnosed with the blood disorder a little more than a year ago.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member previously discussed her diagnosis on her podcast last year, and is now providing some insight into her day-to-day life with it.
The mom of three spoke to People on Monday, Nov. 11, where she said that she "can't believe that I'm as anemic as I am."
"I take iron every single day. I have to regularly go for my blood work to check everything — especially when I start to feel run down," she explained. "And this time of year is always the hardest, right?"
Melissa noted that the holiday season is particularly hard, because it's when she's the busiest. "I'm always on the go, I can feel myself when I'm tired and I know that I just can't keep going," she explained. "And I'm like, 'I think I need to call in for some blood work because I feel myself get tired.' And that's not who I am."
But, after a year of living with anemia, Melissa is keen on seeing the signs and has learned how to manage it. "I'm very careful with it," she concluded. "I'll make sure I eat steak tonight for dinner."
When was Melissa Gorga diagnosed with anemia?
Melissa first revealed that she was diagnosed with anemia during an Oct. 19, 2023 episode of her podcast, On Display with Melissa Gorga. She said that she learned about her diagnosis during a routine doctor's visit before filming RHONJ Season 14. After getting her blood work done, her doctor flagged that something was not right and had her go to the hematologist, who properly diagnosed her.
"Let me explain what anemia is," she said during the podcast. "It's a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. And those are very important because red blood cells provide oxygen to your body, okay? So it's really what keeps the blood flowing. It keeps the air flowing."
Melissa continued, noting that some people think that anemia has an easy fix: "But people have strokes because of it, a lot of strokes, brain aneurysms. There's things that happen when people don't catch that they have anemia. And it's not easy to catch unless you get blood work."
Melissa Gorga warns to not "ignore the signs" about anemia
During the podcast episode, Melissa gave her followers some sage wisdom about their health. "I want to tell you guys, don't ignore the signs," she said. "That's number one."
"And get your blood work done. Don't be like me. I am the absolute worst," she concluded.
