Heather Rae El Moussa Reveals 'Hardest Thing' About Being Diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease (Exclusive)

“It has not been easy to get my levels right and to feel good again,” the 'Selling Sunset' alum tells PEOPLE

Heather Rae El Moussa is sharing the “hardest” part of learning she has an autoimmune disorder.

In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, the Selling Sunset alum, 36, reflected on her “shocking” diagnosis with Hashimoto’s disease earlier this year.

Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, according to the National Institutes of Health. It causes symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, joint and muscle pain, slowed heart rate, dry skin, thinning hair and more.

“When I found out that it was an autoimmune disease, I was definitely shocked because I've always been a very healthy person,” El Moussa tells PEOPLE. “So it has not been easy to get my levels right and to feel good again.”

“Just doing the blood work, that was the hardest thing for me,” she says. “I don't like giving blood and I was having to do blood work every 10 days. But I knew I had good people around me to help me get better.”

Related: Heather Rae El Moussa Diagnosed with Autoimmune Disorder After Believing Symptoms Were Due to 'Mom Brain'

El Moussa was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s when she was four months postpartum after welcoming her son Tristan, 9 months, with husband Tarek.

“After I had Tristan, I just felt really tired, really run down, barely any energy, just hard to get up in the mornings and just exhausted throughout the day,” she says. “But I just thought it was being a new mom and being up all the time with a baby and just nonstop with a newborn.”

Since, El Moussa says she was prescribed Synthroid as part of her treatment plan. The Flipping El Moussas star has also made a lot of lifestyle changes to help.

“I cut out gluten and I cut out soy, which is not easy for a vegan,” she shares. I go on a lot of walks, I eat very clean, I drink a lot of water, I take electrolytes, so overall my lifestyle is very healthy.”

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“You have to be more diligent with what I eat. I eat a lot at home,” she adds. “I really try to cut it out as much as possible.”

Now, El Moussa says, those changes seem to be working.

“I'm finally starting to feel better and I feel like my levels are doing well. I'm about to be getting blood work next week to see where I'm at,” the reality star tells PEOPLE.

El Moussa is one of several celebrities  — including Gigi Hadid, Zoe Saldana, Gina Rodriguez and Victoria Justice — who have opened up about dealing with Hashimoto’s disease.

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Read the original article on People.