Hi All,
I just wanted to share our story with gynecomastia. A little background, Kyle has always been the smallest kid in his grade and has been bullied his whole life. He was a very easy target because he was to small to fight back. He was teased, poked, pushed and stabbed with pencils. They've stolen his lunch (many times), his coat and his shoes. This went on through grade 8. Then he went to high school and was ignored for the most part which is what he preferred.
Now to the gynecomastia. When he was 12, I took him to the doctor because he was complaining that his nipples were swollen and they hurt really bad. I figured it was puberty but took him anyway because you never know. The Dr, said that yes, it was in fact puberty and it would go away within a couple years. Well it wasn't getting any better in fact, the size was increasing but the pain and tenderness was the same. Every time I took him to the doctor it was the same thing.
Fast forward to present. He is now 16 and has grown to be 6'1". Though he is only 136 pounds, he towers over the kids that picked on him, which he LOVES. But every couple of months he would say "mom, look at this" at lift his shirt. I felt terrible for him finally called my doctor and said he has had enough. We had a CT scan and sure enough, it was breast tissue, not puberty! It was continuing to grow and he was at a "B" cup size at 136 pounds! She referred us to a general surgeon who could do it, but when we saw how he would be cut, the scars would be horrible. He referred us to a Plastic surgeon and we went for a consultation a week later. He explained how he would do it and what to expect. The cost paid up front was going to be $5,700 and of course, the insurance would not pay. We scheduled the appt. anyway. Not that we have extra money laying around because we dont. But we knew we had to do this for him even if we had to refinance the house. There just isnt a choice. So we are selling some toys. Anyone want to buy a couple of 4 wheelers? LOL.
Kyle had the surgery yesterday. He was not a bit nervous (Although I was!) he was thrilled and kept saying "thank you so much mom"
Surgery was at 8 am and over by 11. The PS said that it took longer because there was just no fat. He had to be very careful because there was nothing between the skin and muscle but breast tissue. We were home around 1:30 and he was playing X Box by 4 pm. (Ugh!)
Today he is briused and swollen. I was concerned about the swelling on his left side so I called and they told me to bring him in. I did and long story short it is ok. So now he is laying in bed.... playing X BOX! LOL, I am just so happy for him and I hope that when he heals, that he doesnt have to worry about this again. I want to have a confident, happy, successful young man and I really think this was a wise choice for us and worth every penny.
Thanks to all of you guys that have shared your stories, it is amazing how many are dealing with this alone. Please dont be afraid to talk to your parents. If they cant help you, start saving every penny you can if this is what you want. Life is about choices, make the choice to do whatever is best for you.
Good Luck and best wishes to you all.
Kyle's mom.