Christina Applegate has recently spoken about the effect multiple sclerosis (MS) has had on her day-to-day and family life. Back in 2021, the Married … With Children star revealed her diagnosis. She has been open about it since first noticing symptoms.
She also launched a podcast, “MeSsy,” alongside Jamie-Lynn Sigler to provide more insight into her life with the condition. Applegate is also set to release a memoir titled “You With the Sad Eyes” next month.
It has been about five years since she was diagnosed with MS. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the actress opened up about how her life has changed since then, while also giving an update on her current health.
For those unfamiliar, multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that directly impacts the brain and spinal cord. Common symptoms include tingling in the limbs, fatigue and difficulty with balance. MS currently has no cure. However, certain treatments are available that can help make life more manageable.
Yup. I turned 50 today. And I have MS. It’s been a hard one. Sending so much love to all of you this day. Many are hurting today, and I am thinking of you. May we find that strength to lift our heads up. Mine currently is on my pillow. But I try
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) November 26, 2021
Applegate revealed that family time has been incredibly difficult for her since the diagnosis, as she spends most of her day in bed. However, she still tries her best to spend quality time with her daughter. “I want to take her [to school and activities]; it’s my favorite thing to do. It’s the only time we have together by ourselves,” Applegate said.
“I tell myself, ‘Just get her there safely and get home so you can get back into bed.’ And that’s what I do,” she added.
The actress told The New York Times that she initially began feeling off balance while filming a dance sequence for the first season of Dead to Me. However, at that time, she did not recognize it as a symptom of MS.
In another interview on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast, Applegate said she only began noticing subtle changes when she experienced numbness in her toes. She was already going through a stressful time.
“It was January 2021, my mom had just been diagnosed with cancer for the third time, there was some other stuff going on in my life, it was a really stressful and traumatic time,” the 54-year-old said.
I have a very important ceremony coming up. This will be my first time out since diagnosed with MS. Walking sticks are now part of my new normal. Thank you @neowalksticks for these beauties. Stay tuned to see which ones make the cut for a week of stuff. pic.twitter.com/O543p1G4vS
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) October 27, 2022
“My toes started to feel numb, just my toes a little bit. I was still hiking, I was still playing tennis, but my toes weren’t feeling right,” she explained. In the recent interview, recalling the time, she said, “Eventually, over those months, it grew from my toes, to my ankles, to my knees down is a whole other ball game. I was losing balance, the pain was extraordinary. When I say numb, it was numb but it hurts.”
She added that following advice from fellow actor Selma Blair, she went to visit a neurologist, and that is when she was diagnosed with the condition in 2018. On the Armchair Expert podcast, Applegate explained that her condition has only worsened in recent years since the diagnosis.
“The second my feet hit my carpet in the morning, and they’re hurting as bad as mine do every day, you go f–k it and go back to bed,” she said.
On her own MeSsy podcast, the actor added, “I can’t even pick up my phone sometimes, because now it’s traveled into my hands. So I’ll try to go get my phone, or get my remote to turn on the TV [and] sometimes, I can’t even hold them. I can’t open bottles now.”
