Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young) was in “total shock” after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that can cause symptoms like exhaustion and more.
“Filming was absolutely brutal because I could barely get out of bed,” the realtor, 36, told Today about how it became grueling to appear on her shows, Selling Sunset and The Flipping El Moussas, because she could barely get out of bed some days. “I remember saying to my assistant, ‘I feel like I’m dead. My brain was so tired. My body was so tired. I was exhausted all the time and no amount of sleep could make it better.”
At first, Heather thought her “foggy” brain and her fatigue were symptoms of postpartum after giving birth to her son, Tristan, in January 2023. However, her lactation consultant recommended the reality star get bloodwork done after her milk supply dropped drastically.
The former Playboy model is “feeling much better” now after using prescribed medication to treat her autoimmune disorder. Hashimoto’s disease affects the thyroid and is “caused by the immune system attacking healthy tissues,” per the Mayo Clinic.
Heather married HGTV star Tarek El Moussa in October 2021, and they have happily coparented his two kids, Taylor and Brayden, whom he shares with ex-wife Christina Hall.
After welcoming her own bundle of joy, Heather has been detailing her first year of new motherhood. Needless to say, she’s “obsessed” with her sweet son.
“I thought, you know, ‘Oh, I’d be OK going to dinners’ or ‘I’d be OK going on the little trips’ and it’s hard to even go to the doctor or, like, leave the house at all or leave him at all to even shower and get ready,” she told Entertainment Tonight shortly after Tristan’s birth. “I have this insane bond with him that I didn’t know I was going to have and I don’t think you can experience that until he’s here and you have those feelings.”
Part of her journey included breastfeeding, and she wrote a heartfelt post after stopping.
“My big boy does not want to breastfeed anymore,” Heather wrote via Instagram on October 18. “It’s bittersweet for me because breastfeeding as a new mommy was something I grew to love. I love the bond, the skin-to-skin, the cuddles, and if I’m being honest, it would have been harder for me to make the decision to stop.”
She added, “I’m so proud of us and so proud of all the mothers out there — no matter how long or short you decide to breastfeed or breastfed at all because you are incredible and I hope you never feel (or felt) ashamed, or let anyone judge you for YOUR process.”