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Christina Applegate is shedding more light on her battle with multiple sclerosis.
“For three years, since I was diagnosed, I’ve been in the hospital upwards of 30 times from throwing up and diarrhea and pain,” Applegate, 53, revealed on Tuesday’s episode of her and Jamie Lynn Sigler’s “MeSsy” podcast.
“That is unimaginable, OK? They’ve done every test known to man on me, put so much radiation into my body from CT scans to everything else.”
Within the “last month,” the “Dead to Me” alum has been able to get to the bottom of the issue. Applegate then gave advice to the listener who wrote in and asked about these MS side effects.
“Now, maybe this isn’t what’s happening, but I’m just going to tell you this. Talk to your doctor about motility issues, OK,” she continued. “Because one of the things with MS is that it slows down our organs, you know, not like completely, but there is a slowing of the function of your organs.”
“I have noticed that — and I’m going to be really honest — if I have to poop, I puke,” confessed Applegate.
The “Samantha Who?” star’s next steps include undergoing a colonoscopy.
“My neuro doesn’t — God bless her — says that’s not an MS thing,” the podcast host admitted.
“So, I’m sorry, there’s got to be a correlation here, and I’m not a doctor. I’m not giving medical advice. I’m just saying, just think about that, OK? Because I’m in the middle of the same exact situation, and it f—ing sucks, and it’s scary.”
Applegate sarcastically added that her “favorite part” about having multiple sclerosis is simultaneously having diarrhea and vomiting.
“Always have a little trash can next to your toilet. Because you can do both without it being messy,” Applegate added with a laugh. “I had one yesterday.”
The actress was diagnosed with MS in 2021, but has said she likely had it for six or seven years before that.
After launching the“MeSsy” podcast with Sigler, 43, who also has MS, the duo has been able to use their platform to have open and honest conversations about the chronic autoimmune disease.
In November, Applegate shared some of the agonizing effects of MS.
“Everybody has different ways of it showing up,” she said on a podcast episode at the time. “I lay in bed screaming. Like, the sharp pains, the ache, the squeezing.”
“I can’t even pick up my phone sometimes,” Applegate expressed, “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 or whatever, and sometimes I can’t even hold them.”
Sigler, for her part, received her health diagnosis at just 20 years old.
“Immediately after the neurologist diagnosed me, they said, ‘I want you to know you can live a very full, healthy life. You can have children—you can still be an actress.’ I held deeply onto that, but I just went home with my parents and I didn’t talk about my condition again for a very long time,” she told SELF Magazine in April 2024. “Someone close to me said that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to share because no one in my industry had MS. I didn’t know any young people with it.”
Sigler admitted she “lived in a state of denial” at the time.
“I was very immature, but I was just doing the best I could in that moment. I also wasn’t too symptomatic in those early stages, so I was able to get away with not opening up about my diagnosis—or even taking my medications,” she explained. “I felt like if I didn’t talk about my MS, it wasn’t real. That mentality really hurt me for a long time and added an unnecessary layer of suffering on top of what I was already going through.”
Sigler and Applegate have leaned on each other during tough times.
“The Sopranos” star shouted-out her podcast partner in a sweet Instagram post on Tuesday.
“One year of Messy. Thank you to Christina, without you none of this would be possible,” Sigler penned. “For so many reasons. I truly truly love you and I know the story is FAR from over my friend. We’ve got this.”
“And to @allison_bresnick our resident therapist and for helping us bring this vision to life. To all our INCREDIBLE guests for talking with us and being vulnerable with us and laughing with us. And to all of you,” she continued. “The human spirit is incredible and getting to connect with so many peoples stories of resiliency and hope has forever changed me. We love you!”