In the photo, Applegate is seen with her hair and makeup professionally styled, wearing blue jeans and a black blazer, as she sits with her legs crossed, confidently showing off her striking boots.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS): Inspiring Stories from SNTV 

Stanwell said alongside the photo, “Christina Applegate in Stevie Nicks boots (Yep. For real)”—showing how the beloved “MesSy” podcast host and actress, known for playing Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom “Married…with Children,” is not letting her struggles with MS get in the way of dressing up.

Applegate stepping out in high heels while managing a debilitating illness sends a powerful message of hope to others facing the same condition.

It also comes a few days after she spoke about the importance of being about to “laugh” and “be” while dealing with health struggles.

In a recent episode of “MeSsy with Christina Applegate & Jamie Lynn Sigler,” Applegate urges her fans or anyone battling a chronic illness like herself to, “Stop f***ing talking about it for a minute.”

She explained, “Something Jamie and I did today was, we just talked about Bravo shows and and stuff … but have it with someone who kind of understands.

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“If you do have a community, if you do have someone who actually shares, you know, you don’t have to have someone that has a chronic illness or has the same thing that you have just to be able to just go and just … let’s talk about dumb sh*t and let’s laugh and let’s be.”

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Applegate continued, “Because we’ve spent so much f***ing time as being sick people … having to talk about being sick. And you know what? I’m sick of talking about being sick, man.

“So let’s find someone that we can get on the phone and, you know, I don’t know, drink a glass of wine or something and have some fun and talk about dumb a** sh*t. Stop f***ing talking about it for a minute.”

Self Care Through MS

We admire Applegate’s ability to embrace her beauty through MS, and it reminds us of when licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin told us, “Self-care is a way for you to treat yourself, to give back to yourself, that feels very different than being a patient.”

As you continue treating an illness or a cancer diagnosis, it’s important to include self-care in your overall care plan. Your emotional health is just as important as your physical health, and that is where self-care plays a key role. Make time for things that make you feel good about yourself and ease daily stress.

In a recent conversation with SurvivorNet, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin talked about what it means to be a “cancer patient” and how self-care can help people step outside of that label.

Being a cancer patient is “a difficult identity to have with you at all times,” she said.

Cancer can be all-encompassing, meaning it can hijack your mental energy and fill your schedule. Dr. Strongin says that practicing self-care can help you take back control.

Dr. Strongin recommends thinking of self-care in the context of the things in life that bring you the most joy. It doesn’t necessarily mean pampering yourself. It’s more important to find opportunities to be playful and joyful to embrace the child within yourself.

According to Dr. Strongin, “Self-care allows (people with cancer) to take on a different role where they are proactively giving back to their body, giving back to their mind, whatever that might be.”

‘Self Care Is A Way To Treat Yourself’: Dr. Marianna Strongin on the Importance of Self-Care

Self-care Is Closely Linked to Good Emotional Health

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers additional guidance for ways to practice self-care.

Regularly ask yourself, “How am I feeling?” and work through why you feel that way regardless of whether those feelings are negative or positive. For example, if you are feeling hopeful and optimistic, you may ask yourself why. One possible reason is that you have to have lunch with a close family member or a close friend. The same can be said if you’re feeling sad or angry; ask yourself why that is.

“Checking in with yourself is being mindful of what your body is telling you. The more you check in with yourself, the more aware you’ll be that you need a break. Sometimes, rest and quiet time is all you need to feel rejuvenated,” the NCI explains.

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Examples of self-care may include:

• Exercising
• Sleeping
• Maintaining a healthy diet
• Meditation
• Engage in activities that bring you happiness (hobbies, spending time with loved ones, etc)
• Practicing gratitude
• Staying positive

As we mentioned previously, self-care is closely linked to your emotional (mental) health.

Mental health refers to both your emotional and psychological well-being. Our mental health can affect how we think, feel, and behave. Certain triggers like stress, traumatic events, or changes in your physical health can affect your mental health. It’s really important to keep tabs on your mental health and, if necessary, seek treatment from a mental health professional.

Living with Incurable 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 with the body’s arms, legs, and other parts to function normally.

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There is no cure for M.S., but M.S. warriors battling the disease do have methods to manage their symptoms.

Common tools M.S. patients use to improve their quality of life include wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).

A study in American Family Physician found that DMTs “have been shown to slow disease progression and disability; options include injectable agents, infusions, and oral medications targeting different sites in the inflammatory pathway.”

Research published in Frontiers in Neurology last year says autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) (also called bone marrow transplantation, with autologous meaning a patient’s own cells) used for multiple sclerosis therapy helps “reset the immune system.” Several studies and clinical trials using AHSCT have shown promise.

“In a meta-analysis of published studies using AHSCT for M.S. treatment, the pooled estimated transplant-related mortality was 2.1%, the two-year disease progression rate was 17.1%, the five-year progression rate of 23.3%, and a pooled 83% of patients had no evidence of disease activity at two years. Patients who had the most benefit and the least mortality rate were patients with relapsing-remitting M.S. (RRMS).”

Additional research published by NEJM Journal Watch says that AHSCT helps MS patients reduce relapses better than other forms of MS treatment.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society outlines 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 M.S. is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
• Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common M.S. among the million people battling the disease in the U.S., 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 M.S. (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 M.S. (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of M.S. that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.

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?”

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.”

On an episode of the “MeSsy”” podcast, Applegate shared that she has since naturally lost those 40 pounds without using any anti-obesity medication. She jokingly added that the weight loss came as a side effect of managing stomach issues related to the medication she takes while navigating her MS journey.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with MS or are concerned you have the chronic disease due to symptoms you’re experiencing, consider asking your doctor the following questions.

• Although there’s no cure for MS, which treatment option to manage my symptoms do you recommend for me?
• Are there any potential side effects of MS treatment?
• What if the treatment to manage symptoms doesn’t work?
• Will exercise or therapy help my symptoms?
• Are there any MS support groups you recommend to help me cope

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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