Hey Guys,
In all seriousness, I never knew a place like this ever existed. A month ago, I never knew that the term "Gynecomastia" ever existed. I always thought that I just had a large chest, and that I would just have to live my life in 'shame' of it. I don't remember the last time I took my shirt off at a beach, and I've become pretty damn good about hiding my boobs. Through high school I was an athlete, I played football, did Martial Arts, the works, I was always just a little heavy.
As my senior year came to an end, and college was on the horizon, I began to become less active and gain more weight. I finally peaked off at 6'0, 278, and I had become seriously overweight. I had tons of muscle weight and bulk on me, but I had a 44" waist and my breasts were as big as they had ever been. I know that many of you must know what it feels like, being in a college environment, with gyne. Gyne is just as much a physical problem as it is a emotional and social issue.
I don't know what was the catalyst for sure, but it might have been one day when I went to the gym. I was on the treadmill and I couldn't run more than 5 minutes without feeling like I was about to go into cardiac arrest. In that moment I decided that I could no longer call myself an athlete, and that I had hit an all time low. So sometime in Sept-Oct. of 2004, I decided that I was going to use all the knowledge I had gained over the years to lose weight.
Losing weight became my new challenge, throughout the year my body went through radical changes. I lost weight the healthy way, through cutting back food and daily and dynamic exercise. Now I run long distance, lift weights, and engage in heavy cardiovascular exercise. Today I write this at 6'0, 215 pounds, with a 33" waist. Since the beginning of this school year when I decided to make this change, I feel and look totally different, like a new person. I don't say this all to toot my own horn, but to emphasize that I have done just about all I can for weight loss. I had a physical earlier before college, and the doctor address my breasts, and said that surgery could only be an option if I lost weight. I wont say that this was the primary reason for the weight loss, but it was a compounding factor. I can honestly say today that I am in the best shape of my life.
Although my body has changed, my breasts still remain. They shrank substantially, and there is strong muscular tissue behind them. But my chest still hangs off my body, and my nipples are still very puffy. They strink slightly when it is cold, but at this point I don't think there is any mistaking me having gynecomastia. I went in for a physical the week after last at my doctor's office. I basically addressed the issue, and my physician agreed that the breast tissue I carry looks permanent and might require surgery for removal. He gave me a referral to the plastic surgeon in the area for our insurance carrier (Kaisier Permanente) and I am expecting a call within the next two weeks for the appointment with the surgeon.
I feel like my breasts are the result of weight gain and lethargy for the past 10 years. Its sad that I don't remember what it was like when I didn't have breasts, and feel like this is the final step for me. I want to be fully confident when I go to the beach, or when I go to a club, or when I take a shower at school. I am transferring schools in the fall for academic purposes, and now in June, if I get the referral, how long can I expect to wait for this surgery? It would be ideal if I could get this done before the end of August, when I go back to school. Well now that I've gotten all that off my chest, is there anything you guys could tell me? Anything I should ask while seeing the surgeon? Anything I should watch out for? I live in the northern VA area, does anyone know of any plastic surgeons in the area who specialize in this field? Ultimately, I just want a more masculine contour to my chest, I want to feel fully confident in my own body.
Thanks for helping me not feel alone,
Topic: Looking for insight (Read 3757 times)
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