Christina Applegate hospitalized with kidney infection
The "Dead to Me" star, 53, revealed on the latest episode of her "MeSsy" podcast, released on Aug. 5, that she was hospitalized with a kidney infection. Applegate, who also has multiple sclerosis, recorded the podcast while still in the hospital.
"I'm holding in (a) bag o' tears right now," she said. "Just (a) bag o' tears. I sometimes fall into the nurse's arms like a freako, just crying."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Applegate for more information.
Applegate said she went to the hospital after feeling unwell on a recent trip to Europe. She soon began experiencing "a pain that I've never felt before on my right side," which was so intense that she "was screaming," she said.
After an emergency CT scan, Applegate was diagnosed with a kidney infection.
"I'm here because of this kidney infection, and I have to have intravenous antibiotics right now," she said. "That's where we're at. Now they're thinking it could be something else, and I don't want to say what they think because I don't want it to sound scary."
Christina Applegate says MS symptoms landed her in hospital over 30 times
Applegate was recording the episode on a Wednesday after going to the hospital the previous Saturday. She told listeners, "They won't let me leave yet because things are messy. But I'm going to be OK."
The "Married… with Children" actress has been open about her health struggles in recent years and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021. She hosts the "MeSsy" podcast with fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also has MS.
Christina Applegate gets emotional about MS battle: 'Worst thing I've ever gone through'
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple sclerosis is a disease that "causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves" and can cause numbness, weakness, difficulty walking and changes in vision. There is no cure for MS.
In a March podcast episode, Applegate revealed she has been in the hospital "upward of 30 times" since being diagnosed with MS. She said she has been dealing with "throwing up and diarrhea and pain" and struggles to use the bathroom without vomiting. While she noted her medical team told her that this is not typically an "MS thing," Applegate argued that "there's got to be a correlation here."
During her most recent hospital visit, Applegate asked doctors to perform "every test you can possibly think of" and decided she was "not leaving" until she had answers about her symptoms, she said on the Aug. 5 episode. "I want to know why this is happening, and I want it to stop," she said.
The Emmy winner previously opened up about the toll of her MS battle in a May appearance on the "Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend" podcast. "I don't really leave the house anymore," she said. "If people saw what my life is like on the daily, they wouldn't be able to do it, because I can sometimes not do it. It's really, really hard."
Applegate added: "This is the worst thing I've ever had in my life. This is the worst thing I've ever gone through. I'm going to start crying."
Contributing: Anna Kaufman
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