Some Answers – More Questions: My Breast Cancer Surgery Options

Today I sat down with my surgeon and learned about my breast cancer surgery options—lumpectomy, mastectomy, or double mastectomy. Each path comes with pros, cons, and a whole lot of emotions. Writing it out helped me process, and maybe it can help someone else who’s facing the same choices.

Breast cancer surgery options aren’t just medical—they’re emotional, logistical, and deeply personal. Today’s appointment was with the surgeon and, yes, another audience for my boobs. At this point, I’m half-tempted to start an OnlyFans—if my chest is going to be the star, shouldn’t I at least get royalties? Jokes aside, humor is how I cope. The surgeon was wonderful and met with me (and the “Wonder Twins”) to lay out the plan.

Here’s the clarity: I do have breast cancer surgery options. Here’s the uncertainty: while they think I’m stage 1, they won’t know for sure until the tumor (and some lymph nodes) are removed and analyzed. So I left with some answers—and still more questions, and as Tom Petty says, “The waiting is the hardest part.” But wait I must and while I do, I ponder my breast cancer surgery options over and over gain.

Choices, Choices, and More Choices

1) Lumpectomy

Removes the tumor plus a small margin. Recovery is typically shorter, which is appealing. But if the margins aren’t clear, it could mean a second surgery. It also means annual mammograms and that background worry: did we really get it all? This was the choice most everybody I spoke with (not medical people) were leaning toward. Not that they had any say in my breast cancer surgery options, but I was open to the thoughts of other people.

2) Single Mastectomy

Removes the breast with cancer. It’s a bigger surgery and recovery than a lumpectomy. You still monitor the other breast closely with yearly imaging—and live with the “what if?” on the other side. This was almost automatically a no for me. If I was going to get pieces and parts cut off, I wanted to go all in. Thinking about this option reminded me of when I was pregnant. My biggest fear was that I’d deliver Twin A vaginally, and Twin B was going to be a c-section. I still thank God every single day because that didn’t happen. Plus, I kind of afraid of reconstruction. What if I ended up lopsided? Yeah, that’s pure vanity, and I admit it.

3) Double Mastectomy

The most aggressive option—removing both breasts. It doesn’t guarantee cancer won’t return elsewhere, but it does reduce risk and can offer peace of mind. The trade-off is a longer surgery and recovery. This is what I’m leaning toward, but it’s surgery. It’s major freaking surgery, and anything can go wrong, and with the luck I have, anything and everything WOULD go wrong. Obviously my thinking positive isn’t too strong right now.

If you’re weighing your own breast cancer surgery options, know there’s no one “right” choice—only the right choice for you.

Reconstruction: A Whole New Decision Tree

On top of surgery, there’s reconstruction. Do I rebuild—and how?

Silicone implants: Common, typically shorter recovery, but involves placing foreign material.
Autologous (DIEP flap) reconstruction: Uses tissue from the abdomen to create new breasts. Longer, harder recovery—but the idea of rebuilding myself from my own body feels more natural to me.

Each path comes with risks and rewards. For me, if I’m a medical candidate, autologous reconstruction feels right. I’d rather be remade with pieces and parts of me if that makes any sense at all.

What’s Next?

I’m meeting with a plastic surgeon to see if I qualify for abdominal-tissue reconstruction. If yes, I’m leaning toward a double mastectomy with reconstruction—not for perkiness (though hey, silver linings), but for the mental relief of doing everything I reasonably can.

Chemo or radiation may still be part of the story; those decisions usually come after pathology results. So for now? It’s a lot of waiting—my least favorite hobby.

The Emotional Math No One Warned Me About

Beyond statistics and scans, this is about identity and wholeness. How do you grieve a part of your body and still feel like yourself? How do you balance expert advice with gut instinct? How do you choose when every option has trade-offs?

If you’re walking this road too, you’re not alone. My ongoing posts live here:
Breast Cancer Diaries.

Resources That Helped Me

Final Thoughts

Writing this helps me remember: these breast cancer surgery options aren’t only about surviving; they’re about living—choosing the path that offers the most peace, hope, and time with my people. I don’t have all the answers yet, but I do know this: I’m stronger than I thought, braver than I feel, and apparently funnier than I expected in the middle of a storm. And yes—here’s your partridge in a pear tree 🕊️🍐🎶. Humor stays, even now.

Some Answers – More Questions: My Breast Cancer Surgery Options- BCD Entry 13