💗 March 2026 Surgery Roll Call—Join here for support! 💗
If surgery is on your calendar this March—lumpectomy or mastectomy—this is your place. 💗 Consider this your official roll call. Whether you’re calm, overwhelmed, full of questions, or riding every emotion at once, we want you here.
Post. Introduce yourself. Let us know you’re counting down the days.
This thread is more than information—it’s connection. It’s where we share the real stuff: the nerves at 2 a.m., the “what should I pack?” questions, the unexpected moments, and the small wins that feel huge. The more voices we have, the stronger this space becomes.
And if your surgery is already behind you—please jump in. Your experience matters more than you know. The tiny tips. The honest truths. What helped your body heal. What helped your heart steady. Someone reading today may desperately need exactly what you learned.
✨ Ways to join in:
• Share your surgery date so we can cheer you on
• Tell us which procedure you’re having (only what feels right to share)
• Come back after surgery and update us—your story could be someone else’s courage
As you prepare, explore our Shopping / Packing / To-Do List for Surgery & Recovery and visit the Surgery section of our site for practical guidance on:
• Types of breast surgery
• Questions to ask your care team
• Lumpectomy vs. mastectomy decisions
• What surgery day and recovery truly look like
If you’re craving deeper connection, our Virtual Support Groups are open to you—during treatment and long after.
Most importantly: don’t stay quiet. Even a simple “Hi, my surgery is March 18th” is enough to open the door.
You don’t have to do this alone. We’re here before surgery, on the day itself, and through every step of recovery. 💞
—The Mods
Comments
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Hi. I’m booked for mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy and reconstruction with “expander” 3rd March. Very emotional and struggling today. X
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@taffy22 Sending love and good thoughts your way.
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Hi @taffy22
We’re holding you close in thought as you prepare for surgery. Please know you are not alone, and this community is here to surround you with strength and support every step of the way.
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If it’s OK, I’m riding along with the March surgery crew. Bilateral lumpectomies/excision biopsies scheduled for March 24th. I realize it’s no where near what some of you are going through, but it’s been a long process, it’s my first real surgery and I am scared.
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I am scheduled for a lumpectomy 3/16/26. I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma grade 3, stage 1 triple negative .7 cm.
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@taffy22 Checking in on you - how did your surgery go? How are you recovering?
Thinking of you!
—The Mods
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Thanks for checking in. Unfortunately the surgery was cancelled the night before I was due to go in which was unbelievably hard. It’s now been rescheduled for Monday 9th…..
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@taffy22 Oh no! We're so sorry you wasted that anticipation just to be rescheduled. We are sending good thoughts for Monday and please let us know how you do!
Thinking of you!
— The Mods
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for those that have had a mastectomy did you have nipple sparing or not? Is the mastectomy typically a two stage surgery and how are the tissue expanders? Sounds super uncomfortable:(
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@tallen I’m going in for a mastectomy incl nipple removal, and tissue expander option tomorrow….. agree how daunting it all sounds but we will get through this. Stay strong and take care x
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@tallen - Welcome to the surgery thread! We’re really glad you found us, though we’re sorry you have a reason to be here. Please know you’re not alone. As you can already see, many members here are happy to share their experiences and support after mastectomy and reconstruction.
You may find this helpful as you prepare:
Also, when you have a moment, take a look at the first post in this thread (the Moderator's post), as it has some helpful links and tips about surgery and recovery.
We’re here for you!
The Mods
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March 11
I can’t believe I’m back to group but I’m glad that you guys are here. My initial breast cancer was in 2002 treatment was lumpectomy radiation chemotherapy eight years later 2012 it came back in the same breast so I had opted for mastectomy with reconstruction and had an implant. On March 2 I noticed an open area on my breast come to find out the implant has become infected through this open area. On March 11. It wasn’t determined until the surgery happened that another implant could not be placed so now I am with one true breast and flat on the left side. I am steps. I think I’m making up my mind as to go prosthetic so I’ll be looking for some help with what next steps would be on trying to get that thank you all for being here and for the big fight!
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tallen, I had a double mastectomy with skin sparing and removal of the whole nipple area. Brca 2 got me to let the second breast go. The initial scar straight across is crazy. It was so bruised I thought my skin was dead. It wasn't, but wow. I had an expander in the tumor side, then 10 months later i had both removed and implants put in. Within a week i had a hematoma, so the side that never had cancer was the one. The surgery came the same day as my 1-week surgical checkup. Open, remove, put implant back and all was good. EXCEPT, after the drains came out i was NOT wearing a good compression bra and i developed a water pocket behind my breast. Two aspirations later, the great dr said you will get drains if you come back again. I bought another bra and stuffed it with pads. That smushed and made no room for fluid to build up. Fluid could cause and infection.
The tissue expander for me was just odd feeling. Your breasts are you. Expanders are filled with fluid. Cold, like implants. I like to say tough your breast. Feel the warmth. Feel you. Implants are ust that. Implants.
Take it a day at a time. Each day see how you feel. I did not have nearly any of the side effects and such during my treatments. You never know till you walk through it. As❤️ has been said, we understand.
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24Mar I will have bilateral lumpectomies & reconstruction .. lift? no implants.
They found DCIS with IDC so they need to take more so reconstruction to whatever degree. It seems with each diagnostic they find more… so I feel this odd sense of doom like the shoe has yet to drop. I meet with the surgeons and plastic surgeon in a couple of days to hear more detail.
I feel oddly numb to all of it at the moment so that is an improvement.
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Lots of care and wishes to all of you in your recovery journey.
I am not even sure if my 2cents of experience matters here given my diagnosis is pretty new and very early stage. It is hard to imagine, how brave you are.
1st DX: Calcification (2.4cm) in memo followed by VAB in Jan 2026 → DCIS grade 2 on RB TX: Lumpectomy in Feb 2026 but HPE came with Positive Margin & Posterior Focal involvement → Now planned for 2nd Surgery next week to clear margin.
@frustratedandscared I can feel for you. Lumpectomy was my 1st ever Surgery that I had in my 40yrs of life. I am a person who is very afraid of needle and was fortunate enough to avoid Doctors/hospitals until this DX. My biggest fear was if GA will not work and I am awake mid procedure and not able to tell anyone but feel the pain. But, this was just a fear. I am grateful that my surgical team (they are best in their job, they know how to calm a 1st timer) took best care to make the whole experience very comforting and that 2 hours of sleep was the most comforting sleep I ever had. With wonderful pain management, my recovery was smooth. After first 3-5 days, I could already do my work gradually. 2nd week I resumed office work partially. In 3rd week I had some seromas so bit of discomfort but expected to go away on its own.
Hope this experience helps to ease your anxiety a tiny bit.Now looking forward to 2nd surgery to achieve clear margin on 24/03.
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@imhope Thank you for your kind words. At 63, I feel like I should be adult enough not to be so frightened, but I just am. My biggest fear is the surgery itself, followed by the results. At every stage in this long process (5 months from mammogram to now surgical biopsies), I was hopeful that I would finally have concrete answers, but they have been elusive. No matter, then results, my biggest wish is to finally know what is happening in my body.
Best of luck to you with your revision surgery. I hope you have an easy recovery.
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@frustratedandscared Feeling frightened shows we are still alive and we still have feeling (Brain & heart still working good :) ). So, you have every right to feel frightened regardless of age. And, you are so RIGHT to say that biggest fear is "uncertainty". Not knowing is source of fear. One month back I did not know if I will have a final answer or require 2nd excision and right now, I am fearful if I will have a 3rd excision after 2nd.
I must say, you are so brave to cop-up with this uncertainly since last 5 months.I am keeping you in my prayers and really wish that you too have a smooth surgery followed by fastest recovery and it finally answers all unknowns for you. Please Take Care! Sending you hugs!
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I am post op day 3. It went well as far as surgery and hospital care but it's painful. They sent me home in a torture device of a post op bra. I couldn't tolerate it at all. It was a very bad night and I went back to the hospital first thing this morning and made them wrap me back up like a mummy. Better. I'm not sure if it's so painful or just the useless pain meds they gave me. I would have thought something stronger warranted given the surgery I just had (fyi I'm in Europe). Tylenol, ibuprofen and some non opioid analgesic after carving up my entire chest? I'm pissed.
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I hope you got meds. I had a pain blocker that worked 100%. I had Norco and big time Tylenol too. My breast were wrapped mummy like. I had the "Dale bra" which is what COH uses. We are free to buy any others later. I heard from someone else that got little meds. I hope you got them.
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