Jamie Lynn Sigler revealed she suffered a near-death experience after returning home from a trip to India last year.
During an episode of her messy podcast With Christina Applegate, the 43-year-old actress, best known for her starring role as Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007, opened up about a post-surgery complication that nearly killed her.
‘Just under a year ago I went to India, lived in this ashram and felt so awake, connected and at peace… two weeks later I had a very bad reaction to surgery and got sepsis. and I was in the hospital and I almost died,” he told listeners.
The Big Sky star, who noted that she had never publicly shared the story until now, noted that she ended up fighting for her life and was close to death.
After the harrowing experience, she said she allowed herself to “break down and cry” and “feel” the pain, before seeking professional help.
Jamie Lynn Sigler revealed she suffered a near-death experience after returning home from a trip to India last year.
“I had never felt sadder in my life, so depressed,” Sigler recalled. ‘But what I learned from India was that I couldn’t escape it. I had to sit on it. He screamed into the pillows, he cried to my friends… I reached out, I sat alone, I found a therapist, I did all these things I had never done before and I went through this process that was absolutely necessary.’
Postoperative sepsis is a rare complication of surgery, in which sepsis occurs shortly after surgery.
According to East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, “in severe cases it can be life-threatening” and lead to “multiple organ failure.”
It is a rare condition that “affects up to 1% of patients who have undergone routine operations.”
Sigler did not disclose the surgery he underwent before contracting the infection.
The mother of two, who is married to Cutter Dykstra, encouraged others going through dark times to “grieve and really go there” when processing their emotions.
‘Because how else are you going to have to bring it to light?’ she asked.
Sigler, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 20, also talked about an appointment with her doctor that helped her improve her thinking.
The 43-year-old actress is best known for her starring role as Meadow Soprano on The Sopranos from 1999 to 2007.
After saying she felt frustrated doing physical therapy without improving results, her doctor encouraged her to “remove the responsibility” that she could “change” her body or that she wasn’t doing enough.
“It was a moment I really needed to have,” he explained. “I felt like it took so much pressure off me that I needed to constantly fix, change, or heal.”
He added that the revelation was “a moment” that he “desperately” needed.
After leaving the office, she said her husband noticed her vibe was “very different” and “a lot lighter.”
Sigler co-hosts the MeSsy podcast, along with Applegate, who also suffers from multiple sclerosis.
In March, the women, who were introduced through their mutual friend Lance Bass back in 2021, revealed how their respective diagnoses brought them together.
“If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t be able to do this thing in life,” Applegate told People.
The friends, who quickly became friends and are integral members of each other’s support system, find comfort in being able to “talk about the hard things.”
“We are in two very different places with MS, but we help each other,” Sigler said. ‘Christina opened it for me. I didn’t realize how desperately she needed to stop trying to be perfect.
He continued: “One thing I haven’t done in the last 23 years is admit that it was difficult, because I didn’t want to let anyone down.”
Applegate agreed, calling Sigler “the only person who really knows her.”
‘I can talk about anything with her. Constipation, diarrhea. . . Bravo TV,’ she mused.
Sigler co-hosts the MeSsy podcast, along with Applegate, who also suffers from multiple sclerosis (seen together above earlier this year on Good Morning America).
In March, the women, who were introduced through their mutual friend Lance Bass back in 2021, revealed how their respective diagnoses brought them together.
Their conversations inspired their podcast, and Applegate claimed that they “talked on the phone for hours, laughing and crying” before realizing they needed to “record” their conversations.
‘We started about a year ago recording every week. “We’re sharing the deepest parts of ourselves, and I’m someone who tried not to for a long time, so this has been healing,” Sigler said.
Applegate added: “I spent my career pretending to be someone else to everyone in the public eye.” I don’t have time to be fake anymore. It is exhausting.’
While they talk about MS, the podcast is not about their disease, which affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
‘That would be boring. I don’t want to talk about it too much,” Applegate said. ‘It’s about being honest. It’s okay to be afraid. It’s okay to be angry.’
Sigler went on to say: ‘MS brought us together, but it’s not all about us. It’s the starting point of a conversation about how to overcome something that’s difficult.’
