First off, I'm really surprised at the number of people here are the same age as me. Its comforting to know that guys my age are going through the same thing.
My story is just like others I've read. It all started when I was about 11 or so. It didn't really affect me until I was older but I'll get into that later. I was kind of a stocky, maybe chunky little kid. I had friends in elementary school and I thought life was good. In my circle of friends, I was the funny guy. I could crack jokes and make the guys and girls in my school laugh. Over the years in elementary school, I gotten bigger slowly but also was growing. One time, I remember not being comfortable with my body. I noticed that I had formed small breasts and was getting a little chunky. In school, since we wore uniforms, I wore a sweater almost all the time to help cover the breasts. My parents didn't really know about my condition. I never took off my shirt or even wore a t-shirt alone outside of the house. I was even to the point where I wasn't even comfortable when I was by myself. This is still, to this day, uncomfortable for me. With other things I didn't like about my body like weight, Gynecomastia was the one thing that put a damper on my self confident.
Almost all summers, I would either stay inside the house or if I had summer program I would wear like 3 t-shirts to hide.
When it was time for me to start high school, I grew many inches and had the appearance of a more leaner me. I wasn't skinny but I was a bit stocky. This school once again, had a dress code and wore a looser and layered many shirts. I was still growing but I was also a big eater. In my high school life, I gained almost 70lbs. In my sophomore year, I started wearing this sweater fleece that became my trademark sweater. This covered my now bigger breasts a little bit better. Almost every single day I wore that sweater of course I laughed at it because other kids were making fun. They weren't being malicious but as the "funny guy" I learned really quickly how to "laugh with them." By the time my senior year came, I lost at least 20lbs just by watching the portion size of my food intake. I wasn't in any team sports and was really lazy as a kid, so laziness was a vice for me for years. The breasts I had didn't really change when I lost that weight. I began to wear support garments under my clothes. These weren't real support tank tops but they were tight enough to hide the breasts. I did have some general physical education classes, Of course it required me to change in front of other guys, which I've never done before. I would try to change while people weren't around or be the early one to change before every else. That's what I did for years. I had a couple of friends who knew I had that call "man-boobs" but they saw the matted down breasts. There hasn't been a time where I haven't left the house without the undershirts... Never.
I started college almost four years ago and I still have the breasts. Now that I'm older, I know how to disguise my breast. I have gotten a few inches taller (now I'm 5,11) and I lost a few pounds but I was considered obese by many of the weight calculations online. I didn't look obese, in fact, I was just a bit stocky. Now I know that you don't have to look massive in order to be obese. I a few pounds and was able to even wear skinny jeans. However wearing shirts alone was the hardest thing for me. I lived on campus my freshman year in the big city of Chicago and the weather would usually unpredictable. One day would be a cold day and the next could be nice and sunny. Once those under garments that I in the past was too small, I usually wore jackets. I had many jackets and once I was in class, I never took off my jackets or coats in class. I was studying something in school that requires meeting people and a lot of interaction. I love meeting new people and I didn't let this condition leave in my room and shut myself out from the world. I grew to accept it. The next year or so, I started to gain some weight, of course, from being lazy and not active. I was not able to wear those skinny jeans anymore and I was starting to get more and more self conscience about my weight and my breasts. At that time, it affected my day to day life. I really wasn't active in class and I also didn't make too many friends. In fact I felt like I couldn't be myself because I let this despair of having Gynecomastia affect me.
In my Junior year I started to take my health seriously and being active. I just joined a gym. I watched what I ate and even became a Vegetarian. I lost almost 18lbs since January 2013 and I am still going. I have my weak moments with food but I got back on that horse. Now that Winter is almost coming to a close, I want to live my life as I envisioned it. I wanted to be slim and strong built. Right now I know I have somewhat a little ways to go. However I'm starting to now research about Gynecomastia. I read that it was something that doen't go away on its own and I want to start doing something about it now. I want to keep the weight lost going and see how I feel. I haven't researched or visited a surgeon's office or even spoke to someone about it. My parents have no idea about my issue. However in high school, My dad told me about a consideration of surgery in case I couldn't lose weight. I think he knows about my breasts but I was just a 14 year old boy that thought his dad said he was just fat. I could talk to my dad about everything but I never spoke with him about my breasts.
In rounding out my story, I know that 2013 will be the year of change. I am starting to live my life and becoming independent. I am also preparing to apply for jobs and also graduating from college. I want nothing to hold me back in my life and right now Gynecomastia is my biggest concern. If you are reading this, I want extend to you a hand that we are all in this together. I said to myself on January 1, 2013 that I was going to take charge of my life and everything that is in. I'm ready to take the bull by the horn and hopefully by the end of the year. I would set up what I think will be the first day of the rest of my life. Now its all about the journey, who's with me?
I will be updating consistently and hope to talk with anyone who is willing to chat. If anyone who has gotten the surgery, or contemplating getting the surgery, I would love to hear your story. Even if your not thinking about getting the surgery tell me how you live with Gynecomastia. Thanks for reading and I hope to conversate with ya!
UPDATE:
Its June 18, 2013 and I am feeling much better about my gyno but its still here, but reduced in size. Since the original post, I lost 25 more pounds which makes it a total of 43lbs down since the 1st of the year. I am more confident with myself and will take the next steps of my life. I have spoken to my dad who was so proud of the transformation I'm taking with my weight, and I told him that I am considering a surgery to fix my "problem areas." I haven't told him it was for my gyno but I think he might know and will support it. He even thought I set a date to visit the doctor's office. HAHA. I felt a little more comfortable with talking to him about it and will have that conversation soon. I will update when I do have the conversation and visit the doctor's.
Topic: A 21 year old living with Gynecomastia. Not letting it ruin my life! (Read 5679 times)
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