Truman Customer Story Column
It Hurt When I Lay Down
Listening to people who have lived with gynecomastia for a long time, the difficulty is not only where it can be seen.
In the box for what worried them while considering surgery, this patient wrote, instead of a worry, what they had been going through. The sentence began, "It hurt when I lay down," and was followed by the remark that situations requiring them to take off their shirt were embarrassing.
The Fact That There Was PainSometimes it is not the protrusion itself but the pain on pressure that becomes the problem first. When glandular tissue has developed, some feel tenderness lying face down or on their back, or when a collar brushes against it.
So it is hard to treat gynecomastia as a matter of appearance alone. When pain is present, one more item is added to what must be checked at the examination. What needs looking at changes with when the pain began, whether it is one-sided, and what kind of pain it is. Of course, the degree of symptoms differs, and even when the outward size looks similar, the discomfort felt is not the same.
Embarrassment works the same way. Among the people I meet, quite a few have avoided public baths or pools for years. The longer that goes on, the harder it becomes to raise the subject.
How They Felt the Day They Came InAsked how the first visit felt, they wrote: "I came with the anticipation that I was finally here to get rid of it."
Because most people come in tense, this kind of answer is uncommon. The feeling of finally coming to deal with something long postponed. It also means the conclusion had already been reached inside before the door was opened.
Of the surgery, they left thanks for the care they received.
Saying They Will Walk with Their Chest OutFor what would change after surgery, they wrote: "I think I'll walk with my chest out more."
Posture is a habit, but sometimes there is a separate reason the habit formed. Shrinking to conceal rolls the shoulders in, and that posture sets over years. Eventually it can remain as though that were simply your build.
On the Criteria for TimingTo others with the same concern, this person wrote to the effect that if you are going to do it, sooner is better. Coming from someone who postponed a long time, I can guess at the feeling behind it.
But it is their experience, and the criteria for timing differ. In gynecomastia the treatment needed changes with type and degree, and whether surgery is warranted can only be known by examination. It is neither something to rush nor something to postpone indefinitely. The order is confirmation first.
If it is hard to reach a conclusion alone, you can start with the check.
