Vicki Isn’t Playing The ‘RHOC’ Victim Card With This Scary Illness

Never put it past a Real Housewife to question someone's medical diagnosis. In the Sept. 25 episode of RHOC, Vicki Gunvalson tells her castmates she's sick. Her friends don't seem to either believer her or doubt that the illness is as serious as Vicki claims. But influenza B is a real illness, and can actually be quite nasty.

Yes, it is a known fact that Tamra Judge, Shannon Beador, and Meghan Edmonds cannot stand Vicki, but it was definitely insensitive to question it when Kelly Dodd shared that Vicki texted her about being sick during that episode. Aside from being relieved that Vicki would be too ill to attend a party that Lydia McLaughlin invited them to, the women couldn't help making fun of Vicki for specifically mentioning that she had influenza B instead of just saying she had the flu or influenza, without a letter at the end of the diagnosis.

Meghan asked, "How does she know what letter it is?" Kelly revealed, "she got tested," but that didn't stop the rest of the women from going in on Vicki. "She got tested because she thought it was C or A?" Meghan laughed. "Like why do you get it tested? All you do is you deal with it and you get better."

Why wouldn't she get tested to figure out what was wrong with her? Vicki went to the doctor because she was sick, it's not very likely that she went in on a quest to add a letter to the end of the word "influenza." It's expected for a doctor to give a patient the name of their illness, and influenza B happens to be Vicki's diagnosis. Case closed.

Nevertheless, Tamra declared, "She's very dramatic." And that may be true, but that really has nothing to do with this. Meghan added, "The text is going to say 'I'm dramatic as f*ck and I have to make it as bad as it can possibly sound, so I'm going to put a letter next to influenza.'" Shannon jumped in too, saying, "She's not Vicki anymore. Her name is 'victim.'" The woman is sick. It happens.

According to LiveStrong.com, the flu shot protects patients from strains of influenza A and B. This is because the symptoms are the same, but they do not have the same intensity. Influenza B symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, loss of appetite, and nausea. The respiratory symptoms from influenza B can cause ear infections, bronchitis and sinus infections according to the Center for Disease Control. Another difference is that influenza A usually strikes in early winter, while influenza B is active all year round.

Not only that, but the Center for Disease Control also warns that influenza B can cause other severe illnesses. It can lead to pneumonia, which happens when the lungs fill with fluid making it difficult to breathe. Exposure to influenza B can cause encephalitis, which results from inflammation of the brain, and can develop into seizures or loss of consciousness. This type of flu can also turn into mysositis which inflames the muscles, making it tough to move. It is also possible for influenza B to develop into a neurological disease called Reye's syndrome which can result in delirium and nausea.

Is Vicki dramatic? That is a given, since she has been in the Real Housewives franchise longer than any other cast member. And, yes, making fun of each other, throwing shade, and arguing are cornerstones of being a Housewife, but making light of a medical situation does not fall into any of those categories. Influenza B is very real and can be very dangerous, in certain situations. Even her frenemies should be hoping that Vicki gets better soon.