Massage difficulties

[Alchemist]

I'm speaking here of genuine therapeutic massage.  I have a pretty banged up body like many of the older guys here.  It takes an hour to just do my back or my legs and hips. It takes two hours or more to get around tgo all the areas that have to have it.

The problem is my breasts.  The male therapists are intimidated and don't come near my chest for fear of the unknown and what I might think.  The female therapists are just as confused and fear I might want something "kinky" or unknown so they avoid my chest.  Sure, there is always, "you can't get to everything" in an hour or 2 hours.  BUT - they never ever get there.

If I found a therapist I really liked I would talk to them about things but I don't have a regular therapist.  I can't afford more than a few massages a year.  My partner used to give me some really good massages but she is too beat up now.  Neither of us is good for more than 30 minutes doing a massage for the other any more.  We are just too beat up. 
Have any of you experienced this problem with therapists too?   Any solutions?

[hammer]

I do not have an answer to your question however when I was I the hospital with my last surgery, I asked the two nurses that were giving me a shower as one picked up one of my breast, if they see guys with breast this big very often? They both said that most vet's they bath have breast but not near as large as mine.

Nether one had a problem picking them up to clean under them though nor seem to be shy about talking about them.

[Alchemist]

I do not have an answer to your question however when I was I the hospital with my last surgery, I asked the two nurses that were giving me a shower as one picked up one of my breast, if they see guys with breast this big very often? They both said that most vet's they bath have breast but not near as large as mine.

Nether one had a problem picking them up to clean under them though nor seem to be shy about talking about them.

Hi Bob,

I would think that some good massages could help you feel a bit better.  You could probably benefit from a some good massages.  Can you get them through the VA? 

I have known plenty of body negative nurses and doctors, but on the job they know what they have to do.  With the massage, female breasts are very often avoided in massages whereas the male chest usually gets a better working over.  I've seen plenty of massages.   I don't know how things are "supposed" to be.  In any case you could collect data if you tried out a few. 

I have to say I have had 2 or 3 really excellent massage therapists and about equal numbers of really bad ones.  On some of those I didn't care for perhaps it was that their "styles" were not effective for my problems or maybe they were not physically up to it.  I have a lot of muscle knots and need some serious work done to get them out.  And I go over the pain inventory before the massage to give them the best chance of really helping me.

[hammer]

As you already know I'm in need of surgery for C4,5 and 6 in my neck but have been holding off since 2000 after experiencing paralysis on the left side. Being I was able to get full use back doing my own therapy I didn't do the surgery.

When the neck starts getting bad I found that massage is the best thing I can have done to prevent anything from getting worse including the very severe pain.

I also believe that massage is probably better then going to a chiropractor. The chiropractor will manipulate the joints, but if you don't do anything with the muscles they will pull everything right back to were they were in just a short time, and that's why you need to be realigned so much!

Bottom line is, massage is not only good for you but great for you!