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- By Helen Bushby
- cultural reporter
Image source, fake images
Amy Schumer: “It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for me and my family”
Actress and director Amy Schumer has revealed that she suffers from Cushing’s syndrome, caused by an excess of the hormone cortisol in her body.
She revealed the condition after being inundated with comments about her face, with fans saying she looked “bloatier” during recent TV interviews.
In her initial response, Schumer attributed the change in her appearance to endometriosis.
Cushing’s subsequent diagnosis left her feeling “reborn,” she said.
“There are some types of Cushing’s. Some that can be fatal, require brain surgery or removal of the adrenal glands,” the actress told the News Bulletin No Noise.
“I have the type of Cushing’s that will just sort itself out and I’m healthy (which) was the best news imaginable,” he added.
Cushing syndrome occurs when a person has elevated levels of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone, within the body for a long time. It mainly affects people who take steroids.
Jessica Yellin, who founded News Not Noise, said she reached out to Schumer after reading about the online discourse about her appearance.
Schumer responded that he had sought medical advice after reading the comments.
“I was also in MRI machines for four hours straight, with my veins closed from the amount of blood taken and thinking that I might not be around to see my son grow up,” she told Yellin.
“Aside from fears about my health, I also had to be on camera for the Internet to intervene.
“But thank God for that. Because that’s how I realized something was wrong.”
Image source, fake images
Amy Schumer said she felt “strong, beautiful and so proud of this TV show I created.”
Schumer appeared on US television earlier this month to discuss the second season of the comedy Life And Beth, which she writes, directs and stars in.
During the promotional tour, the actress, who also starred in the sketch show Inside Amy Schumer, the 2015 film Trainwreck and 2018’s I Feel Pretty, visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The View.
He then faced an avalanche of jokes mocking his face, as well as medical speculation and supportive comments.
“I’ve enjoyed the feedback and deliberation about my appearance,” she said.
Adopting a semi-serious tone, the actress added on Instagram that she had endured such speculation “for almost 20 years (…) as all women do.”
What is Cushing’s syndrome?
The NHS website says the syndrome can be serious if untreated and is rare.
It is often the result of people taking steroid medications, especially tablets, for a long time, which contain a synthetic version of cortisol.
Very rarely, the syndrome can be caused by the body producing too much cortisol, caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland in the brain or in one of the adrenal glands located above the kidneys.
Cortisol is known as the “fight or flight” hormone. When it sends alarm signals to the brain in response to stress, it can influence almost every system in the body, from the immune system to digestion and sleep.
The syndrome is usually benign (non-cancerous) and more common in young women.
Symptoms tend to slowly worsen if left untreated, and the website says one of the main signs is weight gain and more body fat. Symptoms may include:
- Increased fat in the chest and stomach, but thin arms and legs.
- A buildup of fat on the back of the neck and shoulders, known as a “buffalo hump.”
- A red, swollen, rounded face.
Other symptoms include skin that bruises easily, large purple stretch marks, weakness in the upper arms and thighs, reduced libido and fertility problems, depression and mood swings.
The Pituitary Foundation, which provides Cushing syndrome support in the United Kingdom, told the BBC that they regretted Schumer’s diagnosis and said it was “heartening to see her raising awareness about her condition.”
They wished Schumer “all the best in his recovery” and encouraged anyone who thinks they may have it to contact their GP.
“Cushing’s syndrome is rare and affects only a few people in every million each year,” a spokeswoman said.
“Some people live with symptoms for many years, so raising awareness is key to ensuring people can get a diagnosis.”
The spokeswoman added that other symptoms could include “excessive hair growth, irregular periods and feeling more irritable and anxious.”
child’s name change
Praising News Not Noise as her “favorite credible news source,” Schumer said she wanted to “advocate for women’s health.”
“I really want women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that typically doesn’t believe them,” she said.
“I want women to value feeling strong, healthy and comfortable in their own skin.”
She previously spoke about body positivityand said it was important to “advocate for self-love and acceptance of the skin you’re in.”
“The only thing I would like to add is that this is a good example of the fact that we never know what is happening to someone,” he said.
“Everyone is struggling with something. Maybe we can all be a little kinder to each other and to ourselves.”
Schumer added that comments about her son’s name in 2020 had sparked a similar period of self-reflection.
Initially, the actress had planned to call him Gene Attell, and his middle name was a nod to her friend, comedian Dave Attell.
People online were quick to point out that the name “sounds genital.”
“I realized I had given my son a name that didn’t sound very good,” she said. “The Internet is undefeated, as they say.”