Last November, Briana and Ryan Culberson moved to North Carolina to get away from Vicki be closer to his family and have a simpler life for the boys. The move seems to be going well despite Vicki flying out to see them three times in seven months.
This week, Vicki opened up about Briana’s battle with lupus and we learned that it was even worse than we thought.
Vicki told The Daily Dish, “She has lupus. We almost lost her a couple years ago. That was one of the biggest fears I had in my life while I was filming; it’s my ‘Oh, my God’ moment.”
“And she was super, super sick; got a very, very bad infectious disease from the hospital. They almost amputated her leg … she was extremely sick.”
Even though her leg was saved, she still had a long haul ahead. “[we] Put her in City of Hope and she was there in isolation for a month. The viewers don’t know but we can share it now because she survived it. But it was horrible.”
After Brianna moved to the east coast, Vicki reports,”Now she’s being treated for lupus out in University of North Carolina, which is actually where she works. She’s an ER trauma nurse. They’ve got a great lupus center out there. So if God brought her out there to help her get through this, that was the good thing from it.”
The good news is she seems to have the lupus under control at this point and is able to work in a very stressful job. I bet the boys are loving North Carolina and playing with Ryan’s extended family.
Did you have any idea that Brianna’s condition was so serious?
I truly hope that Brianna is okay, but after all these years, it is difficult to believe anything Vicki has to say.
Agreed. I am sure Brianna has a tough time with lupus, it is a very difficult disease to manage, but I have trouble believing anything Vicky says because she exaggerates and embellishes so much. Much love and prayers goes out to Brianna and her family. I also question, was this information for Brianna to share as she has her own social media following? Or just another attention grabber by Vicky? I don’t follow Brianna or Vicky on social media but would be interested to know if Brianna is sharing these details also? Is she “liking” that Vicky is sharing Brianna’s health woes?
So true. Hard to know if she is telling the truth or looking for another casserole.
Casserole ?
This was my first thought! Idk if I believe anything Vicki says about a loved one being ill.
Lupus sucks. Period. I have friends with Stage 3 and Stage 4 SLE. It’s horrible especially if left untreated. So sorry for Brianna. Glad she’s at UNC because they do great work with autoimmune illnesses. She’ll be in my prayers.
I don’t doubt that Brianna was & is very sick.
But, Vicki is incredibly hard to believe. Brianna
Was in OKC at the time of this “infection” from the hospital. Okc has some of the best hospitals, OU Med. & Integris. So, I find this infection story hard to believe.
I remember the drive with Vicki from OK to OC and Brianna said her leg was hurting and getting worse. Ambulance took her to hospital in the OC where she got treated and finally got a diagnosis.
I remember that as well. Was actually a very serious infection and Brianna was very sick
UNC is a fantastic hospital and right down the road from Duke. We saw Brianna, Ryan, and the kids at Lowe’s picking out kitchen appliances a while ago. Didn’t speak cause they had their hands full. Year before we saw them at a local diner.
Hope Brianna is stable and relieved of further stressors now living a quieter life. Sounds like she is doing better and able to work as an ER Nurse in NC. Hope the best for her and her family and she stays well.
Has Ryan found a job yet?
I’m pretty sure I read that Vicki said his disability had come through from serving in the armed forces. I believe he severely injured his back but I may stand corrected. I also wonder if he suffers from PTSD.
I appreciate that he served our country but honestly, I couldn’t stand him.
I don’t mean to be an a-hole but I also have SLE. It is a horrible rotten disease and I wish it on no one. However… as some of you have also said, Vicki’s account, to me, seems to be one that is overinflated and exaggerated.
I’m not a Vicky fan but believe her on this. Brianna could of picked up an infection anywhere due to her lowered immune system. Hopefully won’t have to hear Ryan is controlling so that’s why they are in NC bologna anymore.
Eh, Vicki-the-cancer-scammer may just be relaying what she understands as a non-medical person. I also have SLE. If Briana’s on steroids or immune suppression, she is more susceptible to infections, so there’s that. I wish her and her little family the best. Hopefully being out of the spotlight will decrease stress in her life and flares. More power to her for working as an ER Trauma RN! It takes so much energy and passion.
I thought Briana was sicker than they were letting on and it is possible with lupus for her to have been that sick. Briana doesn’t seem to put up with Vicki’s bullshit so if this is a lie Briana and/or Ryan will probably let us know. We could all see how very little help Vicki was to Briana so it’s no mystery why Briana and Ryan moved closer to normal people who can and will help them. Donn still seems to be in Briana’s life and he seems like a great guy.
“How very little help Vicki was to Briana”?? Listen, I think Vicki is a train-wreck and an extremely vapid person but she’s done A LOT for Briana and her family. Whether it’s buy her a car or give her the down payment for a house, Vicki has done a lot for her kids. I don’t think anyone can dispute that.
Vicki bought an expensive car, made a big display of giving Brianna this “gift” and then quietly told her it was financed and she (Brianna) had to make the payments on it.
Spare me that kind of “help” from anyone.
Vicki spends money and there are times Briana desperately needs actual physical help. Vicki could have spent her money hiring people to help Briana and her two small children but instead she left the very sick Briana by herself quite a few times. I was shocked.
Throwing money at your child does not replace true caring about your child. There is a reason Briana moved literally across the country away from her home and her mother. She needs help and normalcy. Briana can never have that around Vicki.
I don’t know that Brianna and her husband really needed money from Vicki. But they did need physical help which was not given.
You have no fucking CLUE what you are talking about. Brianna and the boys were staying in her house with a home health aide for Brianna and a full time sitter.
Thanks, TT. I thought Vicki did hire help for Briana and the boys while she was at work. I know Vicki’s ‘love’ comes with a lot of strings, but she made sure Briana got the physical help she needed.
The thing I always recall in all of this is Vicki driving Briana to the hospital to have surgery and all the way there Vicki was complaining that SHE was nervous, HER stomach hurt, SHE was missing work, etc. It made me sick to see anyone so self absorbed that she couldn’t must any empathy for her own daughter.
Does Lupus effect your kidneys? I know Selena Gomez has Lupus and she had to have a kidney transplant last year and I didn’t know if her having Lupus had anything to do with that. I didn’t realize how serious of a condition Lupus is. Keeping Briana in my prayers!
Yes, SLE can effect kidneys.
Lupus can affect every organ and every system in your body. It’s no joke.
I think Briana is the nicest girl and feel very badly that she has gone through so much. I also wouldn’t trust Vicki any farther than I could throw her. What I think she’s probably talking about is MRSA. Having a weak immune system makes it easier to get, and ironically enough the best place to get it is in a hospital. I think the ‘death’s door’ scenario Vicki painted was probably because of the MRSA (called the flesh eating disease), not the Lupus. It’s defining feataure is that it is very resistant to antibiotics, and that’s what makes it dangerous. It can be dangerous and untreated people can end up with amputations and worse. But her being in isolation had nothing to do with Brianna’s health at risk, but the risk to anybody else because it is very contagious.
My best friend’s daughter had MRSA 10 (?) years ago and was near death. A medication made of coral from one place in the world — the bay in Hawaii where her uncle lives — saved her life! MRSA is dangerous shit and people on immune-suppressing drugs are more susceptible and urged to get out of the hospitals (breeding grounds for staph) ASAP. This ONE time Vickie may be telling the truth.
Anyone who thinks Vicki would lie about her daughters illness is an idiot. Her daughter was sick, Lupus is a horrible condition. Period! Reguardless of your opinion of the cancer situation, Vicki is a good mother and wouldn’t lie about her children. Plus, Brooks scAmmed Vicki (my opinion)
No one is saying she is lying. However, we’ve all seen her exaggerate things to the point of being ridiculous. Briana, herself, has pointed out her mother’s histrionics from time to time, so it’s hard to know what to believe. Unfortunately for Briana, Vicki is not capable of feeling empathy for anyone, even her daughter, so she was on her own a lot when suffering through this. I’m glad she has left OC and gotten some distance from her mother and the drama she creates. I’m hoping she has love and support where she is at now.
Brooks was long gone by the time Vicki got involved with the people who got her to front the charity website, that was really just a lead generator for cancer insurance sales.
Opela88, agree with all you said. And then some
I mean WTF? The post is about Brianna’s illness and the severity of it. And all people can do here is bash Vicki?
I’m with you It is ridiculous and unnecessarily cruel.
A lot of these commenters are terrible. Maybe everybody is, anymore. There, I said it. I mean goddam, like dogs with a fucking bone.
I saw that update, no update on Southern Charm, too. Some of those people are off their rockers, just like this carp with Vicki. I can’t bring myself to look at it, and it’s about the only show I even like anymore. Boo.
Oh, and the ad farm posing as a blog? It won’t matter soon. People just swallow anything. Amazing how fast everything went to shit.
I remember an episode back when Brianna and the boys were living with Vicki. Ryan was still in the military. Brianna was SO sick and telling Vicki that she could not believe Vicki would not take time off from work to help her with the kids until she could get on her feet. Hopefully, she has more support in NC than she did in OC.
Whenever she’s been on RHOC, Briana has always been such a refreshing and honest voice of reason. At times, it really seemed like she was the only one who could talk any kind of sense into her mother.
I just hope she’s doing better in North Carolina, and she’s getting the treatment and support she needs. It’s just so sad to see what’s happened to her family. At least Vicki finally severed ties with Brooks, but I’m now concerned about her relationship with the new “operator” (Steve).
Unpopular opinion: I’m EXTREMELY glad Brianna is healthy now and in a position to get the best care possible but I think she’s an asshole. Anyone who can talk that much shit about their mom on television (when they do so much for you) is an asshole. My own mom is extremely self centered but you will never catch me talking about her on that kind of forum.
Her mother, though well meaning when it comes to her family, is pathologically dishonest and delusional and I think the “shit talking” you’re referring to was briana being the only person to tell her mom the truth of her behavior and actions. tough love. it’s not helpful to cosign someone’s bullshit like that, and as her daughter, she should be concerned with bringing her mom back into some reality and not kissing her ass for convenience’s sake. I never felt Vicki was malicious toward her kids, the damage was inadvertent, and I never felt Briana was mean toward her mom, she was trying to shake her back to her senses. Vicki 100% goes off the rails and Brooks certainly wasn’t helping, neither were her castmates. Briana was calling her mom out out of love IMO.
It sucks to be in a role where you’re almost playing parent to your parent, but we are all flawed people. I wish her the best in her recovery, I think she is incredibly strong.
I know it is an extremely serious disease, but with Vicki’s history, I will wait for Brianna to share her story herself.
I would not believe Vicki if her tongue was notarized.
There is no way Vicki would not help her daughter. She hired someone when she couldn’t be there (rewatch) that 1 car was beginning of show. Bought her vehicle, had 2 choices. Drove across country w/her & kids. Could go on & on. Ya don’t like Vicki, fine ; but ya can’t take away her love & how she’s helped her. At times it seemed no matter what she did it was never enough.
Apparently, Briana has not had a lupus outbreak since she has been on the keto diet. She’s lost weight and has the inner glow we haven’t seen in years.