Author Topic: Is gynecomastia the only explanation?  (Read 2581 times)

Offline oligodendroglioma

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1
This is a hard thing to talk about, especially with my wife just getting up and trying to hold a conversation with me.  I really don't know where to start, so I'll start at the beginning.

2 years ago I had a fit of seizures and my wife found me on the living room floor.  That was about 1am on a Monday morning.  It's still something that blows my mind when I think about it because up til that time I was Mr. incredibly healthy.  I woke up in a hospital being told I have a brain tumor and they need to operate.  To make a long story short, I had the surgery a week later to give my kidneys time to recover from the seizures.

The biopsy that was taken from my brain was cancerus and the name of it is Oligodendroglioma.  I was lucky.  I was able to resume my job as an engineer.  I was not lucky.  I had to go through a little over a year of chemo.  I was lucky.  I'm off chemo and the neurosurgeon can't find a trace of cancer anywhere on the last MRI.

During my chemo treatments all the muscles of my body were sore.  If someone would press some muscle on my body such as the calf or chest, it would hurt.  After sitting at my desk at work it would take me a while before my muscles would loosen enough for me to walk normal.  This continued for a while after I stopped chemo.  Near the end of chemo, I also had to get a colonoscopy to check out rectal bleeding and make sure I didn't have cancer growing there.  I was put on steroid suppositories for a while and the bleeding stopped for the most part after the chemo stopped.

Gradually, so gradual I didn't notice, my nipples only were a bit sore while the soreness of the rest of my body went away.  When I did start to notice it was more pronounced on one side, I mentioned it to my Oncologist and he took a look at it.  He didn't notice anything.  A couple of days after that I realized there was a bit of a cone shaped lump underneath and I called back.  They set me up for a mammogram appointment.  That was an incredibly weird experience filling out forms that were obviously geared towards women.  When was my last period?  How about "NEVER"!  I don't think rectal bleeding counts.

So, I got to get a mammogram even before my wife did.  With being a cancer survivor I have to take everything seriously.  I was amazed that a skinny male could be given a mammogram.  I didn't bother to tell anyone at work what my doctor appointment was for.  I didn't really go into detail about the colonoscopy either.

Thankfully, the "lump" was not cancerous and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with it.  Really?  She said it was probably inflamed.  Gynecomastia was never mentioned.  I saw "Fight Club" so I've been wondering all along if I am in fact forming a female breast or nipple.  You would think the doctor would have said something about it.  It's barely visable, but it does stick out a little more that the other and it is obviously more rigid.  Is gynecomastia the only explanation for this or is the doctor right that it's just inflamed?

Offline Tired

  • Bronze Member
  • **
  • Posts: 82
I would listen to the doctor. I am no expert, but he is  ;)

I guess it can be gyne, but i think that is the least of your worries at this moment. Im glad it worked out with the cancer, relax and just enjoy life some.

Then if the lumps does not go away after a while, have them checked by an expert on the subject, im sure your cancer doctor isn't that familier with the gyne condition. Get a second opinion.

Offline Hypo-is-here

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2210
oligodendroglioma,

Brain surgery and/or chemotherapy can affect the pituitary and/or testicles.

You should get an appointment with an endocrinologist who has an interest in reproductive endocrinology and have your hormonal status evaluated.

If you want to do that let me know what city you live in and i'll try and get a list of contact details for said doctors in your area.

Do you suffer from many of the following?

Concentration problems
low/negative mood
nervous disposition that you didn't used to have
erection difficulties
lowered libido
Fatigue
Back pain
Sweats at night
very dry skin forehead and or hands

If you do that can be an indication of a hormonal problem.

P.S

I also am a cancer survivor (liver cancer at 17, 10 and a half hour op and chemo, bladder cancer at 25 and op) and have hypogonadism (androgen deficiency) which is treated.




 

SMFPacks CMS 1.0.3 © 2024