Christina Applegate shared five 'weird' symptoms before revealing she was 'misdiagnosed' with MS
Christina Applegate opened up about the five 'weird' symptoms she was experiencing before learning she was 'misdiagnosed' with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The Dead to Me star, 54, revealed through tears on her MeSsy podcast on Tuesday (October 20) that her doctor has now confirmed she was misdiagnosed in 2021, saying she is now 'back at square one'.
“I was, like, not happy at all,” she admitted, adding: “Everybody else was so happy.” “You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I’m better,” she continued. “I haven’t gotten better. If anything, I’ve gotten worse.”
Advert
Applegate said she now has no idea where her health issues stem from. “That’s going to be an online investigation that my doctors are going to be getting into just to find out what has been going on since 2021, why did this happen?” she said. She also claims to have 'every symptom' of MS, 'every single one' she pressed.
Multiple sclerosis is 'a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the central nervous system', John Hopkins Medicine explains.
Its website continues: "It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms.
"Others may lose their ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk when communication between the brain and other parts of the body becomes disrupted."
After receiving her diagnosis, Applegate spoke out about some of the 'weird' symptoms she had noticed.
Tingling and numbness
In an ABC News interview, Applegate told Robin Roberts that there was one particular symptom which began 'in the early part of 2021'.
"It was literally just a tingling on my toes," she said.
And this symptom added to another which the actor didn't realize was a potential sign of MS, too.
Muscle weakness
In an episode of her MeSy podcast with Jamie Lynn-Sigler, Applegate recalled running across a field while shooting a scene for the pilot episode of Netflix series Dead to Me.
"I remember falling that day," Applegate recalled. "Hi, first sign of MS!"
She also told SiriusXM's This Life of Mine with James Corden that things 'just started to get weirder and weirder' from there and by the time the last season was being shot, she couldn't 'even walk up the steps' to her trailer.
Lack of balance
In an interview with The New York Times in 2022, Applegate revealed she found herself struggling to keep herself balanced during the filming of a dance sequence for Netflix series Dead to Me.
However, rather than being concerned over why she couldn't seem to not wobble around or stand steadily on her feet, the actor recalls being frustrated with herself and simply pushing herself harder.
She said: "I wish I had paid attention. But who was I to know?"
Creator of Dead to Me, Liz Feldman, also added: "I remember you losing your balance a couple of times but it was very hard to figure out.
"I remember one time it was like really late at night, we’d been shooting probably 14 or 15 hours, it seemed completely reasonable that anybody would be collapsing."
Sharp pains and aches
On an episode of her podcast, Applegate also revealed she experienced intense 'pain' in her body – which sometimes leaves her 'laying in bed screaming'.
"I put my feet on the ground and they’re hurting, like, extraordinarily bad to the touch," she added.
And the pain has since intensified, with the actor also revealing she 'can’t even pick up [her] phone sometimes'.
She added: "I’ll, like, try to go get my phone or get my remote to turn on the TV or sometimes, I can’t even hold them. I can’t open bottles now."
Discomfort in eyes
Applegate notes she also experienced discomfort in her eyes which she googled and found out 'can be a symptom of MS'.
"It could be some kind of possible damage to the optic nerve in my eye," she added, revealing: "I couldn't sleep because every time I would close my eye, my eye would start doing some crazy s**t."
Topics: Health, Mental Health, Christina Applegate, US News, Film and TV
Poppy Bilderbeck