Everyone's journey is very individual. I know that sounds like some cliché, but it's true. Even people that have very similar cancers and size of lumps can have very different treatment plans and ops. Their lumps will be shaped differently from yours, affecting different tissues/structures etc etc so I would listen to your doctors and deal with your own set of circumstances without adding the woes of others onto an already dizzy turn of events.  My wife read numerous stories about her chemo. Some bad, some good. She's been absolutely fine on the chemo.

Medical conditions change all the time (whether it be via treatment or whatever), so the advice you are given at the beginning may change in the near future.  So be prepared for that. Change sometimes happens as they find out more about your particular circumstances. for example, once they are in rooting around, your lump might even be smaller yet and as such your treatment will change.

I do hope this makes some sort of sense.

Yes, thanks. Things will probably feel very different after the op and when more is known about what we are dealing with.