Comedian Amy Schumer has opened up about what led to her being diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome last year.
Amy recently spoke on the Call Her Daddy podcast with Alex Cooper, telling the host that online trolls and well-meaning commenters alike were part of the reason she got tested for the condition.
“A year ago, the internet really came for me,” she shared, stating that a lot of comments mentioned her “swollen” face.
She said: “I was like, ‘Okay, everybody, like, relax’” at first, until “doctors were chiming in in the comments and they were, like, ‘No, no… something’s really up. Your face looks so crazy’”.
Cushing’s syndrome is a condition caused by having too much of the hormone cortisol in your body. The NHS warns it can be serious if left untreated.
The syndrome, which is often caused by extended steroid use (the medication contains synthetic cortisol), can lead to physical changes like a “hump” on a person’s back or a rounded face.
The comedian shared: “At first, I was like, ‘F*** off’” while reading the comments, before remembering ‘Wait, I have been getting steroid injections for my scars’ (after both her breast reduction and C-section).
“I was getting these steroid injections and so it gave me this thing called Cushing’s syndrome – which I wouldn’t have known if the internet hadn’t come for me so hard,” she added.
Of course, some of the more negative comments played on the celeb’s mind when filming her upcoming comedy Kinda Pregnant.
She revealed she had only just learned about her diagnosis before filming began. “I learned I had this condition, and that I had something called moon face, and I’m starring in a movie — and there’s a camera right in my face,” Amy said.
“I was feeling really down on myself before I started filming this movie … I was, like, really having trouble figuring out how I was going to star in a movie while I had this going on.”
Still, apparently a positive comment from director Lorraine Caffery, who said she looked great, helped her self-esteem.
“I just needed one person to just amp me up,” she shared on the podcast.
Other symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome include:
- skin that bruises easily,
- large purple stretch marks,
- weakness in your upper arms and thighs,
- a reduced sex drive,
- fertility problems,
- depression and mood swings.
The condition usually gets better with treatment. If the syndrome has occurred as a result of steroid use, doctors will help you gradually reduce or stop your medication.
But if it’s caused by a tumour, you may need surgery or radiotherapy to remove the tumour, or some medicine to reduce the impact of cortisol in the body.