On the first anniversary episode of her MeSsy podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate responded to a listener experiencing daily vomiting and diarrhea. She immediately connected with their struggle, saying, “This is really important because for three years, since I was diagnosed, I’ve been in the hospital upwards of 30 times from throwing up and diarrhea and pain that is unimaginable.”
Despite undergoing countless tests, including multiple CT scans, doctors have struggled to pinpoint exactly what’s causing her symptoms. However, Applegate recently stumbled upon a possible explanation.
“Now, maybe this isn’t what’s happening, but I’m just gonna tell you this: Talk to your doctor about motility issues, OK?” she advised. “Because one of the things with MS is that it slows down our organs — not completely, but there is a slowing of the function of your organs.”
She went on to describe how her body reacts in ways she never expected. “I’m gonna be really honest, if I have to poop, I puke. And when I puke, I get all the pain, and then all the things happen,” she said, comparing the chaos inside her body to a bizarre “fight club” between her organs. “So, there’s this really horrible argument,” she added. “It’s like everyone’s fighting with each other.”
Even with these severe symptoms, doctors haven’t been able to confirm if they’re directly linked to her MS. But Applegate isn’t giving up on finding answers. She revealed that she has a colonoscopy scheduled and plans to have a serious discussion with her medical team.
“There’s gotta be a correlation here,” she said, determined to get to the bottom of it.
Applegate was diagnosed with MS in early 2021, and since then, she has been incredibly open about the brutal realities of the disease. In a March 2024 interview with People, she shared another difficult aspect of her condition, revealing that she now wears diapers because “you probably can’t get to the bathroom in time.”
Her willingness to be so brutally honest about her struggles has sparked important conversations about life with MS. No matter how tough it gets, Applegate continues to speak her truth, proving once again that she isn’t afraid to tackle the messy, painful, and often overlooked aspects of chronic illness.