Candiace Dillard Bassett is opening up about the challenging postpartum experience she faced after giving birth to her first child. The Real Housewives of Potomac alumna and her husband, Chris Bassett, welcomed their son, Jett Maxwell Lee Bassett, on Oct. 3. While the delivery went smoothly, Candiace revealed that just days later, she was paralyzed in pain. “Zero stars, would not recommend at all,” she told PEOPLE of the ordeal.

The pain began two days after leaving the hospital while staying at Sanu Postnatal Retreat, a wellness center in northern Virginia. “I started having these horrifying lower abdominal pains,” Candiace recalled. “It was so bad that I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything. And it just kept getting worse.” Even with regular doses of ibuprofen and Tylenol, she said she “didn’t feel normal.” Her symptoms worsened when fevers as high as 103.9°F began. At the same time, Candiace struggled to breastfeed, compounding her physical and emotional stress.

As her condition persisted, the 37-year-old found herself in a dark place. “I was really depressed because you have to understand: I couldn’t get up — literally, I was stuck in the bed, doubled over in pain,” she explained. Unable to care for her baby, she added, “If I didn’t have a husband, me and my child would be dead.” At her father’s insistence, she returned to the doctor, where a CAT scan revealed a blood clot in her left ovary. Though surgery wasn’t required, she was prescribed daily blood thinner injections for six weeks, with a follow-up scan planned to reassess the clot.

After starting the medication, Candiace said her physical and mental health began to improve. “My depression really lifted, and it’s been much better now,” she shared. “I’m actually able to take care of Jett; to hold him and care for him and breastfeed and actually be a mom.” Grateful for her husband’s unwavering support, she said, “Chris was doing almost everything. He was mostly getting up in the middle of the night, holding Jett, watching him. I’ve always known he was a great dad, but this really cemented that for me.”