Stanley Tucci Opens Up About Thyroid Burnout After Cancer

Stanley Tucci Opens Up About Thyroid Burnout After Cancer

Hollywood veteran Stanley Tucci shed light on the difficult health battle he has been facing in the aftermath of his cancer treatment. The 64-year-old actor, of The Devil Wears Prada and The Hunger Games fame, recently disclosed that radiation therapy had completely “burned out” his thyroid, resulting in chronic exhaustion, from which he is unable to recover without medicine.

Battling Fatigue and Brain Fog

In a candid interview, Tucci recalled how he started feeling extreme fatigue, especially in the afternoons. “I would be so tired by one o’clock, like completely exhausted,” he said. Despite initially attributing it to stress, a blood test confirmed that his thyroid was non-functioning. The culprit? The radiation therapy he underwent six to seven years ago to fight cancer.

“It just burned out my thyroid,” he said. “My oncologist in New York told me that sometimes this just happens.” And though the revelation was frustrating, Tucci admitted it was also a relief to know the cause wasn’t a new diagnosis.

A Difficult Recovery After Cancer Treatment

Tucci also publicly shared his cancer diagnosis for the first time in his 2021 memoir, Taste: My Life Through Food, and has been candid about the grueling effects of radiation and chemotherapy, including a loss of taste, vertigo, and ulcers in his mouth.

“Anything I ate tasted like cardboard slathered with someone’s excrement,” he admitted. More than the fear of dying, Tucci said his biggest worry was losing the ability to enjoy food – one of his greatest passions.

Adjusting to Life With Medication

To manage the condition, Tucci now takes a synthetic thyroid hormone daily. Though it has helped, he readily admits he’s still not his old self. “I still get tired in the afternoon. Literally, you can’t think, you can’t move,” he said. But the actor doesn’t lose hope for getting his energy and feeling normal again.

Looking Ahead

At the age of 64, Tucci is still forging ahead, both in his personal and professional life. He confesses that sometimes he does not feel like doing anything, but his love for food, film, and a good story keeps him going. Suffering from post-cancer side effects, or know someone who is? Share your story in the comments below.