Christina Applegate shares she lies 'in bed screaming' from 'sharp pains' amid MS battle
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Christina Applegate, who received a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2021, shared further insights about her experience with the condition, stating that she lies in bed "screaming" due to the "sharp pains" she experiences.
The 'Dead to Me' star shared the excruciating effects of having the condition with her co-host, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also has MS, and guest Rory's Bakehouse owner Rory Kandel, on Tuesday, November 5, episode of her 'MeSsy' podcast.
Christina Applegate reveals laying 'in bed screaming' in pain from MS
Speaking of her experience of living with the illness on Tuesday's episode, Christina Applegate, 52, confessed, "Everybody has different ways of it showing up. I lay in bed screaming. Like, the sharp pains, the ache, the squeezing."
The 'Married with Children' alumna also revealed the extent of her suffering as well as the fact that she now feels symptoms in areas she had not before.
She continued, "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 or whatever, and sometimes I can’t even hold them," per E! News.
Applegate first became aware of a tingling in her toes in 2021 while filming the last season of 'Dead To Me'. She was soon given a formal diagnosis of MS, a disorder in which the immune system targets the brain and spinal cord and progressively worsens over time.
For Kandel, who was also afflicted with the same chronic illness, the "hardest part" of the illness is that "it's manifesting as pain."
Kandel stated that she occasionally experiences "knives in [her] stomach," saying, "I’ll be laying in bed, and I wake up, and I physically can’t turn from side to side."
When the baker asked the 'Dead to Me' actress if she felt that way, she replied, "Every single day of my life" before adding, "I can’t open bottles now," per Page Six.
Christina Applegate compares floor to lava due to 'sharp pains' from MS
The 'Bad Moms' actress claimed that on some days, she would "just lay in bed all the time" due to the excruciating pain of her MS, a chronic illness that harms the central nervous system by damaging the sheath that surrounds nerve fibers.
Given how painful it was for her to get out of bed, Applegate would also liken the floor to lava. "I put my feet on the ground and they’re hurting, like, extraordinarily bad to the touch," she revealed.
"I was like, ‘Yep. Gonna get back in my bed and pee in my diaper because I don’t feel like walking all the way to the damn bathroom,'" she joked.
Applegate added, "I actually don’t lay here and pee in my bed diaper. That’s just a joke. But it’s like it’s so freaking painful and so hard and so awkward."
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune illness that impairs brain-to-body communication. Despite her ongoing battle with the enigmatic illness, Applegate revealed one of her most successful—and somewhat unique—coping strategies.
During her August appearance on James Corden's SiriusXM show 'This Life of Mine,' she stated, "I find reality television very useful. That’s kind of it for me."
The Emmy winner added, "Anyone who knows me well knows that it's on 24/7 in my room. I don't leave my room very often. I know that sounds really depressing but it's kind of like, I just need to sleep sometimes. Yeah, reality TV."
Applegate revealed in 2022 that, given her deteriorating health, 'Dead to Me' would likely be her final acting role. She also stated in March that she now has 30 brain lesions and needs to wear diapers.
