Christina Applegate Discharged & ‘Doing Very Well’ After Hospitalization

What Is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS is “an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system” (this includes the optic nerves, spinal cord, and brain).

Symptoms depend on where inflammation and damage are actively occurring at any given time, meaning a patient’s experience can change drastically from year to year. 

Common symptoms include fatigue, mood changes, tingling, numbness, pain, mobility struggles, and vision or memory impairments, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition can also cause muscle weakness and severe gastrointestinal distress.

Applegate’s Health Journey

Applegate received her official MS diagnosis in 2021, but her symptoms began years earlier.

“My symptoms had started in the early part of 2021, and it was, like, literally just tingling on my toes,” Applegate said in a 2024 interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts. “And by the time we started shooting in the summer of that same year, I was being brought to set in a wheelchair. Like, I couldn’t walk that far.”

Applegate regularly discusses these daily struggles on “MeSsy,” a podcast she co-hosts with her friend and fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who’s been living with MS since 2002.

“For three years since I was diagnosed, I’ve been in the hospital upwards of 30 times,” she recalled during one episode. “That is unimaginable, OK? They’ve done every test known to man on me, put so much radiation into my body from CT scans to everything else.”

Despite the emotional and physical challenges, Applegate maintains a resilient attitude and her trademark determination to keep moving forward.

“Health issues are a constant for me, but I’m a strong chick, and I’m getting stronger and better every day,” she wrote in her April message to fans. “I’m taking a moment to focus on my health, but I’ll be back with more to say soon enough.”