37 yrs old and tired of being embarrassed!!!

[37ntired]

This is the first time I actually realized that I could do something about my problem.  I found this board by using google today.  I am so tired of not being able to take my shirt off.  My left breast is normal but my right breast has gynocomastia.  I look uneven and freaky.  I wish it was on both sides like most of the people on this board.  It would possible for people to not notice when both sides are the same but when one side looks like a 12 yr old girl, it is too much to not notice.  I feel like crying because my girlfriend loves me anyway but I hate my body.  20 yrs of embarassment and hidious shame even when alone in the bathroom mirror.  I try to think that no one really cares or notices, but I notice.  Should I go swimming and sunbathing anyway and forget surgery?  Should I just put up with people on the beach or pool looking at my breasts (even if just for a second).  I do notice that everyone looks at the persons breasts once anyway, whether male or female.  Gyn or no gyn, people still always look at everyones breasts.  Apparently it will cost about 4000 dollars for surgery but it  looks like only about 50% of post operations are successful.  By successful I mean 99% happiness by the patient.  Should I look to Canada or Mexico for a surgeon?  Is there a discount for just one side of Gyn, rather than both sides?

Anyway,  I am so glad that I have found this board where I can feel like I am not alone.  I feel some weight off of my soul right now.  I am at work right now so I cannot visibly shed a tear, but it is there.
Thanks very much!!!!!

[Mr_Nip]

Welcome to the place where everybody understands.  I'm 42 and had gyne for over 30 years before I finally found this site back in July.  What an awakening!  Believe me - you're among friends here.   

To answer one of your questions, I'll tell you about myself.  I tried for many years going to the beach and pool and taking off the shirt with gyne.  I hated the experience every time but I tried to have a life.  When I found out in July that it could be removed I went for surgery.  My point is that if you hate it now, you're probably going to hate it years from now.  I suggest that you go to some PS's in your area for some consultations.  That way you'll at least know some options to consider.  Your cost estimate falls right into the average we see posted here.  Mine was $3850.00 and had it done by a local PS.  I prefer a surgeon who's close by for convenience, but that's just me.  I had it in September and will be having a revision in March to fine tune things a bit.  I'm very satisfied and am looking forward to taking my shirt off in public this summer.  Heck, when I go to the beach for vacation this summer I may just leave all the shirts at home.   

[itsgoingdown]

Why have you waited so long when you know your body looks uneaven??

Your insurance company should cover all the costs, since your body looks " not normal ". And dont be sad because you only have gyne on one side, since you'r getting 1 scar only!

Good luck

[37ntired]

Thanks for your quick replies.   What does IIRC mean, "Mr nip", and did you have surgery?  To "itsgoingdown" I think I waited so long because I was even embarassed when I saw my doctor.   My don't think my parents even know.  My girlfriend is the only one who knows.  It started when I was about 15 yrs old.  This also was about the time I started smoking pot, so personally, I think it was caused from my marijuana use during my teens.   I haven't used pot for over 15 yrs now and I thought it would just go away or deteriorate.  I can definitely it has not gotten much bigger since I have stopped smoking.  Is there a possibility this is the reason?  Are there any suppliments or drugs to reverse gyn?

[Mr_Nip]

Yes I had surgery and am very satisfied with the results.  I had a severe case of gyne with big and ballooning areolas.  I now have a somewhat normal sized chest.  It was an amazing transformation.  Like I said before I'll be having a revision surgery in March to fine tune a couple of areas.   

There's a debate that's been raging on these boards about pot causing gyne (or not), so I hope everybody will refrain from taking this opportunity to hijack your thread for the purpose of rehashing that topic for page after page.  The truth is that some say it can cause it and some say it doesn't cause it.  I don't think anybody knows for sure.  I used to smoke it some as well, but I had gyne well before I first tried the stuff.

It's more likely that the hormones of puberty stayed out of balance long enough to cause the one breast to show up and stay.  At age 15 the hormones are having a party inside you.  Sometimes after puberty the hormones get balanced but the gyne remains permanent. 

There are no supplements or drugs that will reverse gyne.  Surgery is the only proven way to get rid of it.  Beware of diet pills marketing themselves as gyne treatments.  They cost a lot, don't work, and waste your time while trying them.  Go to a gyne-reputable plastic surgeon and get a consultation if you truly want to get rid of the problem. 

Oh, and I didn't use "IIRC" in my post, but it means "If I Recall Correctly".

[37ntired]

What is a PT and an MB.  I am sorry for not knowing these terms but after 22 years I am finally trying to do something about my problem.   I imagine what life would be like without the constant mental compensation for hiding my gyne.  In all facets of my life I have to keep it in mind.  "At all costs do not take your shirt off,  only wear loose fitting clothing and don't talk about it."  I have a complex I think.  I would like to loose this complex.  I then think of people who have worse conditions like facial deformities or other things that are impossible to hide.  I am not that bad off,  why do I have so much fear and hatred about myself.  If everyone understood the wide spectrum of physical and hormonal differences,  people wouldn't even think twice about my less noticable grade of gyn.  I think what actually put me over the edge was when i found out recently that I could get breast cancer.

I am not convinced that pot cannot cause gyne.  To say that pot "causes" gyne is too far reaching.  But I think that if a person starts pot before the pubecesant process is if force then moderate to heavy marijuana use changes the normal development of the person. This development change could be loss of memory, not growing as tall, smaller extremities like hands, feet, penis and hence development of gyne.  Some people who have never smoked pot get gyne and some heavy pot smokers never get gyne but for some people,  I believe that if they never smoked pot they would not have gyne.  There is a spectrum of causality.

Another thing that I think might be funny or just BS to some people is that I played guitar when all through my teens and college.  I always sat while I played and the upper part of the guitar always would "cup" my right breast.  I noticed that sometimes having the guitar there for several hours that I would have a tingling feeling inside my gyne side.  Almost a pleasing feeling.  But all this was while the gyne was still developing and I did not correlate it at the time.  But I think the hundreds of hours of physical guitar stimulation, pot use, and lack of excercise led to the development of the breast on that side of my body. 

I think I understand about why women might feel so strongly abut having breasts and the connection to their femininity and sexuality.  A developing breast actually feels good sometimes.   I have thought about my problem a lot lately and some input on my thoughts would be nice.  Am I in left field?

[headheldhigh01]

normally pt might be physical therapist, so this is a guess, but in context i read that pt/mb as patient left with man boobs.