American actress Christina Applegate said that her doctor told her she does not have multiple sclerosis (MS), despite the fact that she had been battling debilitating symptoms for more than five years. UNN reports this, citing the Daily Mail.
Details
The 54-year-old Applegate, who announced her diagnosis in the summer of 2021, made the shocking revelation in a new episode of her Messy podcast with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, where the pair discussed their battle with MS.
Speaking about the moment when the doctor told her, Applegate, who was recently hospitalized, said tearfully: "She came into my hospital room and said: 'Congratulations, you don't have MS.'"
"I was not happy at all. Everyone else was so happy," the actress shared.
"You don't get misdiagnosed and then suddenly get better. I didn't get better, Jamie! Rather, I got worse. So I found myself back at the beginning, where I don't know what's happening to me," she stated.
"And this is going to be an online investigation that my doctors will conduct to figure out what's been happening since 2021—why did this happen?" the actress added.
Applegate, who used a wheelchair and cane for years and was forced to give up her stellar acting career, said: "I went through a major depression because of this."
"But I lost everything. I lost my job. I lost… I'm sorry. What do you say to someone who has been living with this for six years… God, I'm so sorry… because it stopped my life.
I still have to use wheelchair when I go to the doctor. I can't get from the car to the hospital room. I'm still in this. Nothing magical happened when she said: 'You don't have multiple sclerosis.' Nothing magical happened."
It's strange because I feel like I let everyone down. It's a strange feeling because you and I became these—exemplary examples of multiple sclerosis.
And for everything I did. I had a reason. I had a damn reason why my day was terrible every day.
And now I don't have a reason, and that is very nerve-racking and confusing for me," the actress candidly explained.
Applegate added that the misdiagnosis was "mind-blowing" and that she was still in a "state of shock," searching for answers about the true nature of her illness.
Applegate continued: "I have all the symptoms of someone with multiple sclerosis. Every single one of them. We both know that there are many things that mimic multiple sclerosis. Many different things."
"I mean, I'm sure people say something like: 'Crybaby, you don't have multiple sclerosis.' You know, that's fine. But no, no, no," she stated.
"I'm sitting here, I slept all day yesterday, and I feel terrible because of the heat. My legs don't work. You know, all the same things are happening to me. And yet I have this feeling like, well, you don't have it, so, you know, maybe you're faking it. You know, in my head I'm thinking: what can I do differently?" the actress noted.
"You know, but I'm sure a lot of people start thinking when they're misdiagnosed: well, what did I do wrong? What, what, what am I doing?" she said.
According to TMZ, Applegate returned home in August after being hospitalized in Los Angeles at the end of March.
Sources told the publication that the actress, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, is doing well after returning to life at home.
For reference
Christina Applegate is an American actress known for her roles as Kelly Bundy in the cult television series "Married... with Children" (1987–1997), Samantha in the series "Samantha Who?" (2007–2009, with two nominations each for the Emmy and Golden Globe awards), and Jen Harding in the television series "Dead to Me" (2019–2022, with four Emmy nominations). She is an Emmy Award winner (2003, "Friends"), a four-time nominee for the Golden Globe, Satellite, and People's Choice awards, and a three-time nominee for the Critics' Choice Movie Award.