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Amy Schumer says criticism of her rounder face led to diagnosis of Cushing syndrome
Comedian and actress Amy Schumer received comments after several recent TV appearances from viewers who noticed her rounder-looking face. While some of the comments about her physical appearance seemed mean-spirited or unwarranted, Schumer said “thank God for that,” because she realized something was wrong and got a diagnosis: Cushing syndrome.
After appearing on shows like “Watch What Happens Live” and “The Tonight Show” to promote her show “Life and Beth,” Schumer took to Instagram to address the comments. “Binge both full seasons of @lifeandbethhulu and thank you so much for everyone’s input about my face! I’ve enjoyed feedback and deliberation about my appearance as all women do for almost 20 years,” she wrote, a hint of sarcasm in her post.
She said her face is puffier than normal, saying she has endometriosis and is going through “medical and hormonal things.”
But in a recent interview with “News Not Noise” blogger Jessica Yellin, Schumer said after reading the comments she was diagnosed with Cushing syndrome, which according to the Mayo Clinic occurs when the body has too much of the hormone cortisol over a long period of time.
What is Cushing syndrome?
Symptoms of the condition, which can be caused from taking medications called glucocorticoids or corticosteroids, can include a rounded face, pink or purple stretch marks on the skin and a fatty hump between the shoulders, according to Mayo Clinic, and could also lead to high blood pressure, bone loss and even type 2 diabetes.
Schumer said her condition was caused by getting steroid injections in high doses. She says she now feels “reborn” after her diagnosis, and while some forms of Cushing can be fatal, she has a type that “will just work itself out.”
She said that while she was making public appearances and giving interviews to promote the show, she was getting tests like MRIs and blood draws, which made her worry she may not be around to see her son grow up.
“So finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I’m healthy was the greatest news imaginable,” she said. “It has been a crazy couple weeks for me and my family.”
“Aside from fears about my health, I also had to be on camera having the internet chime in. But thank God for that,” she said. “Because that’s how I realized something was wrong.”
Lowering the body’s cortisol levels can help improve Cushing symptoms, and the sooner treatment starts, the better, Mayo Clinic says. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that helps regulate your body’s response to stress, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Corticosteroids can be used to treat several issues including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies, according to the Mayo Clinic. They can be taken by mouth, inhaled or injected, and all of these forms can come with side effects.
Amy Schumer’s endometriosis diagnosis
Schumer said she has endometriosis, an often painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inside the uterus grows outside of it.
When asked by Yellin why she is sharing her health information, Schumer said: “The shaming and criticism of our ever-changing bodies is something I have dealt with and witnessed for a long time. I want so much for women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that usually doesn’t believe them.”
“I want women to know it’s abnormal to have extremely painful periods and to find someone with experience in diagnosing and operating for endometriosis,” she said, adding that she received surgery for the condition that changed her life. “I want women to value feeling strong, healthy and comfortable in their own skin. I am extremely privileged to have the resources I have for my health and I know it’s not that way for most people. I am grateful and want to use my voice to continue to fight for women.”
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Wisconsin school shooter was in contact with California man plotting his own attack, court documents say
The shooter who killed a student and teacher at a religious school in Wisconsin brought two guns to the school and was in contact with a man in California whom authorities say was planning to attack a government building, according to authorities and court documents that became public Wednesday.
Police were still investigating why the 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday before shooting herself, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the Associated Press Wednesday. Two other students who were shot remained in critical condition on Wednesday.
A Southern California judge issued a restraining order Tuesday under California’s gun red flag law against a 20-year-old Carlsbad man. The order requires the man to turn his guns and ammunition into police within 48 hours unless an officer asks for them sooner because he poses an immediate danger to himself and others.
Carlsbad is located just north of San Diego.
According to the order, the man told FBI agents that he had been messaging Natalie Rupnow, the Wisconsin shooter, about attacking a government building with a gun and explosives. The order doesn’t say what building he had targeted or when he planned to launch his attack. It also doesn’t detail his interactions with Rupnow except to state that the man was plotting a mass shooting with her.
CBS’ San Diego affiliate KFMB-TV reported that law enforcement searched the man’s home Tuesday night after the order was signed by the judge.
Police, with the assistance of the FBI, were scouring online records and other resources and speaking with the shooter’s parents and classmates in an attempt to determine a motive for the shooting, Barnes told the AP.
Police don’t know if anyone was targeted in the attack or if the attack had been planned in advance, the chief said. Police said the shooting occurred in a classroom where a study hall was taking place involving students from several grades.
“I do not know if if she planned it that day or if she planned it a week prior,” Barnes said. “To me, bringing a gun to school to hurt people is planning. And so we don’t know what the premeditation is.”
On a Madison city website providing details about the shooting, police disclosed Wednesday that two guns were found at the school, but only one was used in the shooting. A law enforcement source previously told CBS News the weapon used appears to have been a 9 mm pistol.
Barnes told the AP that he did not know how the suspected shooter obtained the guns and he declined to say who purchased them, citing the ongoing investigation.
No decisions have been made about whether Rupnow’s parents might be charged in relation to the shooting, but they have been cooperating, Barnes told the AP.
Abundant Life is a nondenominational Christian school that offers prekindergarten classes through high school. About 420 students attend the institution.
The Dan County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the two people killed Wednesday as 42-year-old Erin West and 14-year-old Rubi Vergara.
An online obituary on a local funeral site stated Vergara was a freshman who leaves behind her parents, one brother, and a large extended family. It described her as “an avid reader” who “loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.”
West’s exact position with the school was unclear.
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