Christina Applegate will forever be a "warrior" for the MS community.
The "Dead to Me" star, 54, sent her support to those with multiple sclerosis on the Oct. 27 episode of her "MeSsy" podcast, one week after revealing she was misdiagnosed with the autoimmune disorder.
"Even though I don't have this disease, I have fallen in love with everyone that we know, our listeners and our friends that have MS, and I'm still your warrior, and I'm still going to speak out on your behalf forever and ever," she said. "I still feel like a part of this community, and no matter what, I love you."
Applegate told listeners she has been doing "OK" since her misdiagnosis announcement and is receiving support from friends. But she noted she still doesn't "know what's
going on" with her health and shared that "things are getting worse" with her symptoms and mobility.
"It took me 10 minutes to be able to move off my pillow and get out of the bed and stand up, at which point, I almost couldn't walk to the bathroom, and now, a walker is sitting next to my bed because of what's going on," she said. "I don't know what's going on. This is what I'm still living with. And I never had that before. I was able to sit up and stuff. … It took 10 minutes just to sit my head up, just to move without excruciating pain and weakness."
Later in the podcast, Applegate said she recently lost "too much" weight and doesn't "know what's going on."
Applegate first revealed that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021. The disease occurs when the body's immune system "attacks the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers, known as myelin," which "interrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body," according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms can include weakness and difficulty walking.
Since 2021, Applegate has been open about her experiences with the disease. She and "The Sopranos" actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has also been diagnosed with MS, launched the "MeSsy" podcast in 2024 to discuss their shared health challenges and other topics.
But on the podcast's Oct. 20 episode, Applegate revealed she recently learned she was misdiagnosed. She said her doctor told her, "Congratulations, you don't have MS."
Although people in Applegate's life saw this as good news, she did not look at it that way: The star was emotional throughout the Oct. 20 episode as she explained the lack of a diagnosis means she no longer knows the reason for her symptoms, which include weakness, fatigue, pain and difficulty walking.
"You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I'm better," she said. "I haven't gotten better, Jamie. If anything, I've gotten worse in some ways. So I'm back at square one, that I don't know what's going on with me."
Applegate discussed her misdiagnosis after an extended absence from her podcast. She spent several months in the hospital earlier this year.
On her Oct. 27 episode, Applegate said her next step is to see a rheumatologist, and she recently had blood work done. But not having a diagnosis has left her in a position of uncertainty, where she isn't sure if she has something that can be easily addressed.
"What if there is a … pill or something that I could take, and I could feel better?" she asked. "What if that's the case? But what if it's something really macabre? This is where you're at when you're sitting there in no man's land. What if it's something really, really … bad?"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christina Applegate addresses MS community after misdiagnosis
