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Im almost 16 and i have lived with funnel chest, it has ...

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Guest
Guest

Im almost 16 and i have lived with funnel chest, it has restircited my life in many ways, i have been to embarresed to go swimming and take my top off in any situation such as going on holiday to the beach. at the moment i have been going to the gym and developing muscle which has helped in my self confidence and i have learned to accept my deformaty, i have also been lucky that at school the bullying has been rare and petty. my father and a couple of my uncles also have funnel chest, which has been passed down to me, but my younger brother has been lucky to by-pass it. ive heard about the possibilities of surgery and have talked to my gp about it, but beacuse it dosnt restrict my health and is only cosmetic, they are doing nothing about it. if i was to be able to get surgery on my chest, it would be life changing and i get excited just imagining having a normal chest. thanks for reading, Joe farley

[i:45a59c8ff7]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:45a59c8ff7]

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hello joe im 32 and i also have a funnel cheast, your comment brought back some memorys like not taking my top off going on holiday to the beach and wearing coats in summer to hide my shape. At the time i did not know it was a funnel cheast or that you could have surgery, it just didnt look wright. id stick with the gym if i was you, as time goes by you will be less embarresed of your cheast. david

    [i:f98a333ab9]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:f98a333ab9]

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Having been bothered about this condition for many years i sought surgery which was carried out in 2003. The results were excellent initially but as the skeleton settles upto 12months later the depression again became prominent, not as bad as before but certainly still there. My recomendation is, dont have the surgery, unless your condition is really severe (mine was average) it's really not worth the trauma, severe pain and 3months of virtually being house bound!..

    [i:98de859171]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:98de859171]

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Joe

    I am 40 years old and having a funnel chest which effected my confidence greatly (especially with girls). I still have some issues with this body shape. To me, it soons like you are a confidence young man and have the support of your family. Persist with going to the gym (something I could never of done at your age) to improve but do not not completely this count a medial procedure. Best of luck. Pete

    [i:0a6188cf31]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:0a6188cf31]

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I'm 16 years old and i have a funnel chest, i didnt realise how common the deformaty was until i read that 1 in 400 people had it. I also attend the gym and in the last year ive put nearly a stone in muscle on. None of my friends know about my chest and when they talk about going on holiday as a group i feel awkward as I know on holiday I can't take my t'shirt off. My chest has a serverity 5 out of 10, so I was recently offered an operation to fix the problem, the operation involves removing cartalage attatched to my sternum, cutting my sternum into a better size and reattaching the cartalage to my sternum. The operation lasts 1-2 hours and i'll be out of hospital after 4 days. If it wasn't for my fear of being on the operating table i'd jump at the chance. Has anyone got msn or AOL etc ? thanks tom
  • Sean07
    Sean07

    Posted

    I am 19 years old and have been aware of my condition for a while, i believe i have a pigeon chest. At first the chest defect was hardly visable but as i have left it, the bigger my chest is getting and am seeking out surgery or at least an appointment. I am becoming very self concious, taking my shirt off is difficuilt, trying the gym has helped cover up the problem a little.

    I am willing to go through the surgery however hard it may be, because i believe it will truly make my life better.

    I live in the UK, if anyone has websites, email addresses in which would help me set up an appointment for the treatment, your help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

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