Half-story, half-request-for-advice

[theskald]

Ever since I was twelve (I'm now 17), my chest appeared to me to be that of a girl.  I was ashamed to go swimming and I haven't since, and I always wore two shirts.  at 14, I was sick of it and started an excersize program, and being the fortunate, spoiled suburbian boy I am my parents found me a personal trainer.  I'd always been pretty flabby, and thanks to my trainer I dropped into the lower section of the average weight range for my height and age.  My legs, butt, and stomach lost pounds of fat and my face changed so much my old friends didn't recognize me, but I was convinced I was doing a poor job because my chest only seemed to get fattier.  Ultimately, I was so ashamed that I resorted to using duct tape to conceal it, and I was finally able to hide it, all while killing the rest of my body by pushing it too far when I worked out.  Both of my parents are doctors: my mom is a pediatrician and my father an OBGYN that also specializes in liposuction.  However, I was too afraid to let them see my problem until recently, and after checking my father found that I definitely have breast tissue accumulated in there, so I just learned that all these years I've had something I can't get rid of by excersizing and dieting.  He's offered to remove the tissue surgically, but I'm not sure yet.  Apparently if a physician checks my testes and finds that I've completed puberty, I can get the procedure done before I turn 18.  On one hand, I've got to be the luckiest guy with gynecomastia around, but on the other, I'm not sure I feel safe doing this.  Looking through the main site, I found Webster's guide on gynecomastia and I'd like to avoid scarring, but I'm terrified to even think of going through life with man-boobs ('scuse the colloquialism).  I have a girlfriend that I'm very close to, someone that started as a friend from age eight, and I'm afraid to get near her at times because of this.  I think I'll go through with it, though, and hope for the best.

That's my story, had to get it out, and it's strange how comforting it is to know that there are plenty of others like me (as cliched as that sounds).  I'm glad to have found this place, I'm glad to know I don't have to live with it.

[Badgene]

Lucky...



Good luck

[Pferdestärken]

You sure are the luckiest gyne sufferer! You certainly couldn't be in safer hands. I can't imagine your father would even suggest surgery unless it was 100% safe.

[theskald]

You sure are the luckiest gyne sufferer! You certainly couldn't be in safer hands. I can't imagine your father would even suggest surgery unless it was 100% safe.

Huh, that's a good point.  Yes, I am very, very lucky with physical things (I survived a car crash that should have been fatal with nothing more than a bruised femur, for example), and I'm lucky to be in the family I'm in.  I was taken aback when I learned this doesn't go away on it's own, and it's really vexing to me that so many people have to live with it.  If there's a God, it's got a pretty sadistic sense of humor, this is just one of those things...

[ASRel]

Nice to have you on the board.

I agree with most people, go for the surgery. I'm sure it'll cost you next to nothing considering your fathers profession.  

My surgery is booked on August 24th, I'm a Canadian, so us Canadian folk are a little lucky in the sense that everything except the lypo of the fat is covered. There may be some minor scarring, but I see it as a small price to pay if it positively changes your life.