Hello all and hugs! Im 63. I was diagnosed in August with left breast, stage 2 ,positive neg neg lobular through annual mammo and ABUS, and then stereographic biopsy. I instinctively wanted a bi lateral mastectomy, but my breast surgeon was not interested in this and said it was an "emotional reaction". He performed a lumpectomy 10 days following the biopsy, and the nodes were fortunately clear. But he didnt get all of the margins either. and wanted another surgery. I was not interested in chipping away at the issue and networked through women I new. I was lucky to find a great surgeon who respected my surgical option. Had the bilateral mastectomy 6 weeks ago and (other than not being able to pick up anything over 5 lbs for a few weeks and the nuisance of the drains for a bit) the surgery was not such a big deal! One night in the hospital and I stopped taking the pain meds after 4 days with no issue. I have no plans on reconstructive, will get prosthetics later but even that isnt important. I met with a great oncologist last week, and took my first anastrozole this morning. No chemo, no radiation. I am working with genetic testing. I usually try to follow my instincts when making major decisions, after gaining as much information as possible, and feel this was a right decision for my personality and lifestyle. I dont want the sword of Damocles hanging over me wondering when the cancer will come back, if it will jump to the right breast (20% shot) or worse, metastasis throughout my body. Better for me to nip it in the bud and move on with my life. I am very, very grateful and feel so lucky. Hoping the drug therapy wont have terrible side effects, but frankly having the cancer surgically removed is empowering. Also, my back feels fantastic! I hope this helps anyone wrestling with the decision of having a bilateral mastectomy or not. My surgery was NOT a big deal.