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.
‘A little less than a year ago now is when I went to India, and I lived at this ashram, and I had felt so awakened and connected and peaceful… two weeks later, I had a very bad reaction to a surgery and got sepsis and was in the hospital and almost died,’ she 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.
Following 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 in my life been more sad, felt more low,’ Sigler recalled. ‘But what I learned from India was I had an inability to escape it. I had to sit in it. I would scream in pillows, I would cry to girlfriends… I reached out, I sat by myself, I got a therapist, I did all of these things I had never really done before and went through this process that was absolutely necessary.’
Post-operative sepsis ‘is a rare complication of surgery, where sepsis has occurred shortly after’ a surgery.
According to East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, ‘in severe cases it can be life threatening’ and can cause ‘multi-organ failure.’
It is a rare condition that ‘affects up to 1% of patients who have had routine operations.’
Sigler did not disclose the surgery she underwent before contracting the infection.
The mother-of-two, who is married to Cutter Dykstra, encouraged others going through dark times to ‘cry and really, really go there’ when processing their emotions.
‘Because how else are you going to have to bring it to the light?’ she asked.
Sigler, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 20, also discussed an appointment with her doctor that helped her mindset.
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 any improved results, her doctor encouraged her to ‘to take the responsibility off the table’ that she could ‘change’ her body’ or was not doing enough.
‘It was a moment I really needed to have,’ she explained. ‘It felt like it took so much pressure off of myself that I need to constantly be fixing myself or changing myself or healing myself.’
She added that the revelation was ‘was a moment’ she ‘desperately’ needed.
After walking out of the office, she said her husband noticed her vibe was ‘very different’ and ‘a lot lighter.’
Sigler cohosts the MeSsy podcast, alongside 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.
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 (seen in India last year)
‘A little less than a year ago now is when I went to India, and I lived at this ashram, and I had felt so awakened and connected and peaceful… two weeks later, I had a very bad reaction to a surgery and got sepsis and was in the hospital and almost died,’ she 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 (pictured on her trip to India)
‘If I didn’t have her, I wouldn’t be able to do this life thing,’ Applegate told People.
The pals, who became quick pals and are integral members of each other’s support systems, take comfort in being able to ‘talk about the hard stuff.’
‘We’re in two very different places with MS, but we help each other,’ Sigler said. ‘Christina opened me up. I didn’t realize how desperately I needed to stop trying to be perfect.’
She continued: ‘One thing I haven’t done in the last 23 years is admit it was hard, because I didn’t want to let anyone down.’
Applegate agreed as she called Sigler ‘the only person who really knows’ her.
‘I can talk about anything with her. Constipation, diarrhea . . . Bravo TV,’ she mused.
Their conversations inspired their podcast, with Applegate stating that they ‘would talk on the phone for hours, laughing and crying’ before realizing they should ‘record’ their chats.
Sigler cohosts the MeSsy podcast, alongside Applegate, who also suffers from multiple sclerosis (seen above together earlier this year on Good Morning America)
‘We started about a year ago recording every week. We’re sharing the deepest parts of ourselves — and I’m somebody that tried not to do that for a long time, so this has been healing,’ Sigler said.
Applegate added: ‘I spent my career pretending to be someone else for everybody in the public eye. I don’t have time to be inauthentic anymore. It’s exhausting.’
While they do talk about MS, the podcast is not about their disease, which impacts the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.
‘That would be boring. I don’t want to talk about it that 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 everything about us. It’s the starting point to a conversation about how to push through something that’s hard.’