sup my name is Tyler and im 14 going on 15. I have been working out for a while going through diffent workouts over the year or so. I was wondering weather me having this (although mine is not as deeply severe as others on the internet) would effect my body-building in any way . And I was wondering is having this make my ribs grow slightly outwards other than down than normal ribs would do ?? P.S I don't agree with this surgery thing as its radicly unnecsary, uncomfortable and I think that over the years im going to have tom live with it :/

Your program helps countless people in ways too numerous to relate.I feel it should be brought out that male or female, with hollow or pigeon chest,pectus excavatum or carinatum,even though rare could have Marfans Syndrome or related disorders,briefly initially/very long fingers,full span finger tip to finger tip measures greater than height/flat feet/joints lax,hyper-mobile/curvature of spine/height,tall to very tall,then eyes and heart must be checked.Why mention this when in most people they have no serious problem to start with.Because despite certain doctors working very hard to educate health-care professionals,people of all ages in the UK are not being diagnosed or they are dying prematurely from Marfans Syndrome,if lives can be saved by awareness,then much has been accomplished.

Thank you "Embarrassing Bodies". From a very young age my son asked why his chest dipped in unlike his brothers, he called it his "Ditch". "Everybody's different" we told him..."that is just the shape you are". By age 10 he was extremely self conscious and the ditch was becoming more pronounced. He was now employing tactics and behaviours to stay covered up and avoid showing his chest. My wife watched an episode of EB and realised he had Pectus Excavatum. I researched the condition and options available on the internet, followed by a visit to our GP. The first referral was a waste of time, the consultant did not seem aware of the corrective methods available. I persevered and accessed a data base of UK specialists narrowing down to consultants practicing the Nuss method (seems far less invasive than Ravitch)). Back to the GP armed with a name got me a referral to the right person at a west midlands hospital. Happily for us the whole process took only a few months. The operation to fit the Nuss Bar should not be underestimated....5 days hospital recovery and extreme discomfort....3 weeks home recovery and very uncomfortable....3 months before any physical exercises or sports. He coped with operation and recovery really well. The effect is immediate and his bar will stay in for 2-3 years. Four months on and we now have an 11 year old who is back playing sports, brimming with confidence and happy to show his new chest. There is no doubt in my mind of the positive educational effect of EB. In our case this enabled the identification and correction of a condition that was showing all the signs of adversely effecting our son's lifestyle into adulthood. EB - you have our most sincere thanks.

I have found that living with funnel chest for years it doesnt really bother me. I've never had any discomfort at all. I dont get bullied at all, I've found people at my school find it quite cool, my friends call me ditchy or Kellogs because it looks like a bowl. i thought i'de post a comment to show you it's not all that bad having funnel chest, you really need to just embrace it.

I have read about the Nuss procedure, but it sounds very painful, however it might be worth it to get rid of this horrible funnel chest i have. I don't know what to do for the best! Im not happy with the way i am but also dont want to go through hell to correct the problem. I do work out as well which i wouldnt be able to do for a long time after and therefore lose muscle that i have. God its a hard decision

I am a 57 year old male and have lived with a "hole in my chest and sticky out ribs" since childhood. Although I have got used to it over the years, I have always been self concious and uncomfortable about exposing my chest in public(more so as a teenager than now). It has never given me any pain, only embarrassment, and I am reasonably fit and healthy otherwise (touch wood!). While my wife has always accepted the condition, prior to getting married I did feel less confident in relationships with women and whether or not it would be a big turn off. I did consult my GP in my late teens but was not referred to a specialist and got the impression that any corrective surgery would be fairly radical. I suppose at that point I reluctantly decided to accept my lot, but I have always wondered if that was the right decision. Until the "Embarrassing Bodies" programme I have never seen anyone else with this condition, nor even knew that it had a name - now I know that I am not alone and this gives me some comfort. I will now do some research on the Ravitch and Nuss techniques and evaluate the pros and cons of treatment options, however at my stage in life I will probably settle for the status quo. Thanks to "Embarrassing Bodies" for the enlightenment.

my friend has this condition, he is very upset about it as he is bullied because of it. i tell him its not that bad because i have seen worse. is there anything you think i can do to make him feel more confident?

hey hey I had pectus carinatum and my sternum was the sticky out kind. i initially went to my school nurse with chest pains and she noticed the sternum was different than usual. i was refered to the local hospital for xrays etc and my condition was diagnosed. just like the guy on the program i was advised at the time that it would be better to wait till after puberty. later on in life my chest pains worsened and yes even after living with it for the years i was exceptionally paranoid. I spoke to my Dr and she refered me but the referal wasnt that great and i was basically told to leave it as is as i was well into adult life. when i returned to my Dr she noticed how distressed i was and said that i obviously wasnt happy and refered me somewhere lese with instructions to make my case better and be more confident with the consultants. I eventually met this great Dr who spoke to me at length about my condition and we decided that whilst only really a cosmetic difference he would still perform the operation. the operation is HUGE and you WILL be left with a rather large scar the operation is a big decision and doesnt have a large success rate in reducing pain related to this condition and is mostly considered a cosmetic difference. after the recovery in the hospital and the excruciating pain i was under the joy i had of having a flat chest was overwhelming. i still have pain every now and again and my fitness level took a dip due to the stress of the operation and the nature of it but beng able to finally lay on my front and having a flat chest really makes me happier. i cannot stress enough however the pain of the operation and the scar that i have. BEFORE any of you guys consider the operation you should visit your GP and discuss it. you should also make a point of visiting a consultant (ask to be refered if the Dr doesnt mention it) and also if you can speak with the surgeon to discuss the actual operation. if you can go through all of that then still reconsider.

Hi im jamie and im 18 yrs old, ive got funnel chest to (pectus excavatum) - Just wondering is there any kind of excercise that could help enhance my chest or what would i need to do to sort it out? i;m going on holiday in the summer too and have already been to many beaches but have been scared to take my top off, what can i do shall i go and see a doctor? Please help, Thanks!

I am 26 female, I have had a sunken chest from probably my early teens and 2 ribs stick out underneath. I thought i was just weird, you cant help but look at other people to check if it is normal or not. Doctors never seem to comment on it. I've learnt to live with it, ive had to, i thought i was the only one! glad im not!