💗 September 2026 Surgery Support Thread — You’re Not Alone!💗
Having surgery in September—whether it’s a lumpectomy, mastectomy, reconstruction, lymph node surgery, or another procedure? This thread is for you.
This is your place to connect, ask questions, share updates, celebrate milestones, and support others who understand what it’s like to count down to surgery and navigate recovery.
Whether you’re feeling anxious, hopeful, overwhelmed, confident, or a little bit of everything—you’re welcome here. 💞
✨ Introduce Yourself
Tell us a little about your journey:
- Your surgery date
- What procedure you’re having
- Where you are in your journey
- Or simply say, “I’m here!”
Then come back and keep us posted!
This isn’t a one-and-done thread. Check in before surgery, on surgery day, during recovery, or anytime you need support.
💬 Share, Ask & Update
Come back to:
- Share how you’re preparing
- Talk about pre-op nerves
- Ask questions
- Tell us how surgery went
- Share recovery updates
- Celebrate milestones and little wins
- Talk about challenges or tough days
- Share tips that helped you
- Cheer on someone else
No update is too small. Even “Today was a little better” is worth sharing.
💗 Your Experience Can Help Someone Else
Have you already had surgery? Please stay and share what you’ve learned!
Your experience with things like drains, sleeping, lifting restrictions, recovery, reconstruction, pathology, returning to work, or simply managing the emotions of it all could help someone who is just starting out.
Sometimes the most reassuring thing someone can hear is: “I remember feeling exactly like that.”
And if you’re new here, don’t be shy about asking questions. If you’re wondering about it, chances are someone else is too!
🌸 Celebrate Every Milestone
Drains out? First shower? Slept through the night? Took a longer walk? Got good pathology news?
Tell us! 🎉
The little victories count, too.
🤝 Most of All, Join the Conversation
If you’ve been reading without posting, this is your invitation to jump in.
You don’t need the perfect words or all the answers. Just start where you are.
Post an introduction. Ask a question. Share an update. Celebrate a win. Offer encouragement. Come back tomorrow and post again.
The more we share and support one another, the stronger this community becomes. 💗
📌 Helpful Resources
And remember, our Virtual Support Groups are also here for support before surgery, during recovery, and every step in between.
Come as you are. Share what you’re going through. Keep coming back. And let’s get through September together. 💞
— The Mods
Comments
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I AM HAVING SURGURY ON SEPT 1. I AM ASKING ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE 1ST AND 2ND AFTER SURGURY
I AM HAVING A MASTECTOMY
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Welcome, @cissyr! We're so sorry you find yourself here, but you've come to the right place for support. Every person's experience with recovery following a mastectomy is very unique, but we have some wonderful resources linked above that you might find helpful! Particularly the Shopping and Packing for Surgery and Recovery.
Are you having a single or double mastectomy? Will you be having reconstruction done at the same time?
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I AM HAVING SINGLE MASTECTOMY AND I WILL NOT BE HAVING RECONSTRUCTION. I DO REALIZE THAT EVERY ONE IS DIFFERENT I WAS LOOKING FOR INFORMATION AS TO ABOUT HOW LONG AFTER SURGURY THINGS STARTED TO GO BACK TO NORMAL LIFE, WAS THE FRAIN DIFFICULT, THAT SORTY OF THINGS
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Hi again, @cissyr! You may find our Living Without Reconstruction After a Mastectomy forum helpful. Members share lots of experiences about recovery, drains, and getting back to normal life.
The Mods
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Here I am again to post on Sept forum. Booked for mastectomy Sept. 23. Have not really accepted this yet. First being diagnosed with cancer threw me for a loop and then when surgeon said lumpectomy was not possible because the cancer was multifocal that threw me for another loop. I think I would like to have reconstructive surgery but it’s not an option for me at same time as my mastectomy. Not enough availability of plastics here. I will likely have to travel for that and it sounds like multiple and lengthy procedures involved….sigh. I wish I could wake up from this nightmare. Still just trying to put one foot in front of the other. I decided to see what I needed to purchase to be ready so looking at items on Amazon like pillows, cushions, shirts with drain panels and bras. The fact that I have to buy a special bra and get a temporary filler and then later get fitted for a “jelly like” prosthesis….just makes me want to throw up. I guess it does give me something to focus on. When if ever will things get back to normal?
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Hello! I have my bilateral mastectomy surgery scheduled for Sept 14. I got the DCIS diagnosis in July. I have decided to wait until after surgery and healing to step into the reconstruction journey.
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Welcome to our September surgery thread, @ninacon!
You may find the following forums helpful as your prepare for surgery, and while considering possible reconstruction options:
Bilateral Mastectomy and Reconstruction Experiences?
Breast Reconstruction - Community Discussion Forums
Best of luck on your upcoming BMX; please let us know if you have any questions!
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Had my Preadmit appointment today. Also had blood work. Apparently I will be called by Nuclear Medicine to come in for a dye injection for node mapping. This will be done the day before the surgery.
Tomorrow I am doing something for me….getting a pedicure!
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That sounds like the perfect pre-surgery treat, @jaspercat!
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just to let you know I had my pedicure today and it was so relaxing. I am so glad I treated myself to this.
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@jaspercat Yay for some self-care!! Wonderful.
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Hi
Single mastectomy with lymph node biopsy and tissue expander placement for ILC on Sept 25. I have had tremendous anxiety and grief over coming to terms with the fact a lumpectomy won't cut it.... gotta love cancer humor.. and that a total mastectomy is really needed for invasive lobular. Flap needs to wait until after radiation so I'm in for another long haul.
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Welcome to the September club, @tacocat. We're sure you're not alone in these unsettling feelings over which surgical option is right for you - and what it means for you not only physically but mentally. Hang in there, we're in your pocket on the 25th. You've got this!
—The Mods
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Hi all. I posted in the August group but I'm back. I had a bilateral skin sparing mastectomy on 9/1. Recovery is going better than I expected. It isn't as painful as I thought it would be.
Backing up - diagnosed with DCIS in June. My options were lumpectomy, radiation, Tamoxifen, and every 6 month imaging....or bilateral mastectomy. I chose mastectomy and it feels right for me. It appears that I will be able to avoid Tamoxifen which makes me happy. My final pathology came back today. Sentinel node was clear, and cancer had not spread beyond the DCIS found on biopsy. Both breast showed ALH (atypical lobular hyperplasia) and now im extra glad I chose mastectomy because the ALH increases risk of breast cancer.
So....here I am with 2 JP drains and I have to do dressing changes with nitropaste on my skin to improve the odds that there won't be a skin issue. I am decreasing my pain med use. I am taking short walks.
For now, it feels like everything will be ok. My reconstruction plan is a DIEP flap and I can see that adding an abdominal incision to 2 chest incisions is going to be a harder recovery! I will focus on the current recovery though and juat get better.
For my fellow September surgery friends….we got this!
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We're so glad to hear your recovery is going well, @shorttoes!
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@shorttoes So glad to hear you are happy about all your surgical decisions, it's so much information at once. I am having surgery Sept 25, stage 2B ILC, and then will eventually do reconstruction after radiation. A DIEP flap sounds, for me, like the best option but also like a major recovery and i don't know if I want that. Interested to know how you feel. My 2 flap options are Lat and Diep and honestly neither sound great. Sending you well wishes!
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@tacocat I hear you! I also considered going flat. Decided I want reconstruction though. I am surprised that the recovery from the mastectomy is ok. I am scared for the DIEP flap between the vascular work involved and the large abdominal incision...thats a big deal. Need to do more research about the recovery from that. I agree with you....no options are good! Its like a set of cards placed in front of you…which one is the least terrible with the best outcome?
It is day 6 from the BMX. I can move my arms more. I took 3 20 minute walks yesterday. Very slow, but it is good to get outside. I am literally outside in my pajamas and I don't care 😂 Drain output is slowing but still too much (I think criteria is 15 mL or less in 24 hrs for 2 days in a row but I need to look that up - maybe it is 30).
@cissyr I hope you are doing ok!
@jaspercat the Masthead Elizabeth bra is awesome. I was sent home from the hospital in one and they gave me a 2nd one also. The ring holders for the drains have made shirts with inside pockets obsolete for me. I also got a giant u shaped pillow that I love. Currently using it in a recliner. Haven't slept in my bed yet.
@ninacon how are you doing?
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@shorttoes i am doing alright. A week till my DMX. The waiting & anticipation has been hard! Grateful to find a community like this!😊
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@shorttoes oh I'd love some recommendations on bras or pillows, I have no idea how to find the right size of a mastectomy bra! And amazing that you're doing so well!
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@tacocat I had the same issue with bra sizing….I waited to see what size bra I woke up in and then asked the nurses and surgeon to tell me the size so I could order another one….and they offered to get me a 2nd one from the OR for free. So that was nice.
this is the bra the hospital gave me: The rings are nice so you can hook your JP drains to them. But if you have a bra that doesn't have them, safety pins also do the job. I really like this bra. The fabric is soft, front-close velcro, doesn't pinch.
I am sleeping in a recliner still, but using this pillow and also will use it in my bed: I have the wedge part flipped over the back of the recliner (not using it in the chair). It is really nice to have! I decided to get a nice pillow thing since I'll be needing it again when I have the reconstruction surgery.
I have not needed shirts with pockets since I hook the drains to the bra
A seatbelt pillow/cushion is needed for the car.
otherwise, zip up and button shirts are needed since you can't put your arms over your head for a while.
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Post op update. I am cranky! Post op day 9. I am getting one drain out today, the other is still putting out too much fluid. I also have a painful spot in my incision along the bottom. And unfortunately the bra hits it....I think it is more of a nerve pain. In any case, recovery is slow. I am tired. But it IS coming along.
Hope everyone is doing ok!
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I am standing at the bottom of a hill, watching in horror as the boulder picks up speed. I am directly in its path and I cannot move.
I'm having my bilateral mastectomy on 9/11. In 48 hours, they'll be gone. I miss them already. And what's funny is I always wanted them to be different - bigger. I got teased about them in middle and high school. Keith pretended he was a blind man, felt my back and said, "Oh, hi Meaghan," while his friends egged him on. To 13-year-old me, that was about as humiliated as I could get.
In time, I grew to appreciate them. Like them even. They fed my babies for heaven's sake. They were miraculous. And now they're cancerous.
I know I'll be ok. I will still be me. I may even get the breast size the young me dreamed of.
Keith and I ran into each other many years later at a party in college. He asked me out and I told him to get lost. One of the greatest comeback stories in my life up to that point. But in some weird way this reconstruction feels like the Keiths of the world getting the last word. Fuck Keith. Fuck cancer.
4/2024: ADH right breast 7/16/26 diagnosed IDC, DCIS right side, ADH left.
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Hi @mmk21995!
We welcome you to the Community and the September Surgery group. We’re so sorry you’re facing your mastectomy tomorrow, and we can understand why you’re feeling so many emotions about it. Your post beautifully captures the complicated feelings that can come with such a huge change. We’re glad you found us, and we hope you’ll find support and understanding here with us. Good luck tomorrow and please, keep us posted!
The Mods
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Hello! I'm scheduled for a double mastectomy on October 5. I was diagnosed June 30, so part of me wants to hurry up and get it over with and another part of me wants to delay as long as possible. I have lots of support but it still feels so overwhelming. I'll have reconstruction months later. Still haven't decided between implants or DIEP flap, but I have time to figure that out. For now, I'm finding myself perseverating on what I'm going to feel like, both physically and emotionally, after the DMX. I know no one can predict exactly what it'll feel like for me, but I just can't wrap my head around potentially having no feeling in breasts and I worry about my emotional state throughout recovery. I'm especially worried about the last day before surgery and letting go of the body I've always known. I've always struggled with anxiety and depression, so this has just made it infinitely worse. I'm seeing a therapist and taking meds, but I still feel like I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
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@daphne12777 I feel exactly the same. I am at that last day before surgery and am about to take my boobs running for the last time. Dreading leaving behind the only me I know, I am reminding myself to trust the process, I'm back and forth between weeping spells and feeling a deep inner strength. It's so hard to express in words.
But I trust that you and I will still be there after the surgery - and the cancer will not. 💜
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Welcome, @daphne12777 and @mmk21995! We're sorry you find yourselves here, but we're glad you've joined our community and hope you find the support you need!
The Mods
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I posted on another thread before seeing this one. This is the more appropriate place to post my concerns. I was diagnosed with DCIS back in July. My surgery is next week. Going through the pre surgery clearance has hit me hard the last two days. I was cleared by my regular doctor pending a consultation with a cardiologist. Something came back on EKG abnormal so they wouldn’t clear me for surgery until I saw a cardiologist. I sat through all of those tests yesterday and in the end was cleared and I came out of that with a newly diagnosed heart murmur. Up until now I’ve been fine telling myself I’ve got this. No big deal. But the last two days since prepping for surgery I have developed this fear of being put under. Im afraid I won’t wake back up. It has consumed my days and I had to leave work today because I was a mess and couldn’t concentrate. Anyone relate? Any advice? Do I write a goodbye letter to my loved ones before surgery in hopes it never has to be read. Im scared.
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