Navigating MS
- Christina Applegate, 54, a breast cancer survivor living with multiple sclerosis, has made a return to social media with posts filled with love, laughter, and nostalgia. She recently shared a playful photo with her daughter posing with fake lips, along with a recreation of her mother’s iconic album cover.
- Applegate was diagnosed with MS in August 2021. The “Married with Children” star also bravely battled breast cancer after a 2008 diagnosis. She underwent a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts).
- Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
- Currently, there is no cure for MS, although some people treat the disease using chemotherapy and other medications.
- Additional resources for patients and families in search of treatment options are available through SurvivorNet’s doctor-backed AI tool, My Health Questions.
The Emmy-winning actress—who has been navigating life with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic condition affecting the central nervous system, since 2021, and recently released her memoir “You with the Sad Eyes”—first delighted fans on Instagram by sharing a short video clip of her and her beloved daughter posing with what appears to be candy lips.
Read MoreFans were immediately overjoyed to see Applegate offering a glimpse of her life and reassuring fans she’s doing well.View this post on Instagram
One fan commented, ” Awwww, thank very much for posting, I’ve been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing. So happy to see you with your beautiful daughter on instagram. Hope you are feeling so much better and will be coming back on your podcast w/ Jamie very soon. Do you, and take it day by day.”
Another wrote, “I was so worried about you @christinaapplegate!! So happy to see you smiling and having fun. I love you girl!”
“Miss hearing your voice every week with Jamie on Messy but so glad you are taking time for you and spending time with your beautiful daughter,” commented a third.
Just one day after sharing the uplifting mother-daughter post, Applegate posted a photo recreating her mother Nancy Priddy’s 1960s album cover. Her mom, now 85, is a retired actress and singer-songwriter who appeared in iconic TV shows like “The Waltons” and “Bewitched.”
View this post on Instagram
Applegate captioned the post, “This was a pic [picture] taken for possibly back of book. Hold please while I find the other inspo [inspiration] pic. It’s so cool.”
She concluded by asking fans if they’ve read her autobiography titled, “You with the Sad Eyes: A Memoir,” published in March 2026.
The actress, who also starred in “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead,” lightheartedly followed up with, “Ok can’t make it work. It’s my mom’s album cover called YOU’VE COME THIS WAY BEFORE from 1960 something.
“Google it and send to me hahah. Also check out ASAP ROCKY SONG WHERE HE SAMPLES ONE OF MY MOMS SONGS. also can’t seem to post anything. I am too old!!!!!”
Applegate’s sweet tribute to her mom recreated the cover of “You’ve Come This Way Before,” Priddy’s 1968 debut album produced by legendary music producer Phil Ramone.
It’s uplifting to see Applegate embracing joyful moments and sharing a laugh while navigating life with MS.
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Her latest post also sparked an outpouring of support, with fans filling the comments with messages of love and encouragement.
“I couldn’t put your book down. I laughed and cried along with you. What a life! Felt like I was finding out more about a friend I had grown up with. Thank you for being so open and honest. For those who haven’t read/listened yet…it’s a MUST,” one of her fans wrote.
Another chimed in, “Yes, I listed to it! It was really really good. I had no idea you went thru the things you did & turned out so strong. (I may listen to it again). Christina, keep your head up & don’t let your MS get the best of you…keep fighting!! We all care.”
Christina Applegate’s MS Journey
Applegate began experiencing symptoms of Multiple sclerosis long before she had answers. She actually said she felt off balance during a dance sequence that occurred way back in season one of her dark comedy “Dead to Me.” She later noticed her aptitude for tennis started to fail.
“I wish I had paid attention,” she previously told The New York Times. “But who was I to know?”
It took several years of worsening tingling and numbness in her extremities before her diagnosis arrived while on set. This life-altering realization wouldn’t stop Applegate from finishing her portrayal of Jen Harding, but she did need a break. Production of the final season ceased for about five months as she began treatment.
“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’” Applegate said. “And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”
Applegate admits she’ll never fully “accept” her condition, but she did learn how to work with it. And she’s previously talked about how the show was a cathartic outlet and safe space.
“I had an obligation to Liz [Feldman] and to Linda [Cardellini], to our story,” she said of the show’s writer and her co-star respectively. “The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together.’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.’”
Applegate wasn’t able to work as hard or as long or in the heat without her body giving out, but she found pride in her self-sufficiency. With the help of some adjustments to the schedule, she powered through. Nicole Vassell, a writer for The Independent, says other programs should learn from the way Applegate’s “physical changes [were] seamlessly incorporated into the show.”
“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” Applegate said. “I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.”
In a later episode of the “MeSsy” podcast, Applegate shared that she has since lost the 40 pounds naturally, without using any weight-loss medications. She joked that the weight came off as a result of stomach problems linked to the medication she takes while managing her MS.
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Understanding Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an “immune mediated condition,” which causes the immune system to work against itself, Dr. Lauren Krupp, a neurologist at NYU Langone in New York City, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
MS causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to send messages to the arms, legs, and other parts of the body to function normally.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society outlines the different types of multiple sclerosis:
- Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS): This is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what MS is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
- Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common MS among the million people battling the disease in the US, RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
- Primary progressive MS (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
- Secondary progressive MS (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of MS that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.
In addition to balance issues, numbness, and tingling in the limbs, other common MS symptoms include vision and bladder control problems. Mood changes and mental and physical fatigue are other symptoms people living with MS may experience, according to the National Institute of Health.
There is no single symptom that definitively indicates someone has multiple sclerosis (MS). MRI scans play a critical role in diagnosing the condition, Dr. Krupp explained, before noting that symptoms of MS are “really very varied” due to the disease’s ability to impact different areas of the brain and spinal cord.
Symptoms can range from numbness and tingling in the face to muscle weakness to vision loss.
MS: What To Know About Symptoms
Dr. Krupp described MS as an “immune mediated condition,” which causes the immune system to work against itself.
“We’re not exactly sure why that happens, but it probably has to do with an exposure to a virus at some point in time. And in the effort to fight off that virus, the immune system turns against itself and specifically, a coating of the nerves called myelin,” Dr. Krupp explained.
“The myelin that it affects involves the central nervous system, and that’s the brain and the spinal cord.”
Because it can involve different areas in the brain or spinal cord, Dr. Krupp explains, “the symptoms can vary in location.”
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Symptoms might include:
- Numbness and tingling in the face
- Numbness or weakness in the arms and legs
- A sensation of vertigo or rooms spinning
- Vision loss or blurred vision
- Lack of coordination
Symptoms may affect one side of the body or, when the spinal cord is involved, both sides. In some cases, the numbness can spread and may also come with muscle weakness.
“Usually we see people who have had some neurological symptoms and they often get worked up with an MRI of the brain … the brain MRI is a really important tool,” Dr. Krupp adds.
After being diagnosed with MS, treatment will depend on what type you have and what symptoms you are dealing with. It also helps, Dr. Krupp said, to learn, specifically, what the MRI showed and the evolving options for people in your situation.
“MS is a disorder. That’s a combination of a genetic predisposition and environmental factors. And those interactions probably have happened during your childhood or adolescence. So when you present with your first symptoms years later, there’s nothing that you did that caused it,” Dr. Krupp added.
“It’s not your fault. And the likelihood is that your offspring will not have MS … They’re at a slightly higher risk than if you did not have MS, but likelihood is they will not have it.”
Despite the stress of an MS diagnosis, Dr. Krupp offered encouraging news. People with MS are doing “amazingly well” these days.
“It’s much different than it used to be. It’s a very rewarding space for me to be in because I see how well people are doing today,” she said. “Don’t feel without hope, because I think one, the likelihood is if you’ve just been diagnosed that you’ll do well. And there’s a lot of research going on that’s there to make things even better than they are.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Nancy Siconne, Chair of Neurology, Director of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at Cedars-Sinai, told SurvivorNet, “There’s more than 25 different treatments available now for MS. They fall into a much smaller number of classes of medication, but I do think the big game changer was this class called B-cell depletion therapy (BCDT), and that includes Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Kesimpta (ofatumumab) and all the different variations that we’re excited about.
“Some people think of those as being like a heavy hitter, but we pretty much like to use that if all things being equal early on, because we do think that treating people with the most highly effective therapy being at the get-go gives the best long term outcomes.”
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Dr. Siccone continued, “But there are other therapies that also are anti-inflammatory and work to decrease new lesions from forming and decrease relapses, like oral therapies. And there are other sort of old, tried and true original medications, Copaxone, and the interferons, which are injectable therapies.
“We do offer all of those options to people. We do tend to steer people toward the higher efficacy, if there are risk factors that we think make it more likely that they have a higher risk of developing more severe disease.”
She explained that when patients have more spinal cord lesions—and particularly when they are older, male, or people of color—clinicians often give extra weight to those factors when deciding on the most appropriate treatment approach.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor
If you have a health screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions” is designed specifically for patients and caregivers.
WATCH: How One Cancer Survivor and Her Sister Used “My Health Questions” to Navigate Care
This powerful resource is embedded across the SurvivorNet website and delivers structured responses grounded in clinical guidelines and medically reviewed research to help people better understand their treatment options and feel more confident navigating care.
My Health Questions can also help patients come up with useful questions ahead of their next appointment.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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