Erin Napier and her history of illness and recovery may go back further than fans realize.
While Ben Napier has made headlines for his weight loss, a step that he took for health reasons, Erin’s health has also caught viewers’ attention.
In fact, Home Town fans have spotted signs of Erin’s illnesses and recovery on the HGTV show itself.
What is her history with illness?
Home Town stars Erin Napier and Ben Napier discuss renovation choices. (Image Credit: HGTV)
Erin Napier had a ‘mystery illness’ that threatened her life
Years ago, Erin Napier began experiencing stabs of intense pain that adversely impacted her life. She would lose days of time, and doctors were unable to determine the cause — at first.
“In the beginning, it would be 24 hours of terrible stomach pain and a low-grade fever, and then it would disappear,” Erin recalled to People in a 2018 interview. “It became two days, then three.”
Ultimately, it took an exploratory surgery to identify the cause.
Despite the beauty of the brick arch, Erin Napier went with the homeowner’s wishes and demolished it on Home Town. (Image Credit: HGTV)
Erin Napier had a perforated appendix
Normally, a person with appendix issues will first experience appendicitis — the organ becomes swollen and painful. Doctors can quickly diagnose this. The solution is an appendectomy, to remove the organ before it ruptures.
That was not Erin’s situation. Instead, her appendix would burst — which is already bad. And then it would heal itself before bursting again.
Doctors found a tremendous amount of internal scar tissue amongst her organs. Among other things, this threatened her potential to have children with husband Ben Napier.
Together on Home Town, Ben Napier and Erin Napier discuss the comforts of home. (Image Credit: HGTV)
This began when she was only 19
“The first time it happened, when I was 19, it just partially ruptured,” Erin detailed. “Not enough to kill me, just enough to make me sick.”
Fortunately, once doctors had identified the problem, they removed her appendix. This alleviated her longtime abdominal pain.
Ultimately, we know that she was able to have children — because she and Ben share two daughters.
Speaking to Home Town viewers, stars Ben Napier and Erin Napier discuss their recent purchase. (Image Credit: HGTV)
Why did Erin Napier have throat surgery in 2022?
Much more recently, Erin underwent hospitalization and a throat surgery. She opened up about her hospital stay on Instagram at the time.
“Staying tonight in the hospital after a throat procedure, and feeling so cared for by an old friend,” Erin wrote at the time.
However, Erin chose to hold off on opening up about why she had required surgery in the first place. Fans spent that time on the edge of their seats.
Erin Napier’s mystery illness was an abscessed tonsil
In January of 2023, Erin explained her 2022 hospitalization on Twitter.
“I was hospitalized with an abscessed tonsil during this block,” she shared. Erin was speaking to Home Town viewers who wondered about this batch of episodes.
“So this episode and several others are about to have me with a weird voice and super puffy faced from IV steroids,” Erin explained.
Has mental illness entered the picture?
Erin has opened up about her own experiences with serious ailments have caused her to become extra vigilant about her family’s health.
“I spend an inordinate amount of my time avoiding illness,” Erin acknowledged in a 2012 blog post. “I scan Facebook each morning, looking for who’s sick so I can avoid them for the next 10 days.
She characterized: “It’s a mental problem, really, my fear of getting sick.”
Parents Ben Napier and Erin Napier walk on their rural property on Home Town. (Image Credit: HGTV)
‘It’s hugely frightening to me’
“I’m not talking about a cold, but the flu, the stomach virus… We’ve been together for 8 years and neither of us has ever had the flu in that time…” Erin shared.
“This sounds incredibly stupid,” she expressed. “There are people out there with far worse ailments and diseases than the common flu, but it’s hugely frightening to me.”
Just for the record, taking sensible steps to avoid the flu is wise. As we have all seen over the past several years, surviving a virus doesn’t always mean that it leaves you unchanged. The flu is much less dangerous than COVID-19, but it’s still no joke.
Erin Napier Illness: ‘Home Town’ Star’s History of Health Struggles and … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.