Emily Simpson Opens Up About Son Luke's Health Diagnosis: "What Do I Do Next?" trucc

Emily Simpson tearfully explained her 10-year-old son's "rare medical condition" on the RHOC Season 19 premiere.

Emily Simpson kicked off The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19 by cryptically revealing that she had some "mom things going on that are really hard." Throughout the course of the premiere episode, she tearfully shared that those difficulties involved her and husband Shane Simpson's 10-year-old son Luke's health.

Explaining that he and his twin brother, Keller, are "very tiny for their age," she delved into Luke's eating habits, noting that he'll typically only have a bowl of rice for dinner every night.

"There's no variety, and as a mom, that's so hard," she told Shane, who replied, "He doesn't complain ... but we know he's hungry."

In a confessional, Emily further opened up about how Luke "has always been a picky eater," but it had gotten to the point over the past year where "he doesn't eat at all."

So, two months earlier, she took Luke to a therapist in hopes of getting to the bottom of the issue.

Emily Simpson shares details on son Luke's ARFID diagnosis

The medical professional told Emily that Luke "definitely" has ARFID, which stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.

"The nutritionist was explaining to me that he doesn't understand that he feels hungry. Food, in general, disgusts him," she told Shane, who added, "We offer it to him, but we don't force him."

Also noting that Luke is "very susceptible to smells," Emily continued, "We have to be more accommodating and lenient when it comes to him because he doesn’t process the idea of eating like we do. But the problem with him not eating anything is that I know he gets low energy. … It affects his mood, but then he doesn’t make that connection that it affects his mood."

Elsewhere in her producer interview, she emotionally opened up more about her "worry" when Luke is hungry but doesn't want anything she offers him. "What do I do?" she asked. "I don't know what to do. He doesn't eat anything, but he's starving."

Later in RHOC's July 10 episode, Emily told Gina Kirschenheiter, "Luke maybe has autism," as well. 

"The therapist told me that the eating disorder is very common with the autism," she elaborated, adding that Luke will have to see a specialist to undergo "intense" testing. "And basically, what we learn from that is where he lies [on the spectrum]."

How Emily and Shane Simpson are navigating Luke's ARFID journey

After receiving the news about Luke's health, Emily immediately experienced major guilt.

"I just felt like the worst mom 'cause there's all these things," she told Gina. "It's like sound bothers him, smells bother him, textures bother him. And it's like, did I just ignore them?"

In addition to therapy, Emily and her husband are experimenting with different snack foods that Luke enjoys while taking what Shane referred to as "baby steps towards a meal."

During another tear-filled confessional, however, Emily added, "I'm worried that he's not getting the nutrition he needs. I'm worried that he's, like, the weird kid at school that doesn't eat, and everybody's gonna make fun of him. And I want my child to be happy. That's it."

In an attempt to calm his wife's anxiety, Shane shared a story about daring Luke to eat a "nasty" burnt french fry for $20 during a recent fast-food run.

"He had no problem doing it," Shane said. "So, he just has to overcome it. ... He'll be fine because now we're on top of it."

The RHOC Season 19 trailer already teased that Luke's "rare medical condition" will continue to impact their marriage, though.

"I have a son that's in crisis, and I feel alone in that," Emily said in one preview clip, before tearfully predicting, "We're gonna end up divorced."

Get more details on what else to expect from Emily and her castmates on RHOC Season 19 here.