Tamra Judge is speaking out after undergoing a series of abdominal procedures for hernia repair and scar tissue removal.
Years after a prior hernia surgery left her without a belly button, the Real Housewives of Orange County cast member took to her Instagram Stories with a series of updates, one of which confirmed that after living for years without a belly button, she “finally” has one again.
In a photo shared several days ago from her hospital bed, Tamra gave the camera a peace sign as she showed off the results of her surgery, including the heart-shaped bandage over her new belly button, and revealed the surgery was performed by Donald S. Mowlds, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in breast and body procedures.
In another image, Tamra was seen at home, where she was sporting a pain pump.
“Please keep me in your prayers,” she requested in the caption of a third pic.
According to a January 3 report from Bravo’s The Daily Dish, Tamra took to her social media account soon after her surgery to admit the “pain is brutal”
“Hey guys, just wanted to say Happy New Year. I’m in a little worse shape than I expected. But I got a pain pump right here [and] drains,” she said in an Instagram Story. “[I] went in for revision of a hernia surgery that I had 10 years ago. And I went in [and got] a little more than I bargained for.”
According to Tamra, she experienced complications during the procedure that led to an additional surgery.
“[Dr. Donald S. Mowlds] found another hernia and my upper stomach and my entire abdomen was covered in scar tissue. So he had to dissect all of that. So I’m in just a little bit of pain,” she explained.
Luckily, the longtime reality star was in “good hands” with husband Eddie Judge, who was seen cooking for her in another post.
“The best little helper. Taking care of me this week,” she gushed in the caption, via a second Daily Dish report.
As RHOC fans have surely heard, Tamra confirmed her return to RHOC during an episode of Watch What Happens Live last summer.
“I am [excited],” she said at the time, noting that she had a “totally different perspective” after a much-needed break.
“I think being off for two years was probably the best thing that [Andy Cohen] could’ve ever done to me — even though I didn’t like it,” Tamra shared. “I was on the show for 12 years. [And] once you’re on that long, you become a professional housewife. And then once you’re off of it, you’re like, ‘Oh, ouch, oh, I did that?’ You come back and you’re like, ‘I was kind of an a—hole.’ You come back with a different perspective… So thank you for firing me.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 17 is expected to premiere on Bravo sometime early this year.