The Truth Behind Selena Gomez's Hidden Health Crisis

Leading up to her transplant, Selena Gomez revealed to NBC News, "I had arthritis, my kidneys were shutting down — my mentality was just to keep going. I didn't realize how much it was affecting my body."

Raisa noticed that Gomez was physically weak before the procedure, telling the outlet, "One day she came home and she was emotional. I hadn't asked anything. I knew she hadn't been feeling well. She couldn't open a water bottle one day. She chucked it and she started crying."

Gomez revealed that the surgery took longer than it should have because of a complication. "My teeth were like grinding, I was freaking out," Gomez said. "It was a six-hour surgery that they had to do on me, and the normal kidney process is actually two hours. Apparently one of the arteries had flipped. I'm very grateful that there are people who know what to do in that situation."

Gomez arranged for her and Raisa to stay together while they recovered, which required bedrest. "It was hard, because you constantly had to ask for help," Raisa said. "I think one of the most humbling experiences was helping put on underwear. We couldn't take showers by ourselves. It was a really brutal process."

The procedure paid off. "As soon as I got the kidney transplant, my arthritis went away," Gomez said. "My lupus—there's about a 3 to 5 percent chance it'll ever come back. My blood pressure is better. My energy, my life has been better."

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