Bethenny Frankel Says Her New Boyfriend Saved Her Life After Near-Fatal Allergic Reaction

Bethenny Frankel has publicly addressed her new relationship for the first time.

On Monday, the Real Housewives of New York City star revealed she was hospitalized after suffering a near-fatal allergic reaction to fish over the weekend.

“I have a rare fish allergy. Sunday, I had soup, itched & was unconscious for 15 mins then to ER & ICU for 2 days w BP of 60/40,” she tweeted. “I couldn’t talk, see, thought I had a stroke & dying & told if 5 mins later I’d be dead. 911 & EPI saved me. I’ll never not carry an #epipen.”

In response to a fan who brought up the Bravo star’s “new boyfriend,” Frankel acknowledged his role in the scary incident, tweeting: “He saved my life.”

A source told PEOPLE Frankel, 48, “almost died.”

“It was that serious,” said the source. “Her blood pressure was through the roof and she was unconscious. She went into anaphylactic shock. Her boyfriend friend saved her life.”

Multiple sources told PEOPLE in October that Frankel is dating real estate developer and film producer Paul Bernon. The star was also spotted getting affectionate with a dark-haired man who appeared to be Bernon in photos obtained by TMZ that month.

Bernon lives in the greater Boston area, which is where Frankel was when she suffered the reaction. (She thanked Newton Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts by tagging them on Twitter and writing, “xo.”)

The budding romance comes at a bittersweet time. In August, the Skinnygirl mogul’s on-off boyfriend Dennis Shields was found dead of a suspected overdose in his Trump Tower apartment. He was 51.

While she’s been pouring herself into hurricane relief efforts since his death, Frankel, she’s still mourning the loss.

“The work I am doing for hurricane relief is a good outlet, but I’m trying to not get too immersed and not avoid the grieving process and feeling,” she told PEOPLE in September. “I am going through an emotional storm and must go through and not around it.”

“People are suffering way more than I am,” she added. “People have helped me get through my despair with their love and inspiration and now it is my turn.”