My fast-growing gynecomastia

[trucker]

Just two months ago I had a flat chest, but now I can cup the boobs in my hands. I'm curious (other than panicky, of course) how long it takes to develop the condition? How has it taken you guys?

My growth isn't yet in the areola, its all around it, ridges that grow thiker and now form an 'atoll'. Its growing by the day. Every week there's more lump.

For me surgery is almost out of the question, and if it keeps growing it may even recur after the op. Can I stop it growing anymore?

For the last 1 1/2 months I've had water-retention all over my torso. No that its subsided, the gyne is really showing.

I'm 24, and the reason could be that I have a case of androgen deficiency (some pitiutary problem) which has just been diagnosed/suspected (not established due to my lack of $ for the MRI), and I'm not on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

Could anyone comment if having TRT stop it from growing if not shrink it? BTW my gyne is hard gland. What treatment options are there for gland?

I'm looking for some compassion here. I'd really appreciate your replies esp. those with a similar experience.

[ruggedtoast]

I feel for you man, it must be terrible to have that and not be able to have treatment.

Its difficult to offer much help as you need a medical diagnosis and treatment if you have a hormone problem. Despite that there are different reasons why your hormone levels can become imbalanced.

In theory if you do have a test' deficiency then taking TRT should at least slow down or stop the gyne problem.

[ItsOK]

My situation is a little unusual, since I had external hormone exposure (worked in a drug factory years ago, must have been very sensitive) but mine also came up very quickly, basically in a summer.  I guess that means that a hormone imbalance can cause a quick reaction by the body.  I'm not sure this information will make you feel any better, other than knowing that your body is doing something particularly strange.

[markashleigh1979]

Hi,
If it's drug induced it may resolve on it's own as you do not work at the pharmeceutical plant any more.
You could try tamoxifen to block the eostrogen conversion...failing that you can have the gland removed and lypo suction .

Don't feel alone!

[aux513s]

Ususally it doesn't occur so fast, even with guys who take steroids. Sounds like you have a tumor on your pituitary. Get the money for that MRI pronto.

You shouldn't even be thinking about TRT right now. The first thing you need to do is take care of your brain tumor before it kills you, if it's not already too late.

[Worrier]

Ususally it doesn't occur so fast, even with guys who take steroids. Sounds like you have a tumor on your pituitary. Get the money for that MRI pronto.

You shouldn't even be thinking about TRT right now. The first thing you need to do is take care of your brain tumor before it kills you, if it's not already too late.

Hmmm diagonosing  over the net... not a good idea. if someone told me I had brain tumour online it would scare me to death.Yes a tumour is a possibility but there are other possilbilities as well. If you have a pituitary tumour you may have other symptoms such as headaches or eyesight disturbance as well.
           Actually quite a few people have these tumours without getting symptoms and doctors leave them until they do. once these symptoms occur and you get treatment in time medication can be used to shrink the tumour and stop the hormone symptoms. surgery is only tends to be used if medication is not successful or the tumour is very large,If the medication is successful you would need regular mri scans I would think.
           I feel dead sorry for the op I can't believe you can't get a scan to rule out/ confirm a very serious condition. I'm from the uk and although the nhs is far from perfect you would have that scan within three months free and be closely montiored until that time And if it became an emergency even quicker. this sounds totally nuts to me.All I can suggest is get the  scan somehow and see a doctor do you have to pay for that as well?

[trucker]

Relax, the docs say(think) its not a cancerous tumor. Its probably an anodema. Swollen pitiutary, not enough regularory hormones, perfectly painless (well, almost). Been there for years. I never cared about it, thinking it was a bone extension. They say we treat it once the pain starts, because the medicaton you take goes for life.

It hasn't begun paining (it does so by pressing against visual nerves, which can lead to blindness). But the hormone effects are enough to kill a man. I've had all the symptoms of androgen defeciency; I'm easily tired, am panicky, got a fickle anger, get bloated all over the torso every second week, my erections goes out of commission every second week (in synch with the bloating), and that's not the worst, I can remain week-long celibate for ever. What's worst is the gyne.

And what's bugging me incessantly is that I slept one fine night a perfectly happy man, and woke up the next morning with all these symptoms (except the panicking part). can you get a disorder that fast?? I mean the lump at the back of my head's been there for ages, and it hasn't grown in size, why have all these things sneeked up on me all of a sudden??

Can Tamoxifen help stop or even reverse the gyne? Its a burgeoning mess - last week when I opened this thread on this forum, it wasn't as big as it is now! Gives a clue about the speed of growth!

[aux513s]

The speed with which this has happened is really strong evidence that it's a tumor. If you're too poor to get a scan, I'm willing to bet you don't have the highest quality doctors. A lot of doctors don't know sh*t. In fact, incompetence by doctors is one of the leading causes of death in America.

Even guys that get castrated and have NO testosterone in their system whatsoever will not develope gynecomastia this fast.

I have spent a lot of time researching gynecomastia over the past year, and in the few other cases I've encountered where it grew this quickly there was a tumor on the pituitary.

Keep us updated.

[trucker]

Yup aux513s, there is a little bugger on the back of my head. And yes, I was thinking why castrated men don't (necessarily) have gyne. I saw one's picture, and he was a human stick insect, lean from the belly up.

What happens if the bump at the back of my head IS established as a tumor? I guess TRT will be the obvious route ahead for the rest of the life for me.

The only part of my body that could actually be called handsome was my chest. As a teen I worked out for a few months and nothing but the chest really built. It looked an odd combo, heavy pecks and underdeveloped shoulder muscles!

The fact that my chest was a little full-er than the rest of my body is now my nemesis, the gyne protudes farther.

What options are there for hormonally-challenged people??? And does gyne develop SO quickly if its a pituitary tumor? And the foremost question on my mind: will it continue to grow? I'm definitely screwed .  

[Achilles]

Trucker, if you're worried about a possible tumor you should book an appointment with your doctor asap and not get your health advice from the internet!  A lot of people on here know what they are talking about, but don't diagnose yourself off of what people say on a message board.

[Worrier]

Trucker, if you're worried about a possible tumor you should book an appointment with your doctor asap and not get your health advice from the internet!  A lot of people on here know what they are talking about, but don't diagnose yourself off of what people say on a message board.

what he said.  :-/I'm a hypochrondriac not a doctor   other people on this thread aren't doctors either. You can get support here m8 but to get a correct diagnosis you need to find a way to see one. If your gyne is growing that fast and your having other symptoms you need one. could be several things not just a tumour , but Iam not going to speculate on what those things are,  .As I could be wrong. Hope everthing works out

[aux513s]

Worrier,

What possible things could make gynecomastia grow so fast other than a tumor? Unless he's injecting estrogen into himself then there are none.

Tumors on endocrine glands usually cause them to secrete excess hormones instead of producing too llitte. When someone simple lacks testosterone (as in castration or from their testicles shutting down after steroids) they will develope it much  more slowly. But when you have excess hormones like prolactin, oxytocin, or estradiol being pumped into your system because of a tumor that's what really causes gyne to grow.

A tumor on the pituitary would most likely be secreting excess prolactin and oxytocin if the afflcited person also has gynecomastia.

[Worrier]

Ususally it doesn't occur so fast, even with guys who take steroids. Sounds like you have a tumor on your pituitary. Get the money for that MRI pronto.

You shouldn't even be thinking about TRT right now. The first thing you need to do is take care of your brain tumor before it kills you, if it's not already too late.

Aux , I have  said it could be a tumour, but at the end of the day we don't have medical degrees , we don't have access to scans or blood s, and even more importantly we  dont have access to his medical history which could shed light on this issue.        
       Even a doctor you speak to online will not give you a diagnosis he will give you possibilities..If you see a doctor even he if he knows for certain what is wrong the moment you walk through the door(good ones do) he will not tell you have  the condition until he has had overwhelming evidence especially with something so serious as a tumour of the pitiutiary gland.
         Iam simply  not prepared to speculate  as well  as it could reassure /worry the guy more and do him more harm than good.  This is what Iam concerned about.This is not the same as having a poitical debate .
       I have not made light of the issue ,if his gyne is growing that fast he needs to get himself sorted by a dcotor which I hope he is doing as fast growing gyne as well as is other symptoms point to something he needs help  for.
         All Iam saying is we should not diagnose the guy.as per the above statement.no matter what our hunches are.

[aux513s]

First of all trucker, I think the "lump" on the back of your head is part of a normal human skull. Is it just a slight bump right above the neck? If so that's normal.

You probably do have a pituitary tumor that has nothing to do with that bump. A pituitary tumor isn't as bad as it sounds. They can remove it without cutting your head open.

Is there absolutely no way you can get the money to do the necessary diagnostic work to see what's causing your gyne?

I'm really curious now and want to see if I was right.

[trucker]

aux I can get the money but not too soon. I'm out of job, and the only way I could garner some bucks is to ask mum, but she's fighting her own brain injury that she got in a road accident. Plus, she's out of job too for the last one year. I did tell her my problem a couple of days back, but she was like ' these kind of things don't happen overnight, give it some time, we'd go to an endo a fortnight later', she hadn't heard of gyne either nor could imagine it. She did call an endo but he's out of country for a week, some conference. Got no appointment.

So I guess two weeks it is, plus as many as the appointment date puts between me and the doc.

I don't want to guess how much it would've grown by that time, considering it has gained by the thickness of my little finger (almost) since the time I opened this thread (a week ago?).

I too think even docs don't know s*** about rarer things, like aux said. I went to two docs (simple general practs.) and both said they couldn't judge it, and I better see an endo. What's more, all the endos I could search in my city were all diabetricians!