??? what is this ???

[clear paint]

hey, im sorta freaked i went to get a sports physical and the doc said i had pectus excavatum... is it common?

[MoveAlong]

I think MayoClinic.com can provide you the most information about this -> http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pectus-excavatum/DS01136

Since this isn't related to puberty, but related to health, it will be moved from Puberty for Boys to VT General Hospital.

[ccrunner]

It's where your chest sticks out abnormally don't worry I have the same thing it's mainly cosmetic some cases are not though

[ryjo]

This should help
What causes pectus excavatum?
The cause of pectus excavatum is not well understood. Yet,
researchers believe that the deformity is caused by excessive
growth of the connective tissue (cartilage) that joins the ribs to
the breastbone (also known as the costochondral region), which
causes an inward defect of the sternum.
While the vast majority of pectus excavatum cases are not
associated with any other condition, some disorders may include
the sunken chest feature of pectus excavatum, including:
Marfan syndrome: A connective tissue disorder, which causes
skeletal defects typically recognized by long limbs and ‘spider-like’
fingers, chest abnormalities, curvature of the spine and certain
facial features including a highly arched palate, and crowded teeth.
Rickets: A deficiency disease occurring primarily in children,
Rickets results from a lack of vitamin D or calcium and from
insufficient exposure to sunlight, which disturbs normal bone
growth.
Scoliosis: A curvature of the spine.
What are the symptoms of pectus excavatum?
Most patients do not have symptoms, though a minority of
patients may have the following symptoms:
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Fast heart rate (tachycardia)
Who is affected by pectus excavatum?
Pectus excavatum is a fairly common congenital deformity that
accounts for approximately 90 percent of congenital wall
deformities. Approximately 40 percent of pectus excavatum
patients have one or more family members with the same defect.
Pectus excavatum occurs more often in men than women,
appearing in 1 per every 300 to 400 white male births.

I got this from my.cleavlandclinic.cim

[clear paint]

ccrunner= pm me i want to ask you about your pectus if thats ok with you

[SamB]

I have this too mine is where my chest dips in :( i hate it

[clear paint]

how do you deal with it at teh pool?

[SamB]

I don't ever go swimming :/

[ghostbom]

I don't have your condition but I do have slight...man boobs :( anyway... I'm currently hitting the gym up and some times I go swimming, if I'm feeling confident in any way I might swim without a shirt, but then other times I will swim with a rashy on, may I suggest that?