Published Apr 4, 2024

Christina Applegate, 52, Reveals She’s Dealing With ‘Pretty Bad’ Multiple Sclerosis Relapse & Jokes She Should ‘Buy Stock In Cottonelle’ As She Hasn’t Showered In Weeks

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Living With Multiple Sclerosis

Actress Christina Applegate, 52, recently revealed she’s struggling with an MS relapse and hasn’t been able to shower amid her brave multiple sclerosis battle, a serious disease of the brain and central nervous system that can lead to permanent disability.
The “Married with Children” was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in August 2021. The disease impacts the central nervous system and can cause numbness or tingling in your limbs.
Applegate also bravely battled breast cancer after a 2008 diagnosis. She underwent a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts) to help treat the disease
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease of the brain and spinal cord where the immune system attacks the protective layer of nerve fibers called myelin causing communication issues between your brain and the rest of your body.
If you’re an MS warrior in need of inspiration, check out SurvivorNet’s Multiple Sclerosis page for moving content including films about other MS warriors like Christina Applegate.

Actress Christina Applegate has been publicly battling Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic illness in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of the body’s nerves, over the past three years—and now she’s offered fans a glimpse into the “pretty bad” relapse she’s dealing with, something which has prevented her from showering as she’s experiencing weakness in her legs, fatigue, and “intense pain.”

RELATE: Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Inspiring Stories from SNTV

The 52-year-old “Married with Children” star opened up about her MS relapse on “The Power of Now” episode of “MeSsy with Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler,” their podcast which launched just last month.

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Speaking on the most recent episode of her and Sigler’s “MeSsy” podcast, Applegate offered some insight into how her MS journey is going, saying, “I’m in relapse right now … pretty bad. Intense pain in my legs, not being able to walk to the bathroom without feeling like I’m going to fall. Insane tingling that just has spurts of tingles that are weird, coming from my butt down.

“And I haven’t slept in 24 hours because my eye is doing something weird where every time I close my eye to go to sleep my right eye starts to shift.”

Applegate said she reached out to her doctor via text but has not yet heard back, so she’s “definitely” going to have to visit her doctor to check it out.

“It’s a little scary and freaking me out that my eye is going to burst out of my face or something. And my legs have never been this bad. So I don’t know what’s going on. No energy, legs are just done … can’t get circulation. I can’t get them to stop hurting.”

“The Sweetest Thing” actress admitted that she’s currently at a point where she is coping by “laying in a dark room” and “just wanting it to go away.”

After Sigler commended her sweet friend for her strength, courage, and humility amid her recent openness about living with MS, Applegate continued, “I’m gonna be honest with you, I need to buy stock in Cottonelle because I haven’t taken a shower in three weeks. Because I can’t stand in my shower. There’ no f–king way.”

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Applegate explained further, “I have such a small bench and my ass is so huge these days that I can’t sit on it, it’s like I slip right off of it. It’s slate … you know, it’s very Four Seasons Haulalai. So, I’ve been Cottonelle-ing my body.”

She added, “Thank God I’m always alone so that no one smells me, except for Sades[ her daughter Sadie]. [She’s] always like, ‘Oh Mama, that’s bad.’

“Yeah … I make her smell my armpits, just to make her vomit. And then she makes me smell her breath and then we laugh about how disgusting that smells.”

Despite Applegate struggling with her health, we’re happy to see she is maintaining her humor through adversity—and she has the support of her loved ones and friends through it all. Applegate also makes sure to be there for anyone she’s close to if they are also in need of support.

“I never want to be in a friendship where it’s not reciprocated where we can’t be right there for each other. When my friends are … [dealing with something] I want to know how you are and I want to know how shitty it is,” she explained in the podcast.

“And I will be an ear and a shoulder to lean on, regardless of what I’m going through. And I think a lot of times people that see us who are disabled and stuff think ‘Oh, my problems are not that big.’ But they are. What you’re feeling is just as important.”

Christina Applegate’s MS Journey

Applegate began experiencing symptoms Multiple sclerosis, potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord, 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?”

Christina Applegate is pictured in 1988 (Getty Images)

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 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.”

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 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.

‘Cruel Intentions’ Star Selma Blair Rehearses For ‘Dancing With The Stars’ While Living With Multiple Sclerosis: ‘We Do These Things We Want To Find Joy In’

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, so it’s absolutely incredible and encouraging that Applegate was able to present an award in front of so many people at the Emmys.

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

Purpose and Support Amid Health Challenges

For MS warriors or anyone battling a disease, finding support through loved ones or people outside the home is key to staying motivated while on your journey.

“Don’t Stop Me Now” Is Inspiration for Anybody With Multiple Sclerosis

Sarah Stapleton, clinical social worker at Montefiore Medical Center told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “When you’re feeling overwhelmed by emotions, social workers can often help direct you to individual counseling, either within the clinic or outside the clinic.”

SurvivorNet TV has a series of videos designed to help motivate and support MS warriors to keep fighting while managing their symptoms.

Coping Mechanisms for Pain Management

Applegate is certainly is not alone when it comes to living with chronic pain, something she’s been dealing with as she lives with MS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of Americans are living day-to-day with chronic pain.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is conducting basic pain research to develop strategies and potential medications to better manage pain. The research focuses on key areas including facial pain and how – in some cases – protein increases sensitivity to painful and nonpainful stimuli.

Research involving mice indicates that rodents with high levels of Cdk5 (a type of protein called cyclin-dependent kinase 5) showed larger calcium surges, indicating that their pain responses were intensified.

“This heightened pain sensitivity is similar to a condition called allodynia. Allodynia causes pain in response to something that isn’t typically painful. The research team was able to reduce pain signaling in those oversensitive mice by blocking their Cdk5,” NIH Distinguished Investigator Dr. Kenneth M. Yamada explained.

Other areas of research include learning how sound reduces pain and ongoing clinical trials studying pain perception and lower back pain.

Of course, pain management comes with risks especially when powerful painkillers such as opioids are involved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seeking treatment opinions that don’t involve opioids to treat pain when viable. Medicines like over-the-counter painkillers including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen have fewer side effects. Other alternatives to opioids include physical therapy and exercise.