‘MY
BREAST MOMENTS’Something that has being praying on my mind for some time is the matter of men growing breasts or boobs, like our women, as a result of treatment. This occurrence didn’t really shock me, as all my life I have known that everything nice or sweet on this earth has a price. It struck me again, as I listened to the Godfather of HIV therapy Professor Brian Gazzard speak at a recent British HIV association. The success of modern HIV medicines has its price too and these breasts are part of that. To many people, this will come as a surprise and a total shock, but it’s real. Some women may think we are growing breasts because they are looking after and cooking for us too well, yet it’s something else.
I did a bit of research about these breasts in men and made some interesting discoveries. They grow bigger when excited, when touched or kissed before or during sex, and that our hormones become female-like after a period of time on effective treatments. Also, they are more pronounced or visible in a sitting position, especially in rugby shirts, after the tummy is compressed between the belly button and chest. Sometimes things happen quite fast in the bedroom and by the time you realise, it’s too late; so it’s advisable to tell partners beforehand that you fear your breasts are enlarging.
Though worrying, this should not scare or discourage us from continuing treatments, as side effects vary from one person to another. Some men’s chests just look like schoolboys’ while other men become too shy to undress before women, especially those with ‘broadband connections’ (more than one sexual partner). Clearly this involves them explaining the breasts over and over again.
I phoned one of the local support services to find out if we could get access
to bras in the same way people with leg problems are issued with compression
socks. The answer was an emphatic ‘no’. There was no such provision.
I tried to argue my case that if we men continue to grow big breasts then it’s
also a disability and, as such, we need support. The support I had in mind
was money to buy bras, if the worst came to the worst. After all, quality men’s
underpants are very expensive. We men would be quickly out of pocket if we
were forking out for both underpants and bras. Still the officer wasn’t
convinced. He burst out laughing and said it would never happen. But, my
dear readers, this problem is real and we need to tackle it and support each
other
in these trying times. You can always discuss this problem with your doctor
and I am aware that there are options, including exercise, to reduce or slow
the growth of breasts.
After all we have already gone through with HIV therapy in terms of coping with diagnosis and stabilizing on treatment. I am sure most, like me, would love to hear those sweet words: ‘all clear’ advertised on TV by Cancer Research, but with HIV we are still being told ‘do this’ and ‘don’t do that’. I just pray a cure comes soon because I won’t manage to wear a bra. Recently, I tried my partner’s bra size 34B while she was in the kitchen and I had to scream to get her to unhook it as my chest felt squeezed and I could not breathe easily. Not even an inhaler could help.
So please brothers, if you face such problems, do not hesitate to contact me for support or visit my website.
