Inside HGTV Star Erin Napier's Health Issues Over The Years

HGTV's Ben and Erin Napier, and their adorable family, have lived through several tragic events. During Erin's chat with People in 2018, she got candid about her experiences dealing with one particular health issue that went undiagnosed for years. The "Home Town" co-host recalled how she started having 24-long episodes of "terrible stomach pain and a low-grade fever" when she was 19. Soon, the episodes increased in both frequency and intensity, and they would sometimes cause debilitating discomfort that would leave her immobile for up to a week. 

Ben confirmed that they went to several doctors to try to understand the cause, did all of the recommended tests, but found no answers whatsoever. In fact, in a 2022 Instagram post, the home renovation expert revealed that she was misdiagnosed with anxiety disorder and porphyria. In fact, as Erin shockingly told People, she only received an accurate diagnosis in 2014, nearly a decade after her health problems began. After undergoing an exploratory surgery on her OB-GYN's orders, doctors found that her organs were tied together with a tissue. 

It took another procedure for them to conclude that Erin had a perforated appendix. The busy working mother explained that her health problems began after her appendix "partially ruptured." Since she didn't get it surgically removed, the organ attempted to heal itself internally and formed scar tissue around itself that eventually wound up going over her other organs as a result. Although the HGTV star rectified the problem with an appendix and excessive tissue removal procedure, the incident still understandably left her with tons of mental scars.

In another People interview, which was conducted in 2020, Erin Napier disclosed that doctors had informed her that her appendix surgery could cause complications with any future pregnancies. The revelation understandably caused the fan-favorite reality star to reconsider the idea of trying for a baby because she feared the emotional turmoil a pregnancy could bring. However, Erin and Ben Napier were determined to grow their family despite these many setbacks. The home renovation experts ultimately beat the odds and welcomed two daughters, whom they're notably raising without technology. 

Erin's health issues also caused her to develop anxiety, which she detailed in her 2022 Instagram post: "It left some deep ruts in my neuro pathways that have left me with an extreme fear and preoccupation with sickness, nausea in particular, ever since." The "Home Town" co-host continued, "My brain, without my permission, sets off on a fight or flight mission to save my life, when my life is not in any danger at all." Erin also admitted that she had to deal with "panic attacks and spiraling thoughts." The "Heirloom Rooms: Soulful Stories of Home" author also opened up about her worries in a 2012 blog post. 

At the time, Erin confessed that she had formed a habit of regularly checking social media every morning to figure out people who were down with "the flu [and] the stomach virus," so she could keep her distance from them. In fact, the entrepreneur even chronicled all the worries she faced after Ben developed a fever in grave detail. 

In March 2022, Erin took to Instagram once more to alert her millions of fans to the fact that she was spending some time at the hospital after undergoing a "throat procedure." Still, the "Home Town" co-host found a silver lining in the situation as it helped her reconnect with an old family friend. Later, Erin took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to detail all the reasons for the surgery: "I was hospitalized with an abscessed tonsil during this block, so this episode and several others are about to have me with a weird voice and super puffy faced from IV steroids." 

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of her health struggles. In March 2024, she shared an Instagram post explaining that she had injured her back "by blowing my nose with bad posture over and over when I had a sinus infection." Even worse, the reality star was in the middle of shooting the third season of "Home Town Takeover" at the time, so she powered on by taking a steroid shot to ease the pain that "felt like electrocution" every time she even brushed a finger against her spine. Naturally, that wasn't a permanent solution, and the pain eventually returned. 

Thankfully, Erin knew a great physical therapist: Her brother. So, she paid him a visit, and he quickly realized that her "rib was dislocated from my spine and pinched a capsule" and helped her recover. Suffice it to say, the HGTV star is a real fighter for dealing with all these health issues while maintaining a brave face for the cameras.