Smiling Christina Applegate, 52, Compares Herself to Humpty Dumpty As She Struggles With Multiple Sclerosis & Muscle Loss

Speaking on the “I Love When People Cancel” episode” of her and Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s “MeSsy” podcast this week, Applegate said she enjoys time spent resting in her bed, but she also looks forward to being out of her house with loved ones. However, she isn’t shy to admit she won’t be taking any hikes anytime soon— and she’s even referred to herself as “Humpty Dumpty,” an English nursery rhyme character shaped as an egg with skinny legs. It’s important to note that Applegate often takes to humor to cope with MS.

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Applegate explained, “I have no muscles in my legs, which I showed you. I look like Humpty Dumpty. My little tiny, weird legs and then my big menopausal belly.”

Looking back on her days before she began acting, she admitted she “just wanted to be home” all the time because she liked staying in bed and feeling comfortable.

RELATED: Christina Applegate Admits She’s Battling ‘Depression’ While Living With Multiple Sclerosis 

Of course that changed after her career took off, but she has now reverted back to her old ways amid living with MS, saying on the podcast, “There is kind of this weird gratitude I have … I like being home now because, well, I like being in my bed, but also I don’t want to be in my bed,” she said.

“But once I do go out, I’m happy I’ve done it.”

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She continued, “But what I’ve done now, is with everyone I know who wants to do who wants to do something with me and they know that it’s not going to be a hike in the hills. That’s not going to happen because I’m so unconditioned right now, which is a whole other subject because I haven’t been moving.

“Like, if I go up a hill, my heart starts beating really fast and I think I’m going to have a heart attack because my heart is just … the muscle isn’t there.”

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Applegate noted that she does allow herself to be upfront with her friends, in the instance that she needs to give short notice when canceling plans.

She added, “I always say, sure, if you want to go to lunch, just know … and you have to know this and you can’t be mad at me … that if right before you come to pick me up, if I say can’t do it, you can’t be mad.

“I’s my little disclaimer.”

Christina Applegate’s Multiple Sclerosis Journey

Applegate began experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis long before she had answers.

She actually said she felt off balance during a dance sequence that occurred way back in season one of her dark comedy “Dead to Me.” She later noticed her aptitude for tennis started to fail.

“I wish I had paid attention,” she previously told The New York Times. “But who was I to know?”

It took several years of worsening tingling and numbness in her extremities before her diagnosis arrived while on set. This life-altering realization wouldn’t stop Applegate from finishing her portrayal of character Jen Harding, but she did need a break. Production of the final season ceased for about five months as she began treatment.

“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’” Applegate said. “And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”

RELATED: Coping With MS— Christina Applegate, 52, Recounts ‘Strange Superpower That Took Over’ Allowing Her To Walk Without Cane On Family Getaway

Applegate admits she’ll never fully “accept” her condition, but she did learn how to work with it. And she’s previously talked about how the show was a cathartic outlet and safe space.

“I had an obligation to Liz [Feldman] and to Linda [Cardellini], to our story,” she said of the show’s writer and her co-star respectively. “The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together.’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.'”

Applegate wasn’t able to work as hard or as long or in the heat without her body giving out, but she found pride in her self-sufficiency. With the help of some adjustments to the schedule, she powered through. Nicole Vassell, a writer for The Independent, says other programs should learn from the way Applegate’s “physical changes [were] seamlessly incorporated into the show.”

“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” Applegate said. “I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.”

Understanding Survivorship

Whether you’re beginning your journey into survivorship or are a seasoned survivor, you’ll quickly learn that it’s a term with many layers. At its simplest, ‘survivorship’ signifies the state of living beyond a challenging event or diagnosis, such as cancer or MS. More specifically, it marks the period after treatment where a patient goes from merely surviving to thriving, as they navigate their newfound lease on life.

Survivorship isn’t just an end state-it’s a continuous journey. It begins the moment a person is diagnosed with a significant health condition and continues throughout their life. You might hear people say things like, “from the moment of diagnosis, you become a survivor”. It’s a powerful sentiment that reflects the courage and resilience involved in battling a serious illness.

In the case of Christina Applegate, we’re happy to see her navigating life with MS with an understanding of what her body can and cannot handle, like needing to cancel on an outing with her friends if she isn’t feeling up to it.

Remember, proper rest and relaxation are key. Don’t push yourself too hard and understand that it’s okay to take breaks when needed and take time to engage in relaxing activities that you love.

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.

Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to communicate to the body’s arms, legs, and other parts to function normally.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society lays out the different types of multiple sclerosis:

• Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what MS is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
• Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common MS among the million people battling the disease in the US, RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
• Primary progressive MS (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
• Secondary progressive MS (SPMS): This almost transitional form of MS progresses from RRMS to PPMS.

In addition to balance issues, numbness, and tingling in the limbs, as Applegate experienced, other common MS symptoms include vision and bladder control problems. Mood changes and mental and physical fatigue are other symptoms people living with MS may experience, according to the National Institute of Health.

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The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains this disease as: “An unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, [MS] can range from relatively benign to somewhat disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted.” Investigators of the disease believe it to be an autoimmune disease.

Many people fighting MS experience muscle weakness and difficulty with coordination and balance.

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Currently, there is no cure for MS, although some people treat the disease using chemotherapy, medications, or steroid drugs.

Resilience Through Adversity

SurvivorNet specializes in covering the lives of people who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Often, seeing the positive helps them maintain their resilience.

Dr. Zuri Murrell, an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, spoke to SurvivorNet about the role of a positive outlook on survival rates: “I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Resilience: Staying Positive Despite Adversity

Meanwhile, resilience is an important trait, but not the easiest to build. When building resilience, the ultimate goal is not to avoid tough times, but to be able to bounce back from them. And yet, when they are faced with an overwhelming, life-changing situation, how do people shift their view? How do they learn to see the problem as temporary, rather than permanent, and figure out a solution?

It’s complicated, because building resilience is more about your mental and emotional fortitude than anything else. According to the American Psychological Association, “the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.” In other words, resilience is not something you’re born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.

Building resilience is down in the same way you build muscle, through patience and steady exercise of the skill.

Some lessons learned from other cancer warriors SurvivorNet has covered include being willing to learn, spending time with people who inspire you, allowing yourself to grieve, being flexible, and leaning in to your community for support.

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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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