Christina Applegate was still recovering from her first encounter with COVID-19 when another virus recently ruined her health again.
The “Dead to Me” star spoke humorously and graphically about her “disgusting” experience with a sapovirus infection in the sixth episode of “MesSy” the podcast about multiple sclerosis that he shares with actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
“It's time to talk about poop,” Sigler introduced the segment.
“It's a poop capsule,” Applegate said. “If you don't like this part, that's okay. I understand.”
It began with dizziness and an attack of uncontrollable diarrhea.
“I could not eat. I couldn't anything” Applegate said, so he took a stool test. “You poop in a receptacle and then you have to collect your own poop in vials. And it was so disgusting that I started vomiting while doing this.”
The test told him he had contracted sapovirus, which occurs when one person ingests another person's fecal matter, usually through contaminated food. According to the National Institutes of Health“Sapovirus infections are responsible for both sporadic cases and occasional outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis.”
The culprit, Applegate said, was probably a takeout salad from a vegan restaurant he visited for years and refused to reveal the name of.
“They say it mainly comes from salads because cooked foods kill bacteria,” he said. “Someone else's poop got into my mouth and I ate it.”
As if the virus wasn't bad enough, Applegate said it exacerbated the symptoms of her multiple sclerosis, which she suffered from. diagnosed in 2021. According to Johns Hopkins MedicineChronic disease can cause problems walking, difficulty with balance, and fatigue.
“I woke up at 3 in the morning in a puddle of shit,” he said. “Having MS at 3 in the morning and trying to change the sheets is not fun.”
She and Sigler then joked about her qualms about adult diapers, which Applegate said she had recently reverted to using for convenience. Her suggestions included adding Velcro and eliminating “pretty” designs.
“I think it would be really nice if you could give me an adult diaper that completely supported my mood when I looked at it,” Sigler said, “which would be something like the words 'F— me' on my pelvis.”
“Once again we are losing a patent. “Someone is going to do this and make millions,” Applegate said.
The Emmy-winning actress has spoken about her experience with MS before, including on “MesSy.”
During the third episode of the podcast, he revealed that he was in a relapse at the time of recording, detailing “intense pain” in his legs and discomfort in his eye.
“I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eye, it started doing some crazy things,” she said, adding that damage to the optic nerve can be a symptom of MS.
During an appearance in March at “Good morning america,” Applegate said he suspects he had MS symptoms for several years before his diagnosis.
“I noticed it, especially in the first season. [of “Dead to Me”], we would be shooting and my leg would buckle,” he said. “I really put it off because I'm tired, or I'm dehydrated, or it's the weather. Then nothing happened for months and I didn't pay attention.”
When she was filming the third season of the television series, she was wheeled onto the set in a wheelchair, and crew members sometimes held her legs out of camera range.
Even now, he said, he has a hard time accepting his diagnosis or explaining it to others.
“I live like in hell,” he said. “But of course the support is wonderful and I'm very grateful.”
Applegate received a standing ovation when she took the stage to present an award at the Emmys in January. A few months earlier, her former “Married… With Children” co-star Katey Sagal physically supported Applegate while she received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
During her speech, Applegate recalled how, as a child, she would read the names of stars along Hollywood Boulevard, wondering how she could get hers among them.
“So this day means more to me than you can imagine,” he said.
