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.
‘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 reveal the surgery she underwent before contracting the infection.
The mother-of-two, who is married to Cutter Dykstra, encourages others to go 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.
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.
‘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 admitting 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 inspired their podcast, with Applegate conversations stating that they ‘would talk on the phone for hours, laughing and crying’ before realizing they should ‘record’ their chats.
