How I got rid of gyne without surgery.

[Blitz]

I apologize for the misdirection but I just wanted to see if I would get a lot of hits posting a thread with that subject.  

How many guys come to this site and know they have gyne and aren't doing anything about it?  

Is it money?  Fear?  Embarrassment? Denial? After all that's been written here, what would make someone not take the plunge?  

I was just curious.  I see a lot of hits on certain topics so I know there's an audience out there.  I notice the large hits come from topics where gyne is removed without surgery.   I think guys are embarrassed to even setup a profile.  I know I was because for me, it was admitting I had gyne.  Admitting you have it is the first step.  Doing something about it is the biggest step.  

Personally, I really didn't know how to go about getting a doctor to look at my situation.  I was embarrassed.  When I change my shirt at home, I go into the washroom and shut the door if anyone is in the house.  Since I've booked the surgery, I can't wait.  Even if it looks 50% better, that's way better then what I'm living with now.  Of course I'd like that number to be 100%.

Once again, I apologize for the misdirection because as we all know, the only way to get rid of gyne is with surgery.    

[doddy]

Dude, edit your title. That's going to get a lot of people's hopes up, and it's just generally f*cking harsh.

Change it.

[hypo]

You call someone a nut- because they are getting surgery and you don't agree with it.

Try to put fear into him.

Enough already why don't you just bugger off your  a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are just the most obnoxious person Imaginable.


P.S

Calling someone a nut because they make a different decision than you.

Calling someone a nut when you believe in mind control

I'm going to break a rule on this occasion and swear.


Graham Ashe THE F..ing not a nice person!!!

[Spleen]

How many guys come to this site and know they have gyne and aren't doing anything about it?  

Is it money?  Fear?  Embarrassment? Denial? After all that's been written here, what would make someone not take the plunge?

Maybe it just doesn't matter that much?  

Frequently the prevailing attitude on this forum is that gynecomastia is tragic horror-show that ruins lives, destroys any possibility of happiness and turns milk sour.  IMHO many of the cats that read and write on this forum are way, way more concerned about their chests than the average guy with gyne.  I was at the beach yesterday and it was littered with guys who if they posted here would be told a) you have gyne, and b) get surgery now.  None of them seemed to care very much about covering up, and I didn't see other beachgoers laughing, pointing at these guys.  It really seems quite ordinary and for these men I saw yesterday, and the other people on the beach, that seemed to be the way they were treating it.

Maybe these guys at the beach didn't have gynecomastia?  Maybe they just had chubby chests?  Here we make the qualifications for having gyne terribly easy to meet.  Sometimes I wonder if collectively we haven't gone too far.  BTW, I don't want to diminish the experiences of the guys who've posted here who do have serious, major-league gynecomastia.  I'm sure that can be hard to deal with.  But for the average guys with run-of-the-mill man-boobs it wouldn't be a bad idea to work on fixing their heads while their working on fixing their bodies.  

One Spleen's opinion

[mustang26]

Great post Spleen!!!!  I think you are 100% right.  I realized that people on this board consider everything gyno when they started saying that the guy on desperate housewives has it.  Pshaaa!
I do believe that while we all have some fat on the chests, our body dismorphic disorders make it unbearable to deal with.

[usernameX]

This name wont actually get you more hits. Once the majority of the forum sees it...and by majorty i mean like 50 people tops, they wont come back.

[Blitz]

I have to admit that I wouldn't have even considered surgery until I came to this site.   The wealth of information on here has helped me to deal with my situation.  I have to admit that before I even found this site, I only thought about my condition maybe 20% of the time.  Those rare occasions when I might have to take my shirt off in front of people.  Wearing a t-shirt that's borderline tight.  A strong wind blowing into my chest.  Now, I'm almost consumed by the thought of my gyne.  Not so much on having it but getting rid of it.  

I hear what Spleen is saying.  Although I don't agree with all that he typed, I do hear him.  You see, I believe gyne is a tragic horror show that ruins lives.  Not for everyone but certainly for some.  When people who don't even know you start making fun of you, that can sting pretty bad.  How about when people who are close to you start making fun of your situation?  They probably think it's no big deal but for the person with gyne, it's the biggest deal in the world.  Do you know how many times I've read someone's gyne story and they said that when they got teased, some loser would come up to them and even squeeze their boobs?  That's humiliating.  Spleen, I would have loved to have been on that beach where no one cares about their chubby chest.  That sounds like a nice place.

Maybe there should be a forum where people who make fun of people with gyne can go and get their thoughts down.  Maybe they can even visit this site and understand what hell they put us through.  I look at it this way:  What if my son had this problem and it really affected him to the point where he could no longer be himself and do the things that he wanted to do.  Would I let him have the surgery.  Of course.  I would be more than happy to go into debt for him.

Spleen did make some interesting points though.  

[hypo]

There is the world of difference from BDD and gynecomastia and it sounds to me as though you have Body Dysmophic Disorder Blitz not gynecomastia.

I couldn't hide gynecomastia if I wore a coat never mind a t-shirt or a shirt.

Your talking about wearing a t-shirt that's borderline tight.

That does not sound like gynecomastia at all to me it sounds like a normal chest.

Most people who come to this site already feel pretty bad about their chest a lot of the time because they have gynecomastia.

If you only started to think badly about it once you came here it sounds to me as if the problem is mostly in your mind.

Before proceeding any further I think it would be wise for you to see a counselor/psychologist and discuss the issues you have.

[doddy]

There is the world of difference from BDD and gynecomastia and it sounds to me as though you have Body Dysmophic Disorder Blitz not gynecomastia.

Have you not seen his pics? Unless I'm thinking of someone else (fairly sure I'm not), he definitely has gyne.

I also disagree with your notion that you only have gyne if it can't be hidden underneath a jacket. I most definitely had gyne (albeit reasonably mild, comparitively speaking), and I could get away with it wearing a shirt and a jumper.

I just didn't want to have to "get away with it" any longer, but that's a different story.

[Blitz]

Here are my pics:

http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/blitzjik@rogers.com/album?.dir=/1ce6

Doddy is right, I have gyne.  I didn't need a doctor to tell me that.  

I'm noticing two distinct train of thoughts within this thread.  The first one is the obvious one where guys have gyne and are doing what they can to either live with it or get rid of it.   The other one is guys who think that some of the guys here do not need surgery but may feel like they do because of the feedback they're receiving.  

I've been in and out of this site for the past 3 months it has been a very positive experience.  I had my consultation on may 2nd and I was able to book my surgery for July 13 all because of this forum.  Now that I'm going to have this surgery, I rely on this site more than ever.  I read whatever information I can on anyone who has posted their surgery experience.  I want all the info I can whether it's good or bad.

I do see some pics on this site and I say to myself, I wish I had that chest;  and those are the pre-op pics.  For the most part though, I usually see pics of guys with obvious gyne and are probably very happy that they found this forum.  I've read too many success stories to back down from my operation.  I guess everyone has an opinion.  I just wish I had found this site earlier so I would have at least had my operation done by now and then I can really enjoy the summer months (sans t-shirt).  

[Spleen]

you feel you have to get the surgery to be 'free' like everyone else - that in itself is a sweeping statement if I ever saw one. I agree with Spleen. Finally we're talking some sense.

Just don't forget that I had surgery anyway.  I came to this site to try to find a doc.  I've known what gynecomastia was for years and years; I never felt that I qualified because my interpretation of the term was that it described very large female looking breasts on men.  I had "puffy nipples" which I saw as related, but different.  A semantic argument really since the severity of gynecomastia is really quite a broad and slippery slope.  

At any rate surgery, while not foolproof,  is still the treatment of choice (assuming no hormonal/genetic problems) for correcting this issue.  You can still be at ease with your appearance *and* have surgery.  They aren't exclusive of one another.

[Spleen]

If you are already, 'at east with your appearance', then it doesn't seem prudent to take such risks.

In your opinion.  I'm a grown up and I do my homework whether I'm gonna have elective surgery on my chest or buy a washing machine.  Given what I know I felt having surgery had a high % of success, and the results have proved this to be correct.  

By your own admission 2/3 of surgeries end satifactorily.  The other 1/3 may be comprised of persons who had poor results, or unrealistic expectations.  Perhaps that # (if it is a real number) would decrease if the consumer was better educated and more vigilent.  No, there are no guarantees.  Yes, there may be complications.  But life is full of challenges and risks.  It's up to each of us to assess our own willingness to assume risk in the face of reward.  

If you personally don't feel comfortable with any risk at all, that's swell.  Don't have surgery; that's your choice.  However, for many, many folks plastic surgery is a viable option with assumable risks.  I think it's more helpful to caution prospective patients to be educated, curious and realistic about what surgery has to offer than to call them "idiots" as you have in other topics.  If what you want to do is inform folks about the possible risks or complications I think a positive, balanced approach is better than name calling.

Spleen

[Spleen]

Your personal experience with surgery proves nothing to anybody except yourself. You took a risk that wasn't, in a logical sense, necessary. Of course, I agree with you that it's your choice. In fact, you could even choose to have your perfectly healthy leg amputated. No argument there.

People take "unnecessary" risks on a constant basis.  When you take an aspirin, drive a car to the super market or pet a strange dog there is an element of risk involved.  There is no such thing as a life without risk.  Managing it given your desires and the risk/reward relationship is where personal preference sets in.  I could choose to amputate my leg, but I expose myself to risk *and* I receive a "negative" reward.  Do you mean to say that elective minor surgery to correct (or at least change) an aspect of one's appearance is the same as amputating a healthly leg for no reason?

Or where the surgeon simply screwed up. There could be many reasons for that 30%.

You might want to note I wrote "persons who had poor results".  This could certainly be due to surgeon's error.

Yes, so we shouldn't be pushing anyone either way.

Seems like you're doing most of the pushing Graham.  

In case you haven't noticed, or have been listening to only one side of the argument, I usually don't call people names unless they call me by one first. Just because I don't jump on the surgery bandwagon, that doesn't make me 'negative' or 'unbalanced'.

You called a guy an "idiot" because he thought you asked a dumb question, he didn't call you a name.  It seems like you enjoy escalating the discussion in to an argument.  At any rate I don't think the issue is that you won't "jump on the surgery bandwagon".  It's simply that you seem unwilling to admit that on balance surgeries are at the very least successful more often than they are unsuccessful.  I get the sense that you treat folks who've had successful surgery as if they got lucky, while folks who are unhappy are getting what they deserve.  I'll stop here since this discussion really should be about the issues and not Graham vs. Spleen vs. anyone else.

Surgery is an invasive procedure and should not be done unless necessary. Any doctor worth his weight will tell you this. 'Personal choice' is not rational. If you want to make an irrational decision about something, that makes it personal. Don't call your personal choices rational and use the same 'rationale' to make others think that their choices are rational. The reason they are here is to get a balanced view so they can make a rational, not personal decision. If it was only personal decisions and reassurance for those decisions they were interested in, then this site really serves no meaningful purpose to them.

That is entirely your opinion and leaves you squarely in the minority.  I have had an elective (not plastic surgery) surgery that was not "necessary"  but has improved my quality of life.  This is commonplace.  Personal choice may or may not be based upon rational considerations.  I know people who refuse to fly.  Give the statistics the, dangers of flying are absolutely trivial.  Still, it is their personal preference to avoid air travel and that's their call to make.  It isn't always necessary for me to fly somewhere; I could take a car or train or just stay home.  But there is risk involved, and still I choose to fly because a) it's convenient, and b) it's still quite safe.

What you feel is an irrational decision based on on your personal preference when it comes to risk/reward management may differ from someone else's.  Your personal feelings are not a template; everyone must choose for themselves and live with the results.  I think you need to learn that what you see as rational or reasonable may differ from another person's interpretation.

[Blarneystoner]

I know it has been said, but the title is really male thingy, change it.

[doddy]

People take "unnecessary" risks on a constant basis.  When you take an aspirin, drive a car to the super market or pet a strange dog there is an element of risk involved.  There is no such thing as a life without risk.  Managing it given your desires and the risk/reward relationship is where personal preference sets in.  I could choose to amputate my leg, but I expose myself to risk *and* I receive a "negative" reward.  Do you mean to say that elective minor surgery to correct (or at least change) an aspect of one's appearance is the same as amputating a healthly leg for no reason?


You might want to note I wrote "persons who had poor results".  This could certainly be due to surgeon's error.


Seems like you're doing most of the pushing Graham.  


You called a guy an "idiot" because he thought you asked a dumb question, he didn't call you a name.  It seems like you enjoy escalating the discussion in to an argument.  At any rate I don't think the issue is that you won't "jump on the surgery bandwagon".  It's simply that you seem unwilling to admit that on balance surgeries are at the very least successful more often than they are unsuccessful.  I get the sense that you treat folks who've had successful surgery as if they got lucky, while folks who are unhappy are getting what they deserve.  I'll stop here since this discussion really should be about the issues and not Graham vs. Spleen vs. anyone else.


That is entirely your opinion and leaves you squarely in the minority.  I have had an elective (not plastic surgery) surgery that was not "necessary"  but has improved my quality of life.  This is commonplace.  Personal choice may or may not be based upon rational considerations.  I know people who refuse to fly.  Give the statistics the, dangers of flying are absolutely trivial.  Still, it is their personal preference to avoid air travel and that's their call to make.  It isn't always necessary for me to fly somewhere; I could take a car or train or just stay home.  But there is risk involved, and still I choose to fly because a) it's convenient, and b) it's still quite safe.

What you feel is an irrational decision based on on your personal preference when it comes to risk/reward management may differ from someone else's.  Your personal feelings are not a template; everyone must choose for themselves and live with the results.  I think you need to learn that what you see as rational or reasonable may differ from another person's interpretation.