I'm waiting to have some more images taken of the lymph nodes around 9:30am, after which I'll go back over to the Ambulatory Surgery Center and have thin wires inserted on either side of the tumor "boundaries," after which I'll (eventually) go night-night and have surgery.
Surgery should take around 3 hours. They'll go into the breast and cut out the tumor with a margin of healthy tissue around it. They'll also remove a number of lymph nodes under my arm -- how many will depend on how many "stain" positive, but Dr. Wilke is anticipating removing several. During surgery I'll be unconscious but not intubated (no breathing tube). I'll be in recovery for another hour or so, and then will spend tonight at the hospital. If all goes well, Dr. Wilke will check in on me early tomorrow morning, and they'll send me home. I'll come out with a drainage tube to remove fluid from the lymph area, which will have to be removed in 10ish days. I'll have some physical therapy to do in order to reduce my risk of developing lymphedema (swelling of the arm because of the removal of the lymph nodes), but should be able to return to a fairly normal routine in a couple of weeks (no bull-riding for awhile).
The pathologists will test the "margins" around the tumor to make sure that they are clear -- that there isn't any cancer that could still be lurking in the breast tissue. If all comes back clean, I'm all good. If there's a bit of cancer somewhere, they'll have to go back in and remove it. But I'm sure that won't happen!
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, emails, phone calls, text messages, and goody baskets. More when it's over!