This is a turning point for me! I HAVE GYNOCOMASTIA

[boomartby]

right, i cant actually believe im finally doing this. after seeing something on this morning yesterday about gynecomastia i have finally decided to do something about this condition that has affected me for at least 5 years! i am sorry if this is long but i am using this as a way of letting out my feelings finally which is letting me come out of denial that YES i have gynecomastia!

before i start i shall say that currently i am 17 years old

since i started puberty my breasts have been more pronounced than everyone elses and i was always aware of this, i made sure i wore clothes so they werent very obvious and when i think back they werent very noticable at all. i remember feeling little lumps under both nipples at about 13 and went into denial telling myself that it was nothing and that when i come out of puberty it will dissappear...

well through my teenage years the condition got gradually worse and my breasts continued to grow. this made me deeply depressed inside but i didnt show it or let it out. instead i turned to food which was really the worse thing to do. i would eat constantly because it gave me comfort, the more i ate the happier i felt even though i was getting fatter. i kidded myself that i wasnt putting weight on and it was unoticeable and actually making my man boobs look better, when in actual fact i just looked horrendous and looked like a fat mess. when i started college i had no confidence whatsoever but this was boosted by people taking me for who i am and looking past my size. but although i had more confidence, i continued to eat excessively and couldnt break the cycle. i ate and ate and ate and i think that it was an eating disorder, rather than starving myself i was overeating!. i didnt go out with my friends because i was constantly paranoid that people were looking at me and my confidence plummeted!

but things got better. for some reason in september 2006 i decided that i was going to take action about my eating and try and work it out for myself. no help, no tricks or potions, just sheer willpower. i had not weighed myself in years in a bid to kid myself that i was not obese. i decided that the first step to getting better was to weigh myself. i am 6ft 6 1/2 and i weighed 24st. i was disgusted and cryed myself to sleep that night. but to cut a long story short, i massively reduced my calorie intake and went on a diet that i could stick to (not weightwatchers, not atkins etc. but just being sensible!!!) i have now got down to 16 1/2 stone which is the lightest i have ever been and my life at the moment is amazing! i have more friends than ever, i go out clubbing with limited inhibitions and im so much more confident

it was so hard losing that much weight and i think i have done it quite quickly. i plan to carry on losing weight by continuing going to the gym and sticking to a sensible diet but now there is just one thing that i want to get rid of! my manboobs!. i was in denial about them but i have now booked an appointment with my GP for next wednesday. i am sooooooo nervous about it because i havent been to the doctors for 5 years - he is totally unaware of my struggle that i have been through so i hope he is understanding. he didnt see my massive weightgain and then loss so i hope he believes me!

i am really happy with my body now because i am really tall so even though i am still not exactly light, i look in good proportion and everyone is complimenting me on a daily basis, some people dont even recognise me! except from my breasts, they are smaller than they used to be but they are still very lumpy when i prod them (is this the glands?) and they do protrude from the chest and kind of sag a bit.
i hope that the gp visit goes well because now i have admitted it to myself i want to get it all done so i can do the things i love so much like swimming which i havent been able to do for soooooo long because people would stare and i havent got the confidence to do it

im sorry this was so long but it has provided such relief for me, it has taken such a weight off of me! i would greatly appreciate comments of my story to make me feel a bit less anxious of my visit to the GP next week. i plan to use this as my little confessions diary to let out my feelings so i will keep everyone posted on everything that happens starting with my first visit to hopefully the operation!

[outertrial]

Great thanks for posting. Going to the GP was a huge weight off my mind. I had a sympathetic one of course.

Just remember that the GP is there for you, if you dont think theyre taking you seriously then insist that they do, and dont be afraid to go to a different doctor if need be.

[NotFedup]

Hiya kidda
ive read through your long post and firstly let me congratulate you on such a fantastic weight loss.
when i was your age i had a similar kind of thing i was 22 stone and 6 foot tall and dropped down to 10 stone 6 pounds and worked out non stop to try to get rid of these horrible boobs.
It never worked and im soooo glad to see you have done the best thing by arranging an appointment with your doctor.
Tell your doctor that you know what your condition is and tell him that you have looked into it deeplyu and insist that he sends you to a PLASTIC SURGEON to have your male gynecomastia removed through excision of the gland and liposuction.
I am now 38 years old and i really wishj i had had the op when i was 17 like you
i decided on going abroad for my op and its the best thing i ever did
i only did this because at 38 years old i didnt want to waste anymore time with this sh1tty condition.
Please do keep us informed and i assure you i will still be around to reply to your threads and any questions you may have.
well done kid

[boomartby]

well....to anyone who has read this and is interested, i went to see my gp today! i cant explain how nervous i was! but it all went ok, she was really really nice to me and very understanding. she told me how well i had done to lose so much weight and that i am doing just great. she had a good inspection of my chest and at first she didnt want to touch them too hard but i made her so she wud realise there were lumps of tissue there. once she realised she said she would be happy to refer me. she has give me a list of options to choose from - one of which being the male breast service department (Male Breast Service - Breast Care SGH - Mid Staffs - RJD) which is in stafford. i have to ring them next wednesday to book an appointment. i am so happy with how it went because i was sooooooooooo anxious about it! i just hope the next stages go well. has anyone heard of this hospital? i think it is the best out of my options because it is the only one dealing with males so they should have better knowledge of gynecomastia.

i would appreciate replies from anyone who is interested or can help me