Pectus Carinatum can have a sever impact on the physilogic effect of many children, including myself when I was a child. For people like me, being a self conscious person, the impact of having Pectus Carinatum was life changing. In my case it has made me a better person in personality and physical shape.

As a child the thought of having to take off my shirt in public was dreaded beyond explanation. Pool parties gave me anxiety and people poking at my chest and asking question was more than embarrassing. Covering my Pectus Carinatum became an obsession from early in my childhood and my first thought was surgical correction.

Pectus Carinatum Surgery

There were a few doctors in the country that treated Pectus Carinatum. When I saw a doctor in Atlanta Georgia I learned that my condition was considered purely a cosmetic problem and insurance would not cover it. Surgery was no longer an option. In pure frustration and desperation I turned to the internet to find other people who had fixed their Pectus Carinatum without surgery. Being the mid/late 1990’s the internet was not a valuable source for information on Pectus Carinatum. I had heard that some people covered their Pectus Carinatum by lifting weights. This was the start of a new lifestyle when I enrolled in a weight training class in 10th grade.

Bodybuilding for Pectus Carinatum

From 10th grade in high school until now, and the foreseeable future, I have been what you call a “gym rat”. My obsession to cover my Pectus Carinatum has kept me in the gym consistently for the past 12 years. I have developed an addictive habit that many people dream of having, to work out and be in shape. My childhood nightmare has turned me into a fitness/bodysculpting fanatic. My life has changed for the better because of my so called weakness.

As a child I was stared at, poked, and sometimes made fun of by other kids about my chest deformity. Now, as an adult people ask me for workout advice, they ask me what my motivation is, they ask me to be their personal trainer. My life has been sculpted, metaphorically and literally by my weakness. If I had one piece of advice to other people with ANY cosmetic deformity it would be to let it strengthen you, not destroy you. Your weaknesses can become your strengths, but you have to make a decision if that is going to happen.