Alright, so I'm going to go ahead and tell the intranetz: I'm having a hysterectomy and an oophorectomy on January 11, 2008.

What does this mean? For one, it means no more monthly cycles (yay!) on the other hand, it means the big "M" - menopause (boo!)

In the meantime (between now and January 11th) should I worry? Can I spend extra time wondering 'what if'? Do I have the strength and emotional fortitude to afford to make myself miserable? No, not really.

Then again, I've had awhile to get used to this... but, it doesn't make it any easier, though, nor does it mean I have the ability to spontaneously "not freak out". It's on my mind pretty much constantly...

Today I gave a friend (who's dealing with her own female-related problems PLUS a lot of other people who aren't always very understanding) some advice:

"I won’t tell you not to freak out, in fact I’ll tell you that its perfectly normal, expected and OK for you TO freak out. Freaking out does relive a little bit of stress, right? So, it can’t be all that bad."

Now, if only I could take my own advice...