Confused about what kind of Anesthesia to use for a lumpectomy?

"General anesthesia" is a lot different than it used to be and can mean a number of different things.  Basically I had a combo of propofol and another agent which left my body very quickly, and did not require morphine at all.  This was for a lumpectomy, axillary node dissection, and insertion of a port.....a lot more than I think you will be having done.

I was just fine the next day to the point of doing a two mile walk.

My focus prior to surgery was making sure I was as strong as possible going in as opposed to specific anti-cancer supplements.

If really just a minor incision, they might use propofol alone, with the experience being similar to a colonoscopy (minus the ghastly prep).  Before you freak about the drug that killed Michael Jackson, remember that he wasn't being properly monitored, and it's not a sleep aid.  It is very useful where only light sedation is required.

I had general anesthesia for my lumpectomy around a year ago. The surgeon didn't really give me a choice, mainly because they were going to be doing a sentinel node biopsy and might have been removing more nodes. I found the anesthesia the worst part of the aftermath of surgery. I hated the feeling of disorientation and not being fully in control when I woke up, but then I wasn't spending the night at the hospital, so there was some added anxiety of being together enough to leave.

For the re-excision to get clear margins, which happened a month later, I just had "twilight sleep," which I liked SO much more. This time when I was awake again, I felt totally normal.

 So bottom line, while I hated GA, I would do what the surgeon recommends. 

FWIW, my mother had GA for her first lumpectomy. She was in recovery for several hours sick ( nauseated ) and disoriented. For her second lumpectomy ( re-incision ) they gave her MAC. She had no problems, recovered right away and came home.

Good luck !