A Difficult Diagnosis
- Actor Christina Applegate, 52, admits she wasn’t being honest in a 2008 interview with fellow breast cancer survivor Robin Roberts about the emotional pain she was experiencing during her breast cancer journey.
- Now living with multiple sclerosis, the Dead to Me star is approaching the subject in a different way, knowing it’s okay to admit that these health situations can be a “downer” and admits she is still very early on in her healing process after learning about her debilitating disease in 2021.
- Being diagnosed with cancer or other life-altering diseases like MS can be overwhelming and it’s important to be patient with your emotions, which can change day by day. While it’s okay for people to keep their feelings private, it’s also important to communicate with someone you trust, like a family member or mental health professional to help you navigate.
Now experiencing more physical changes to her body while living with multiple sclerosis, the Married with Children alum is approaching the subject a different way, knowing it’s okay to admit that these health situations can be a “downer” and that she is still very early on in her healing process after learning about her debilitating disease in 2021.
Read More“I went out and I was the good girl talking about, ‘Oh, I love my new boobs!’ … that are all scarred and fucked up,” she said.
Hiding Her Pain
Applegate recalled returning home after her GMA appearance — which was to promote Stand Up to Cancer — and said she “fell into the wall and sobbed, because it was a lie. Everything I was saying was a freaking lie. It was me trying to convince myself of something, and I think that did no service to anyone.”
She also recounted taking her bra off and “crying every night,” noting “I wish that I had said that.”
“Some people go, ‘Oh my God, cancer’s the best thing that happened to me!’ And I’m like, ‘Uhh, then you had a pretty shitty life,'” she joked.
Added Applegate, “I make these jokes because if I don’t, I’ll suffocate, I’ll be done.”
The Dead to Me star continued airing her reality, saying “I’m not ready for the healing yet. I will get there,” she added. “When someone says, ‘Have you accepted this as your new normal?’ No, fuck you, absolutely not.”
Though Applegate shares that she still has a long way to go in processing her diagnoses, especially her most recent one, she has been making strides at getting more comfortable speaking about them.
Earlier this month, Applegate returned to GMA with fellow actor and MS warrior Jamie Lynn , with whom she appeared on the cover of PEOPLE discussing her health with her friend by her side.
Christina Applegate’s MS Journey
Multiple sclerosis is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord that 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 send messages to arms, legs, and other parts of the body to function normally.
Applegate began experiencing symptoms of the condition long before she had answers. She remembered feeling off balance during a dance sequence in season one of Dead to Me. Then she noticed her agility changed while playing tennis.
“I wish I had paid attention,” she told The New York Times in 2022. “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.
“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” Applegate continued to the NYT, referring to her first public appearance in November 2022 while accepting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “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.”
Processing the Fear of a Diagnosis
Being diagnosed with cancer or other life-altering diseases like MS can be overwhelming, especially at the beginning of your journey, says licensed clinical social worker Sarah Stapleton. So Stapleton, in a previous interview with SurvivorNet, says you should be “patient with your emotions” and communicate what you need from those around you.
Clinical Social Worker Sarah Stapleton on Processing Emotions After a Diagnosis
Stapleton says that pretending that it’s not a serious crisis is “unrealistic,”but shares that it’s important for you to understand that “it’s incredibly overwhelming.”
“It’s a myriad of emotions that you’ll have at various times.”
She urges patients to “be patient with yourself through those emotions,” saying it’s okay that “you can’t always be strong” and “you can’t always not cry.”
“And I think it’s also important that you understand how you communicate with your providers, but also with your loved ones,” she adds. “And it’s completely fine to tell family and friends, I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
Dealing with Changes in Your Body
Unfortunately, cancer treatment (and diseases like MS) often alter the way someone looks … even though a lot of those changes are temporary, it can be really hard to live with during treatment.
“My confidence was gone. My confidence was destroyed,” Jaclyn Kaczynski, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37 years old, previously told SurvivorNet. She found it really threw her body image off track. “I was always vain about my appearance and my weight, let alone losing a breast, or both.”
Jaclyn says that she gained a lot of weight during treatment, and that, combined with losing her breasts, really did a number on how she felt about her own body.
My Confidence Was Destroyed: Dealing With Body Image During and After Treatment
A lot of women struggle to feel like themselves again after breast cancer treatment. Members of the SurvivorNet community also tell us that deciding between reconstruction or embracing a life without breasts is a really tough decision. While many women decide to “go flat,” others simply don’t feel like themselves after surgery.
It’s important to speak with someone while processing these changes, especially if it’s not getting any easier, or you feel like it’s taking longer than normal to heal emotionally. Your care team can refer you to a mental health specialist, and in the meantime, confide in a friend or family member about your feelings. You are not alone. There are many people out there going through the same thing, and support groups can also be found beneficial as you navigate through these feelings.
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