Breast Surgery; any advice to prepare for surgery?

Don't understand your biopsy results, but as for preparing for surgery be in good health and be prayerful. My surgeon at Mayo held me and prayed for me before surgery. It really put me in a peaceful place. A grade one tumor is the least cancerous and usually slow growing. That's good. I'm assuming the tumor is large since you are on anastrozole?? Did they biopsy your lymph nodes? Will they do an Oncotype dx test? Wishing you an easy recovery.

Thanks for your response. I was not familiar with Oncotype DX so looked it up.

For others reading, this is definition I found:
The Oncotype DX is used in two ways: to help doctors figure out a woman's risk of early-stage, estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer coming back (recurrence), as well as how likely she is to benefit from chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery.

My interpretation of what I read is that is uses ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67 measures. I have had all those done.

They will be using a modified PEPI score at surgery time to determine need for chemo. Here is definition of PEPI I found:
The PEPI tool predicts the risk of breast cancer coming back in women who got hormonal therapy before surgery by looking at four breast cancer characteristics:
tumor size
whether cancer cells are in nearby lymph nodes
hormone receptor status of the cancer
Ki67 blood levels (Ki67 levels are linked to a cancer's tendency to grow and spread; doctors call Ki67 a tumor cell proliferation marker)

So many terms and acronyms to keep track of !

My advice (after two lumpectomies, several biopsies and finally a bi lateral mastectomy) is research on what is involved with the procedure, what medications are used during and after surgery for pain management and talking with your oncologist, surgeon and primary care physician about what medications, supplements and vitamins you should be using and not using to avoid any complications and make your body strong for the procedure. Some doctors are good about taking a 'whole body' approach to care and some assume I think that you just know..where as most of us don't know what might cause a problem and what might help. Now is a great time to get as much information as possible and several opinions on pre and post care. Also, make sure your doctors understand your pain tolerance and if it's low, make sure you talk with your doctors before your procedure to make sure you will have adequate pain management. I was lucky, I have a high pain tolerance and also most breast surgeries are pretty complication free and managed well. I'd like to give you advice on the 'worry' aspect of breast cancer but unfortunately I'm a world class worrier, so my advice on how to manage that is very limited. I try to know as much as possible about what is happening and my options to lessen the worry and avoid unpleasant, last minute surprises. You are not alone. This community have breast cancer patients and survivors of all stages and types. It's a great resource for sharing and information.

Most important to follow before surgery, is to keep your nutrition level at its best. A strong immune system helps your body to get thru everything. I had no pain with my mastectomy, it usually is very little pain or discomfort. Your test results sound good, and if the lump has already got smaller, that's very good news, means the hormone pill is working. I was mostly weak and tired after this surgery, and that is expected, it will take a few weeks to recover fully. Have good caregivers to support you an help you. Important to eat , take vitamins and not worry. Sounds like you will be fine and get thru this easily. Later talk to your doctor, regarding taking a bone scan. Be positive, pray and trust in your God. You will be OK .

Be as active as you can before surgery - whether it is walking or yoga or a fitness class. That really helped me. Also work on range of motion in your shoulders because you may not feel like moving that area around after surgery. I was fortunate that I had full ROM as soon as I was released from the hospital. Best wishes!

Here is the list of things I felt I needed to do, buy and schedule before my surgery:

WHEN YOU FINALLY SCHEDULE THE SURGERY:
Be sure you have satisfied yourself that you have asked all the questions you need answers to from your doctors, and that you fully understand what medications you will be on, what they will be doing to you and that your transportation and after-care help is ready and waiting for you.

A FEW WEEKS BEFORE SURGERY:
1. I sat down and paid in advance any upcoming household bills.

2. I cleaned my house very thoroughly as I knew family would be stopping by and I wouldn't be able to do it for weeks afterwards.
(Hire a service to do this if you are not up to it.)

3. Schedule your personal must-do's so that they are out of the way before surgery like: getting the car washed and gassed, get your teeth cleaned if it is time, get your hair dye done and your manicure done and out of the way.

4. Do all the possible laundry you can - blankets, sheets, towels, pajamas - anything you might need over the next few weeks.

CONSIDER YOUR SLEEPING COMFORT POST SURGERY:
4. I bought a wide wedge pillow from Amazon. It was described as follows: "Acid Reflux Wedge Pillow (32"x30"x7") with Memory Foam Overlay and Removable Microfiber Cover "BIG" by Medslant."

5. I bought a pack of 2 king-sized 'Beautyrest Black' pillows from Costco which are extremely soft, plush and malleable.

Note: This combo of pillows was arranged as follows: Put the wide wedge pillow down first, then lay the 2 king-size pillows side-by-side vertically, that is: one on the left and one on the right, pushed together. This placement allowed me to sleep on my back with my head elevated slightly, and gave important support to my lower back, neck, shoulders and arms. It is important to have the shoulders and arms level or above your chest if you have any lymph node dissection, which I did. This pillow combo is very comfortable, helps with fluid drainage, and reduces the need or impulse to turn or lay on one's side.

6. Set aside a very loose, comfortable pair of pajamas and a few loose shirts and yoga pants to wear while recovering.

FOOD PREP A FEW DAYS BEFORE SURGERY:
7. I bought jello, popsicles, really good probiotics, extra toilet paper & paper towels, magnesium tablets (to help with muscle pain and preventing constipation while using pain pills) breads, and other necessary groceries.

8. I made up a big volume of homemade bone broth vegetable soup. Enough to last for 2 weeks of lunch.

9. I washed and cut up a large amount of fresh fruit with OJ poured over it to make a delicious compote that I put in 4 containers in the fridge for ease of use.

10. I made a good sized roast beef in the crockpot and once cooked, I sliced it thin and put it and its gravy into several containers to have for dinner or sandwiches over the first weeks of recovery.

THE NIGHT BEFORE:

11. The night before surgery, I put clean sheets and pillowcases on my bed and clean towels in the bath.

12. I showered, took a few snapshots of my old breasts before they disappeared, prayed, spoke with my family and thanked them for their support and went to bed early.
...........................................
Good luck to you.

Thanks for your great suggestions.

Great suggestions. I did many of these same things prior to surgery and (oddly) the four weeks I took off from work and housework, etc. during my recovery were some of the best weeks I'd had in years. (ha ha).
I would also suggest pre-surgery that you gather up clothes that have a button or zip front. You won't be able to comfortably lift your arms so you need clothes that open in the front and loose pants that you don't have to struggle to get in to (like yoga or sweat pants). AND, if you're planning reconstruction or not..........I went and pre-shopped my 'foobs' (fake boobs) a little and got a camisole for post surgery that held the drains nicely and comfortably. If it's too expensive they do sell donated/used ones at most stores that cater to mastectomy patients. Post surgery I donated mine and it looked brand new.
Here's one thing to do as well. You will have dressings for a short time on your incisions. Get some of the wide tape the doctors use. DON'T DO WHAT I DID and use the over the counter sticky tape to hold the bandages and end up a gooey mess. My doctor actually spent one of my follow up visits 'cleaning me up'. I had black, sticky goo everywhere I used the tape. My doctor was a kind woman but it was still embarrassing. (sigh). Hugs to you..........

My surgery is August 29th at Mayo and I wish I could reach out and give you 50 hugs for all your terrific suggestions! Thank you so very much!

USEFUL TAPE INFO:
The kind of tape you should look for is 3M Micropore tape. There is another 3M tape that is clear and leaves the sticky mess. It is called Transpore tape. It works very well for many things, but will leave a residue. (Residue can be removed with coconut oil, jojoba oil, 409, etc.) So search for 3M MICROPORE tape to avoid the residue.
Both tapes comes in different widths. I luckily had several widths of each in my first aid stash at home.
After surgery, I used some tape to help secure my drainage tubes to my skin so that if I accidently got a tube yanked while dressing or bathing, it would prevent it from yanking out of the opening further.
ALSO:
I found that my reconstructed breasts with implants were heavy and would try to fall to the sides when I laid down to rest and it would hurt quite a bit. Also, the same thing when I had to lean forward for any reason, they would hurt in the cleavage area. Doctor said it was normal and just stitch pulling sensations. It was bad enough that I could not recline or sit up from a recline or sleeping position without needing a hand under my back from someone else - otherwise strong stabby pains, which were relieved when I grasped my breasts and lifted them up and brought them to the center position. After 4 days of stabby pains it occured to me that I could utilize my tape to help me with this. I taped on the sides of my breasts to push them slightly into the central position and under the breasts to push them upwards a bit - sort of like a push up bra. What a difference! It stopped the stabby pains and I could sit, lay, recline without help after that. The tape is not bothered by showering or anything else and can be left on until you want to remove it. I left that on for 5 days and I was able to completely go off the pain pills with the tape support. After the 5 days of taping, I was able to go back to wearing a supporting bra that worked doing the same thing (mostly).
Now, at the 3 week mark, I find that I need to do the tape again to help push the breasts up and center as my old bras just don't fit right and hurt when I wear them. The tape works especially well for sleeping when you do not want a tight bra on. I probably need to go out and buy some new bras to better fit my new breasts, but meanwhile I am grateful for the benefits of the tape!