Author Topic: My Story - can anyone relate?  (Read 5996 times)

Offline CorpusSancti

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I'm brand new to this board, and haven't had much of a chance to read through many of the posts. This is my story, which is as yet different from what I read from others.

My story began around 8th grade. I distinctly remember laying in bed late one night and feeling a small lump underneath my left nipple, about the size of a pea. For symmetry's sake, I checked the right one and felt no such lump. I continued to monitor it and noticed it became progressively larger over the next few months. I had absolutely no clue what was going on, as I had never heard of anything like this. Sometime in the next few years, the object increased in size and did what a doctor later called 'locomotion', meaning it transferred from one breast to the other. I'm not entirely sure how this would be possible, but it happened. It was probably my sophomore year in high school before I could no longer conceal it (now in my right breast), and I discussed it with my doctor at a routine checkup. This was the first time I heard the word 'gynecomastia'. My parents, who came to learn about my condition, began calling it a 'nipple rock'. I felt better that it was benign, as my grandmother had died of breast cancer around the same time I had originally developed it (talk about sick irony). The doctor told me then, as many of you have probably heard at some point, that it would 'work itself out' in a matter of months, maybe years. Well, it's been years and it's still there. Approximately five now - I am currently a junior in college, and it's still there. It has remained in my right nipple and is about the size of a golf ball. There's also some fluid that seems trapped around it that fills the breast out. One side it affected, the other breast is not. I'm, for a lack of a better term, lopsided. Obviously, it's quite apparent that something's not quite right. Very few people know about it now.

I have barely gone swimming since the beginning of high school, and if I have my arms have always been crossed - difficult since I am a certified scuba diver. I refuse to take my shirt off in front of anyone - hard when you live on campus, use communal bathroom space, and frequently change in front of others in the theater. Yes, I'm an acting major. I pray that I am never cast in a role that requires me to remove my shirt. I'm studying abroad in Australia in two months, and would give anything to be rid of the blasted thing so I could enjoy it to the fullest, but I've given up on it going away on it's own.

I have on a few occasions attempted to cut myself to get rid of some of the excess fluid surrounding the object, but have never been able to go through with it completely. I know it's not a good idea, but I'm tired of feeling self-conscious and worried about it. Eight years is a long time to carry something, always hoping it will magically go away. I've tried everything from massaging it, applying cold packs, cutting, squeezing, etc. Nothing works, and it the 'rock' causes physical pain if it's bumped/handled too roughly.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of 'nipple rock' thing? Is this included under gynecomastia? I've considered surgery for years, but have always feared that insurance wouldn't cover it. This is the first time I've really done extensive research into the condition.

It's taken a lot for me to simply draft this out, but I take comfort in the sheer numbers on this board. Any discussion would be greatly appreciated.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2007, 01:45:29 AM by CorpusSancti »

Offline j-norm

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Hey man, even though im new here too, welcome.

I can relate to ya, Except with me, it was always in both, and its more soft, then hard.

I totally understand how u feel about being on stage, and people watching you, and so on. I just try and hide it with baggy clothing and such.

Offline damgyno

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yes i can relate, however im still young and i pray that it will go away.

Offline headheldhigh01

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  • destined to stand on a beach shirtless
mine started up exactly the same, except mine was even both sides and i never let myself get diagnosed, and i did worry it was cancer but once it stopped growing i assumed it was remission.  wish this site and the net existed 20 years before and that i could have found it. 

i'd have given up scuba altogether, never went swimming again - yet, anyway. 
* a man is more than a body will ever tell
* if it screws up your life the same, is there really any such thing as "mild" gyne?

Offline snycs10

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The "rock" you're referring to me may be solid breast tissue (as is the case with me) and only can be reomved through surgery. I'm going under the knife next week.

Offline thebigman_1987

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All the best for the surgery. It made a huge difference to my life.  Mine is not totally gone...but life is much easier now

Offline snycs10

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Thanks. My nervousness has now be taken over by utter excitement.

Offline CorpusSancti

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The "rock" you're referring to me may be solid breast tissue (as is the case with me) and only can be reomved through surgery. I'm going under the knife next week.

Does insurance cover any of this cost? Good luck!

Offline snycs10

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I did make a claim to my insuance company, but if I do get anything covered it would nonly be retroactuvely. From everything I've been told though is that I'm unlikely to get anything. My pre-op labs however were covered by insurance because I had my regualr doctor write up labs as a part of a physical. (saved a couple hundred bucks). My surgery is costing 8K though

Offline Makaveli

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Ive got da same but itz my left side it started 1 nipple bigger than da other with da lump then it got bigger. But my right breast is normal size. My left nipple porks out & itz big & my right porks in & itz small. I got told it should level it self out 2 but it aint itz just got bigger. I know how u feel bro. Ive been told i need 2 lose some wight then i can get it soughted. Good luck man with ur condition

Offline kahlpert

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im right here with you, mine showed up right about that time and they exist in both breats. I have hard rocks and puffy nipples, the whole package, it has brought me down a lot but i still participate in swim team even though I am ashamed, in hopes that they will go away.

Offline hdcub

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I can totally relate and have shared a similar story in the diary section of this website. Go ahead and give it a read. I'm sure you'll see yourself in a lot of what I share. I'm 42 years old this summer and still am ashamed to go without my shirt, even in front of my wife in my own house. I'll never be able to afford the surgery, so I'm trying to "just accept it", which hasn't worked yet. I think it's really sad that so many of us suffer with this condition and that other people who don't have it have no idea what we go through every day of our lives. It sucks, plain and simple. I let it get the best of me way too much and it has led me to some very self destructive behavior. I'll be glad when I'm dead and won't have to deal with this nightmare that's plagued me for the past 30 years. Sorry for sounding so down, but it's just the way I feel. Hope you deal with yours better than I'm dealing with mine. Steve.
things are only as important as you want them to be

Offline ptron

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this is my first post on here, having just signed up less than an hour ago. my situation is nearly identical to yours and i know exactly how you feel. i have have been dealing with this for more than ten years now and haven't had to courage to talk to anyone about it, not even a doctor.

i finally came out and told my now ex girlfriend about it (she had already noticed it obviously) and she actually did some research and helped me figure out what this thing could be. i have gone to a GP and he is supposedly getting back to me about an appointment with a general surgeon. surprisingly he diagnosed gynecomastia. after reviewing a LOT of threads on this site, i think i will just jump the gun and go straight to a specialist. damn the expense.

this thing has made my life hell and i have many deep-seated psychological and emotional problems because of it. i am very nervous and excited to finally look into this and get the help i need. i will gladly go under the knife to get rid of this thing even though to idea of surgery scares the hell out of me.

best of luck to you and everyone on this site.

Offline snycs10

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If there's a good time to use the term "minor surgery" this is it. Although there is cutting involved and a decent recovery time, the bottom line is that the surgery takes place just under the skin and in most cases general ansthestia is not used. Nervous Yes, but don't be scared at all.


 

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