New guy introduction and story

[Spackle]

Hey everyone. New guy here. I have been pretty much cursed with a genetic pre-disposition to Gynecomastia. My Grandfather had it, my father has it (to a lesser degree), my Uncle has it (and had surgery), and I have it. My cousing somehow lucked out. Its weird how it progressed though.  I was around 13 is when it kicked in. I was loathe to wear a tank top in the Summer or swim shirtless as I would get made fun of. I remember once I got stung by a bee on the chest which made my right breast swell up even more! Good times. I always hated Summer (to this very day) because I couldnt wear a coat, jacket or vest to cover my chest. Thank God for vests. I wear them to this day. By the time I became a teenager the problem lessened a lot as my body changed. I was still bigger than most, but not by much. By my mid to late 20s as I began filling out and becoming a man, it started up once more. Again, I wasnt thrilled but it was still doable and didnt really effect me that badly. Still had a normal life and lots of girlfriends.
I would still avoid wearing tight fitting shirts as I always did. One thing I always hated and im sure you can all relate is when a good stiff wind would come by and plaster your shirt around your breasts. I felt like a giant arrow was poinyed at my chest saying "Hey everyone! Look at the guy with the breasts!" Ugh. Horrible. Anyway, as I got into my 30s I just kind of accepted the cards I had been dealt. When I saw myself compared to other guys with gynecomastia I figured I should hardly complain. But then I had a bad accident that wrecked my back. Long story short, I have been on Methadone for chronic pain for years now. I am now 49 and have noticed that in the last few years my breasts seem to be getting larger! Its especially obvious to me when I lay on my side to go to sleep. I feel ridiculous with all this breast tissue flopping around! My doctor told me that Methadone can contribute to Gyno and can also knock down your Testosterone. Well,we did bloodwork and found out my T was indeed way below normal.
I started on Testosterone therapy about a month ago and hope it does something to help. Between my genes and the methadone it seems like a double whammy! Im maybe about 10 lbs overweight. Max. So it cant all be fat? At least I dont think so? And even if it is? Short of starving myself to death, I dont think it would make much of a difference. Anyway, thats my deal.

[hammer]

It sounds like you got a good handle on things so that's a good place to be! I understand the chronic pain, but thankfully I've avoided the usual pain meds! I have bilateral neuropathy, been through 3 back surgeries and both knees replaced and looking at neck surgery soon.

I've had my gyno all my life too but after losing my testicles after a vasectomy mine grow out of control and ended up being a 46H by the end. my wife and children are very supportive about it and with all the other surgeries we feel that there is no need to go through a double  mastectomy!

Welcome to the forum, this is the place to be where you can find advice from guys who have been there, done that. It's the kind of club most men don't want to be in but it's getting bigger everyday and more members  then one thinks until he joins.

Bob

[Alchemist]

Hi Spackle,
Let's see.  I have familial gynecomastia, large early breasts at puberty in males and females in all 3 generations I know of.  It come3s down my mother's line, her, all her children and all my children.  I don't know about her daughters' children.  I've been on opioids since 1989 and morphine since 2000.  And By high school I was D or DD cup.  Breast size varies by +- 1/2 cup size by fat and/or edema.  Right now at 190 pounds (6'1") they are D+ cup yet because they stick out so much from my stomach at that weight they are more obvious than ever, and pass the pencil test.  So coming down from 285 pounds (85 pounds of water), lost 60 pounds of fat and put on 50 pounds of previously atrophied muscle.  So with a net lose of 95 pounds I lost half a cup size.  So don't hold your breath about losing a few pounds that will flatten your breasts.

I started testosterone in 2000 at the pain clinic and it helped a lot, more energy, better mood and reduced pain.  It was a wonder drug.  My testosterone appears to have dropped off the edge 13 years before I was tested and received TRT.  It turns out that my approximately 200 symptoms were largely B12  and folate deficiencies.  I am almost 69 and honestly they just don't matter.  All of my health problems are far more important than surgery for a non-issue.  I wear comfortable t-shirts, not oversize, not heavy, and if somebody wants to get hysterical about my breasts, that is their problem.  Nobody cares and only other guys with gynecomastia notice regularly.  If you want to see what the 50% to 70% of men with gynecomastia look like, go to a nudist club and learn to accept your body as you see you are in good company with an actual majority of men, more or less on any day, have mammary growth.  Good luck.

[Spackle]

Hey guys. Thanks for the replies and your stories. Well, it look's like im going to have to come off of the Testosterone Replacement. It has jacked up my blood pressure to bad levels. Before starting TRT my BP has always been normal.  Was even being on the low end of the scale! Went to the dentist today to have filling done. For some reason this dentist takes your BP before doing any procedure. Turned out my BP  was 155/89 and my pulse was 111! Last month it was 143/88 and my pulse was 105. So as you can see, there is a pattern forming here. I called my Urologist and he told me to stop taking the medication. Oh well. I would much rather have low T and gynecomastia than have a stroke. Or worse yet. Die!! Im not that bloody vain! Haha.

[hammer]

Sounds like a good plan to me, it's far better to be around for the kids and grandkids! I had a heart attack at 37 in 1995 and they never knew why, years later I think I was because I had just stopped the testosterone injections due to uncomfortable side effects. Now we hear about all the law suite advertising about problems with taking it.

Well I'm here to see my grandkids and it was worth stopping not even knowing if that was the cause!

[HairyKnockers]

I know some of you have had problems with Testosterone Replacement Therapy but for me it has been great.  I have been pretty healthy my entire life and only had 2 surgeries.  First one was shoulder surgery required from playing water polo; shoulder injuries are common for water polo players.  The second was an inguinal hernia surgery that did not go so well.  Without going into all of the details, the surgeon guaranteed me the way he did the surgery I would not ever have a reoccurrence of the hernia.  He was right about that, but because of the other associated problems I am not certain that his methods were what I would suggest for anyone else.

After the surgery, I had a host of issues that persisted for a couple of years.  One issue, I was getting depressed which is very atypical for me.  Also for the first time in my life I had a weight problem, especially around the stomach.  Sex became nonexistent for me, I had zero libido.  This is also when the gynecomastia returned since I got over it—mostly anyway—at the end of puberty. Finally my doctor ran a blood test and as he said I had the testosterone levels of a 12 year old girl—he was trying to be clever but he got the point across.  I did some research and low testosterone and infertility are somewhat common issues with groin surgeries, which my doctor confirmed.

After about 3 months of hormone replacement I saw a major improvement. I was much happier and less fatigued.  Basically I started feeling more like myself.  Balancing testosterone is a tricky business, too much or too little and you are infertile and have no libido, along with other problems.  My primary care physician regularly checks my blood levels and has made a few adjustments.  My levels have been pretty stable for several years now.  I would say it is a worthwhile therapy if you manage the treatment correctly and look at it on a long term basis.

As to your blood pressure and pulse, if you took my blood pressure at the dentist it would be sky high too.  I don’t think you can use one or two individual readings under a high stress situation as a judgment for anything.   Several times I have driven through rush hour traffic for over an hour to a doctor’s appointment.  My doctor is usually pretty prompt at getting a patient in so the first thing they do is take my blood pressure.  I have had some comments of alarm from the nurses, then I tell them about the drive I just had.  The doctor comes in a little later and my blood pressure is back to normal.  If the urologist can’t balance your testosterone reading I suggest trying an endocrinologist and see if they can do better.  You may want to Google “White Coat Syndrome”.

[hammer]

I have no problem with "white coat  syndrome" totally get it though! after going through 8 surgeries I'm very comfortable at the doctors office. When I started taking hormone replacement it was long after my testicles had been lost! they had rotted after a vasectomy and had to be removed so I went a long time without knowing what was wrong and from doctor to doctor just blowing me off thinking that the pain I was having in my groin was in my head!

Finally at the U of MN I was taken seriously after about 2 years! I had a  endocrinologist that did  monitor my hormone replacement as he also took care of my diabetes which I found out I had during this time! It turned out that I have a blood disorder that mast diabetes so I had it for year and it had never been treated so I had a lot of damage already being done.