I'm writing this on the eve of my second surgery for breast cancer. Tomorrow I will rise at 5:30 a.m. to shower and prepare for my trip to the hospital. When I went through this two months ago, I would have never imagined that 8 weeks later, I'd be doing the same thing again! Well, it won't be exactly the same. I am having a "re-excision " surgery where more breast tissue will be taken out. I had clean margins the first time, but the margins were too slim, leaving me with a higher risk of recurrence. This time, I told the surgeon to take as much as he wanted and I don't care what it looks like! I know that he probably hears this a lot from women. I read that a common response upon first being diagnosed with breast cancer is, "Just cut it off!" And I was no exception. The thing is, when it gets down to it and you are faced with the actual surgery, mastectomy is pretty darn scary. I think it's an easier decision if you have a large tumor or if the cancer has already spread. You're willing to do whatever.