No Shame Amid Coping With Multiple Sclerosis
- “The Sopranos” star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 42, has been battling Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for years and just recently suggested adult diapers, which she’s admitted to using when needed, should be revamped to reflect her “mood” better.
- MS is a serious disease of the brain and central nervous system that can lead to permanent disability, and it’s something Sigler has been dealing with since she was 20.
- Common symptoms of MS include numbness/weakness in the limbs, fatigue, lack of coordination, unsteady gait (or trouble walking), blurry vision, and more. There is no cure for MS, but there are options available to help manage symptoms.
- Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, also it’s important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy [like making others laugh] to the degree you’re able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
- “We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes,” Dr. Chase tells SurvivorNet.
Sigler, a mom of two, discussed how adult diapers are sometimes needed in the life of someone who has MS during the most recent podcast episode of “MeSsy With Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler.”
Read MoreAfter 52-year-old actress Christina Applegate, who has also been living with MS for years, admitted she’s “wearing diapers” after waking up at 3 a.m. in a “pool of sh*t,” due to her having gastrointestinal issues stemming from sapovirus, Sigler said, “I’ve worn them before too. You and I … we have bone to pick about these adult diapers.”View this post on Instagram
Sigler explained, “Adult diapers are a blush pink. Well, usually, and they usually have some sort of bow or floral design along the pelvic area. And to be honest, Christina and I have talked about this … putting on an adult diaper, you’re not going to feel sexy. You’re never going to slip one on and be like, ‘I’m ready for my day.’
“It’s something you got to wear because your body is malfunctioning. Your body’s not feeling good. You’re having an MS flare. Your kid grabbed your bladder on its way out of your vagina. … Whatever the reason why, you’re having to throw on this adult diaper. There is nothing enjoyable about it. You’re f***ing pissed off when you have to put that sh*t on,” she continued.
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“You got to find something that maybe you don’t see it in what you’re wearing. It’s like all the things. I would like … I think it would be very nice if you could give me an adult diaper that fully supported my mood when I looked at it, which would be something along the lines of the words, ‘f**k me,’ across my pelvis.”
She also pointed out that “f**k it” would also be an ideal phrase to put on an adult diaper.
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Sigler then admitted it’s “so liberating” to be able to talk openly about adult diapers.
She said, “Because this is something that you do by yourself. And it feels terrible when you’re doing it. You’re mad, you’re sad, you’re depressed … all the while. And I’ve done that hundreds of times in my MS journey through the years of when I’ve experienced a flair or when I was sick, and it just sucks as you don’t know how to talk about it with anybody.
“I hate that we have to talk about it but it’s nice to talk about.”
Applegate chimed in, “There are people all over the world having to wear a diaper and are embarrassed about it,” before jokingly saying. “And we’re just letting you know … you should be. Just kidding!”
Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s MS Journey
Before Jamie-Lynn Sigler discovering she had MS, doctors initially diagnosed her with Lyme disease, an infection you get from tick bites. After antibiotics seemed to make her initial issues “go away,” she eventually started to notice her health was not what it should be again.
“I started to feel this heaviness and tingling in my legs,” she told People in an earlier interview.
The “Big Sky” star was in the midst of filming “The Sopranos” when doctors finally gave her the correct diagnosis.
“I remember we were in my apartment in New York and the doctor called my dad and he said, ‘Your daughter has MS. But there’s no reason to believe that she can’t live a perfectly happy, healthy life,'” she said.
View this post on Instagram
“It was a shock. I didn’t feel sick. My ideas of MS were limited. I thought it meant, ‘Wheelchair.’ I thought it meant your life was over.”
Sigler said she does have periods of being symptom-free, but she admits “it’s been really hard for a long time.”
“I feel myself leveling up and moving forward as a human being but my body not following me and … that’s like, my struggle now,” she said. “You feel like it should be aligned, and it’s not.”
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Sigler has certainly been thriving and pushing forward whiling living the MS, a chronic disease which did not affect her journey of becoming a mom, despite what others may believe about the disease.
She and her husband Cutter Dykstra welcomed their first born son Beau Kyle in 2013 and their second son Jack Adam in 2018.
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“You can absolutely carry and you can absolutely have a very healthy pregnancy, healthy delivery,” Sigler recalled being told of pregnancy with MS. “And in fact, a lot of people feel better during pregnancy. And during my first pregnancy, that was the case.
“Fortunately for me, I got pregnant very quickly and then during my first pregnancy, I was taking longer walks than I had in years. I was up and down our street… It was a glorious time.”
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.
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.
Currently, there is no cure for MS, although some people treat the disease using chemotherapy, medications, or steroid drugs.
Laughter, Positivity, and No Shame Through Challenges
It’s interesting to note, that according to the National Library of Medicine, research has shown that the amount of pain medication needed for patients is reduced after they watch funny movies.
And perhaps laughter, like Jamie-Lynn Sigler has maintained throughout her life, and even when talking about a serious subject like adult diapers, could also help when someone is dealing with the pain that comes amid a health challenge, whether it’s a chronic illness like MS or cancer.
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The importance of positivity amid tough times has been seen through stand-up comedian Jesus Trejo in Long Beach, California.
Trejo became a caregiver for both of his parents after his mother was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and his father was later faced with colon cancer. But instead of panicking and focusing on the devastating nature of the situation, the only child stepped up to care for his parents with love and laughter.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Trejo opened up about how he put his career aside to care for his parents in their time of need while making time to smile along the way.
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“The only advice I have for anyone watching this is laugh, and laugh often, laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself seriously. Things are already bad. Because once you do that, it’s a game-changer,””Trejo told SurvivorNet.
He also says the laughter itself might be brief, but “the effects of it just reverberate through your body, and can change an already bad situation into a better one.”
Focusing on hope, and maintaining a positive attitude amid a health battle can always be helpful.
Anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet experts points to how a positive mindset can impact a cancer prognosis.
Dr. Zuri Murrell of Cedars-Sinai told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK. Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow.”
“But 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.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, also says it’s important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy to the degree you’re able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
“We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes,” Dr. Chase said in an earlier interview.
Coping With Body Changes & Mental Health Long Term
It’s important to take care of your mental health while you are going through a health challenge, like a cancer diagnosis, MS, or even just trying to lose weight.
People may turn to many different avenues to help them cope, such as traditional therapy, support groups, meditation, and sometimes medical intervention such as antidepressants.
When faced with a new challenge, it’s important to make sure that these coping mechanisms you have to care for your mental health continue to work throughout the process.
“I think flexibility is really a core of how to manage it,” Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, previously told SurvivorNet. “Are your coping strategies that you’re using now, are they helpful in the way that they were in the past?”
Dr. Boardman encourages people who may be struggling with their mental well-being to take stock of their belief system and ask themselves the following questions:
- Could these beliefs be harming me (like feelings of self-doubt or negativity)?
- Is my mindset holding me back from positive steps forward?
Dr. Boardman suggests working to recognize any negative thoughts that may be making the process of cancer treatment more difficult, and trying to dismantle those to be more “realistically optimistic.”
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