Did Vicki Gunvalson Have a Heart Attack in Iceland?

Last week on Real Housewives of Orange County, Vicki Gunvalson voiced that she had been feeling ill throughout the day as the ladies hiked along a glacier. Later on, Gunvalson was shown throwing up in the bathroom, sweating and writhing in pain. Police were called to the Iceland hotel and Gunvalson told them, “I might be having a heart attack!” Throughout the evening, Gunvalson said, “I’m just tired. I’m not feeling well. I feel weak, I just don’t feel good. I feel so sick. I don’t know what’s going on with me. Since yesterday I have not been feeling well. I feel like my heart is racing like a billion miles a minute and I don’t have a watch.” Symptoms of Gunvalson’s included nausea, headaches and weakness. Fellow RHOC Peggy Sulahian recalled to the cameras, “Her face turned white, her arm gets numb. She’s complaining about her heart really, really pumping. I’m really worried for her. Vicki doesn’t look good, her color’s pale. I’m honestly thinking that Vicki’s going to have a heart attack.” The episode cut off in the middle of Gunvalson’s medical emergency, though a promo for tonight’s episode showed her being rushed off in an ambulance, carried out on a stretcher. Gunvalson had been awake for practically three days straight, so exhaustion definitely appeared to be a factor.

Reflecting on the incident, Gunvalson did admit to Entertainment Tonight that she blacked out at one point. And, prior to the season starting, Gunvalson said, “I don’t remember a lot of it. The ambulance with the person laying on the stretcher with the white robe over her head [seen in the season 12 trailer] was me … I’m not saying anything else.” And, as for what happened with her fellow cast members as Gunvalson faced a medical emergency, Gunvalson recalled, “They all asked me, ‘Do you want us to go to the hospital with you, or what do you want us to do?’ I said, ‘Stay back and whoop it up’ — I think they did.” Fortunately, Gunvalson has recovered from whatever illness or situation she was suffering from in Iceland, but this isn’t the first time she needed to go to the hospital while filming. On previous seasons, her daughter Briana Culberson was very ill and an ambulance had to be called. Culberson had trouble breathing and they were waiting for an ambulance at a gas station. Coincidentally, cast member Tamra Judge’s son’s baby mama Sarah Rodriguez happened to be at the gas station. She offered to watch Culberson’s children until someone else was available and Gunvalson was grateful to have her there, saying that, “Ironically, Sarah is at the gas station at the same time the ambulance pulls up. It’s like a godsend. It’s like, Thank you, Jesus. I don’t know what I’m doing right now, but I just need somebody to be here for me.” Tamra Judge also raced to be by Vicki Gunvalson’s side when her daughter had difficulty breathing, as she was very close to both of them at the time. In addition to this incident, Gunvalson was involved in an ATV accident with several of her cast members during filming on another season. She seemed to suffer a neck injury and was airlifted away to a hospital.