Carrie Ann Inaba Talks About Living with Lupus: 'I Stopped Going in the Sun'

Carrie Ann Inaba is opening up about living with lupus.

On Thursday’s episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan, Inaba, 51, revealed she had no idea she had the disease because her doctor forgot to tell her.

“I was recently diagnosed with lupus, I was actually told,” Inaba shared.

“It’s so weird. I was diagnosed with autoimmune 6 years ago, but my doctor didn’t tell me I had lupus. I was having a colonoscopy and I saw my chart [read] lupus and I was like, ‘This is not my chart,’ and they were like, ‘You have lupus.'”

“So my doctor had forgotten to tell me,” Inaba explained.

Since her diagnosis, Inaba has made big changes in her life.

“I quit diet coke,” Inaba continued, adding that she also “stopped going in the sun because when you have lupus you’re allergic to UV light, which I didn’t know, so I was causing my own flare-ups.”

However, the adjustments have been quite challenging as spending time outside is something Inaba enjoyed doing.

“I’m from Hawaii, that’s what we do,” Inaba told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest.

Over the years, Inaba has been candid about her health journey, explaining to PEOPLE in May that she used to think her symptoms were just a sign of old age.

Inaba was diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) six years ago.

“Once I was diagnosed, it’s like I got my life back,” Inaba added. “I am so grateful. There’s a blessing in some of these health conditions because it gives you a greater awareness of your own health.”

“It makes you take care of yourself and realize it’s a very important component of a healthy lifestyle is to see the doctor regularly, make sure that you’re keeping up all your checkups and getting the right tests.”

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