AceShowbiz - "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Vicki Gunvalson recently faced a harrowing health scare that almost cost her life. The reality star shared her frightening experience on her podcast "My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast", revealing the sequence of events that led her to the brink of death.

Vicki Gunvalson, 62, embarked on a family vacation to Europe in early August, already dealing with what seemed to be a common sinus infection. Upon her return, despite taking antibiotics, her condition took a sudden, ominous turn.

Gunvalson experienced amnesia and stroke-like symptoms, as she recalled on her podcast. "There seems to be about an hour or two that I was missing and I don't know where I was," she said, noting she began "talking gibberish" during a meeting with a client who was a retired doctor.

It was this client who suspected a stroke, prompting boyfriend Michael Smith's daughter, Olivia, to rush Gunvalson to the hospital. Unfortunately, she was initially misdiagnosed with a lingering sinus infection and sent home. Things worsened significantly when Michael found Gunvalson unconscious in a bathtub, which could have been disastrous.

"One of the scariest things for me was when I walked in... Vicki decided she wanted to take a bath... she's pretty much passed out," Smith detailed on the podcast. After pulling her from the water, he put her to bed where she slept for nearly 14 hours.

Upon waking, Gunvalson remained disoriented, leading Smith to rush her back to the hospital. That's when the shocking truth emerged: her sinus infection had escalated into pneumonia and then into sepsis - a life-threatening condition.

According to the Mayo Clinic, severe sepsis has a high mortality rate, and Vicki's prognosis was daunting. As she noted, "I said, did I hear this right that I had a 10 to 20 percent [chance of] survival?" Ultimately, her infection demanded the body's full response, impacting her brain and overall function.

Her recovery was tedious and deeply emotional. Despite being discharged, Gunvalson admitted to feeling extreme lethargy and emotional turmoil. "I cry a lot, and Michael keeps saying, 'Why do you keep crying?' I don't have an answer," she recounted.

In the face of such a perilous condition, Vicki expressed immense gratitude toward Olivia and Michael for their crucial roles in her recovery, calling them "guardian angels." Christian Gray Snow, her podcast cohost, articulated the collective shock that surrounded Gunvalson's ordeal, "Seeing Vicki go through this in the last week has been nothing short of devastating. And terrifying."

Despite the severe setback, Vicki Gunvalson's story is a testament to the importance of prompt, accurate medical care, and the unconditional support of loved ones. Her journey from near-death to recovery serves as a cautionary tale and a beacon of hope.