American actress Christina Applegate is an open book when it comes to her health struggles. The Married with Children star has suffered a host of ailments from insomnia to early menopause, breast cancer and currently, multiple sclerosis (MS).
And now her 13-year-old daughter Sadie Grace Applegate LeNoble has revealed that she’s enduring her own health challenges. She’s been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
More commonly known as POTS, the disorder is characterised by an excessively fast heart rate and symptoms of lightheadedness upon standing. On her mum’s MeSsy podcast, Sadie explained, “It affects my heart. And so when I stand up, I get really, really dizzy, and my legs get really weak.
“And I feel like I’m going to pass out,” she explained. “I have fainted before. And I have gone unconscious.”
SADIE STRUGGLED WITH MEDICAL GASLIGHTING
Like so many women, Sadie’s symptoms were dismissed “for a long time.” She opened up about going to the school nurse “multiple times a day” because she felt like she was going to pass out.
“Every time I went to the nurse, they thought I was lying,” she said. “They were like, ‘You’re doing this to get out of class. It’s probably just anxiety. Go back to class.’ They wouldn’t do anything for it. And that definitely was hard because I genuinely felt so sick. And I was in a lot of pain.”
The young teenager added, “Them not doing anything about it definitely hurt me — physically and emotionally.”
“Them not doing anything about it definitely hurt me — physically and emotionally.”
Sadie, 13
Christina admitted she felt “horrible” because she didn’t understand what was going on with her daughter at the time.
However, Sadie shared that she’s suspected POTS for a long time. Since she was nine at least. It was then that she started researching, looking for a reason why every time she stood up, her vision became blurry.
Presently, there is no known cure for POTS. However, the disorder can be managed with diet, exercise and medications for most patients.
Christina shared they were getting a second opinion for Sadie to see what medication may help her manage her symptoms best.
WATCHING HER MUM CHRISTINA APPLEGATE STRUGGLE
Sadie also opened up on the podcast about how difficult it has been watching her mum battle MS.
“It was hard seeing my mom lose a lot of the abilities she used to have in my childhood,” she said. ”It’s definitely hard seeing my mom struggle with this.”
But it’s “been nice being able to help her and support her,” Sadie sweetly added.
Christina has been open about how she doesn’t “enjoy living” with MS. But when she introduced Sadie on her show, she credited her daughter as “the reason that I get up in the morning.”