Christina Applegate has revealed she was recently hospitalized with a severe kidney infection that left her in excruciating pain following a trip to Europe.
The 53-year-old Dead to Me actress shared her ordeal from her hospital bed during a new episode of her MeSsy podcast, explaining how she began experiencing intense stomach and back pain upon returning to Los Angeles.
“I’m screaming, and they ordered me an emergency CT at 2 in the morning… From my back to my front is in so much pain,” she recalled.
Initially fearing her appendix might be bursting, Applegate said a CT scan revealed it was instead a kidney infection that had spread to both sides. The actress insisted on staying at the hospital to undergo a full range of tests.
“I’m like, I wanna be admitted. I’m staying here because I want answers. I want every test that you can possibly think of or ones that you haven’t even thought of.”
Applegate spent seven days in the hospital receiving intravenous antibiotics and recovering from the infection. Although physically stable now, she admitted the experience was emotionally draining.
“I’m holding in a bag o’ tears right now… I sometimes fall into the nurse’s arms like a freako, just like crying.”
She has since been discharged and is now recovering at home.
“I’m home and have been treated for the kidney infection,” she told PEOPLE. “As far as my ongoing stomach thing, it’s a work in progress.”
This health scare comes as Applegate continues her difficult journey with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease she was diagnosed with in 2021. On a past episode of MeSsy, she spoke candidly about how the disease has impacted her mental health.
“I’m trapped in this darkness right now that I haven’t felt in probably 20-something years,” she said. “I don’t enjoy living. I don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy things anymore.”
Still, Christina stressed the importance of speaking openly about the emotional toll of chronic illness.
“By saying this out loud, it releases the pressure in the balloon, man,” she said. “You have moments of feeling like this is tiring and I don’t wanna do this. But you do it.”
Despite everything, Christina is holding on — showing raw honesty, courage, and the value of support systems in her ongoing battle for wellness.
