Christina Applegate Describes 'Intense' Struggle With MS: 'Don't Know What's Going on'

Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate is giving more insight into the reality of living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The actress, 52, recently opened up about a relapse with the neurological disease that caused pain in her legs so severe it left her unable to shower for three weeks.

The Dead to Me star detailed the "painful" experience during the Tuesday, April 2 episode of her and Jamie-Lynn Sigler's MeSsy podcast, which was filmed in the midst of the relapse. (A rep for Applegate confirmed to People that the episode was recorded "months ago" and that she is no longer in a relapse phase.)

At the time of recording, Applegate said things were "pretty bad," specifically due to the severe, debilitating leg pain. She also said she hadn't slept in 24 hours because one of her eyes was "doing something weird" that prevented her from properly closing her eyes.

"I'm a little concerned about that," she stated, adding, "And my legs have never been this bad so I don't know what's going on."

"Like, no energy," she continued at the time. "Legs are just done. I can't get circulation. I can't get them to stop hurting."

Applegate also highlighted the effect that her physical symptoms often have on her mental health, revealing that sometimes all she can do is "lay in a dark room, watching TV and wanting it all to go away."

The symptoms of the illness can also interfere with regular everyday tasks, like taking a shower, which Applegate candidly admitted she hadn't done in weeks.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, I need to buy stock in Cottonelle because I haven't taken a shower in three weeks," she told Sigler, 42. "I can't stand in my shower. There's no f—king way." 

"I have such a small bench and my ass is so huge these days that I can’t sit on it, it’s like I slip right off of it," she quipped, adding, "So, I’ve been Cottonelle-ing my body."

Despite sharing that she is sometimes sent into a "deep depression" as a result of her MS battle, Applegate and Sigler started their new podcast in an attempt to "self-reflect, learn, laugh and grow" through their respective health journeys, per their podcast description.

"MeSsy is a space where you can always be honest about how you’re feeling," the official Instagram account for MeSsy posted on Tuesday, sharing that the third episode, "The Power of Now," is officially out now.

Next: Christina Applegate Details Extent of Brain Damage Caused By MS