I'm really glad I found this place, I didn't know where else to turn...
I guess I should begin by telling a little bit about myself- I'm 17 and in high school. I live an active lifestyle, and enjoy going to the gym. However...
My problem is that I have very puffy nipples, and overall a lot of extra breast tissue. I can feel a hard mass under my nipples. They are extremely sensitive, and I can't wear thin shirts because they stick out. I'm not fat, on the contrary, I'd say I'm in pretty good physical shape. I've had this problem for a very long time. I remember in middle school how I would wear huge shirts in attempt to cover up my chest. I hated how my chest looked, and I figured that if I started to eat healthier and go to the gym, it would go away. So I did. The other parts of my body shaped up, but my chest didn't change at all- in fact I think it may be getting worse. Kids have commented on my chest, saying I had man boobs and being mean as kids will do. I once went swimming with my little cousin (I had my shirt off) and he even commented that my chest looked funny.
The problem is, this year I began to come to the realization that this issue is ruining a portion of my life. My self confidence is very low, and I have 0 self confidence around girls. All my friends hang out at the pool during the summer time, and invite me to go, but I make up stupid excuses so that i dont have to go. Sometimes I even dread going to a friends house because im scared they will suggest we go swimming. I also walk strangely, i slouch forward so that my nipples dont protrude out. my mom always comments on my posture and tells me to fix it.
So i finally decided that i needed to talk to my parents about this even though it would be embarrassing. so i did. my parents said there is absolutely nothing wrong with me and that im crazy. this made me so mad as i clearly have a problem (i will post pictures later) however i kept whining about it so they took me to our pediatrician to get an opinion. he said there is nothing wrong with me, its just a side effect of puberty blah blah blah... so i told him about how its ruining a lot of my social life, and he was just like well wear a shirt at the pool. made me so mad. anyway, he then recommended us to another doctor, one who would do this kind of surgery, to get a second opinion. So i went, and this doctor said that i just have some extra breast tissue, etc etc, might be a slight hormonal thing, but it will "most likely" go away over time, but he cant guarantee it. He said there is no way he would even consider surgery for me, and he said I look just fine.
So now my parents won't even talk to me about it. They say i'm way too self conscious about my body and that i need to get over it. they sound annoyed at me when i bring it up. it makes me so mad. weve gotten into many fights over it. they also are more then financially able to pay for a surgery. they just dont understand what its like... and i get more pissed off every day, i feel like i am missing out on so much because of this problem. I just want it gone, i feel like it would change my life...
I'm just at a loss. I need some way to get through to my parents.... sorry for the long rant.
