I'm brand new to this board, and haven't had much of a chance to read through many of the posts. This is my story, which is as yet different from what I read from others.
My story began around 8th grade. I distinctly remember laying in bed late one night and feeling a small lump underneath my left nipple, about the size of a pea. For symmetry's sake, I checked the right one and felt no such lump. I continued to monitor it and noticed it became progressively larger over the next few months. I had absolutely no clue what was going on, as I had never heard of anything like this. Sometime in the next few years, the object increased in size and did what a doctor later called 'locomotion', meaning it transferred from one breast to the other. I'm not entirely sure how this would be possible, but it happened. It was probably my sophomore year in high school before I could no longer conceal it (now in my right breast), and I discussed it with my doctor at a routine checkup. This was the first time I heard the word 'gynecomastia'. My parents, who came to learn about my condition, began calling it a 'nipple rock'. I felt better that it was benign, as my grandmother had died of breast cancer around the same time I had originally developed it (talk about sick irony). The doctor told me then, as many of you have probably heard at some point, that it would 'work itself out' in a matter of months, maybe years. Well, it's been years and it's still there. Approximately five now - I am currently a junior in college, and it's still there. It has remained in my right nipple and is about the size of a golf ball. There's also some fluid that seems trapped around it that fills the breast out. One side it affected, the other breast is not. I'm, for a lack of a better term, lopsided. Obviously, it's quite apparent that something's not quite right. Very few people know about it now.
I have barely gone swimming since the beginning of high school, and if I have my arms have always been crossed - difficult since I am a certified scuba diver. I refuse to take my shirt off in front of anyone - hard when you live on campus, use communal bathroom space, and frequently change in front of others in the theater. Yes, I'm an acting major. I pray that I am never cast in a role that requires me to remove my shirt. I'm studying abroad in Australia in two months, and would give anything to be rid of the blasted thing so I could enjoy it to the fullest, but I've given up on it going away on it's own.
I have on a few occasions attempted to cut myself to get rid of some of the excess fluid surrounding the object, but have never been able to go through with it completely. I know it's not a good idea, but I'm tired of feeling self-conscious and worried about it. Eight years is a long time to carry something, always hoping it will magically go away. I've tried everything from massaging it, applying cold packs, cutting, squeezing, etc. Nothing works, and it the 'rock' causes physical pain if it's bumped/handled too roughly.
Has anyone dealt with this kind of 'nipple rock' thing? Is this included under gynecomastia? I've considered surgery for years, but have always feared that insurance wouldn't cover it. This is the first time I've really done extensive research into the condition.
It's taken a lot for me to simply draft this out, but I take comfort in the sheer numbers on this board. Any discussion would be greatly appreciated.
Topic: My Story - can anyone relate? (Read 6374 times)
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