Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi issued an emotional warning about cervical cancer while revealing her own recent health scare.
“I’m scared and freaking out,” Polizzi, 38, began in a TikTok video shared on Wednesday, January 21, noting she decided to make the PSA for “awareness to stay on top of your appointments because I was not great with that.”
The Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star confessed that it’s “not easy being a woman” and said gynecological appointments only make things more difficult.
Polizzi told her followers that she “hates” going to get pap smears, but she was even more worried that her results haven’t been great recently.
“I’ve been having issues with getting abnormal results. Pre-cancerous results. Pre-cancer cells in your cervix,” Polizzi said, revealing, “I’ve been dealing with this for probably three or four years now.”
The first time her test showed up as “abnormal,” Polizzi said the doctor went back and did another pap smear with iodine and “it wasn’t great.” Her next step was undergoing a colposcopy.
“They basically have to take a chunk out of your cervix,” the reality star said, adding, “You’re awake by the way.” (The Mayo Clinic describes a colposcopy as a test “for abnormal tissue” where a doctor uses a “colposcope” tool to better see the area before sending tissue to a lab for testing.)
During Polizzi’s procedure, the doctors took two samples from her cervix, which she said “hurt.” When the results came back, her physician said, “Not looking great.”
“He found cancerous cells at the top of my cervix. So I’m like, ‘Yay, yay,’” Polizzi said with a sarcastic tone.
The MTV personality explained that the next recommendation is a cone biopsy, which she described as a procedure where the patient is under anesthesia and “spread eagle.” (During a cone biopsy, “surgeons remove a cone-shaped wedge of abnormal tissue from your cervix,” according to the Mayo Clinic.)
The biopsy will reveal “if any cancerous cells went further up,” Polizzi said. She confirmed her procedure will be scheduled “ASAP,” but she’s not looking forward to it.
LeAnn Rimes took to social media to reveal that she had undergone surgery to remove precancerous cells. “January is usually a challenging month for me. Over the past couple of years, I’ve either been going through dental surgeries or recovering from a vocal hemorrhage around this time, which was all pretty depressing,” Rimes, 41, shared […]
“I’m terrified. It’s scary. We have to get it done because cervical cancer is nothing to joke about,” Polizzi continued. “I obviously do not want to get this. … If now this biopsy comes back not great, the next step would be a hysterectomy.”
Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Despite “obviously” being done having kids, Polizzi cried at the thought of removing her uterus. (Polizzi shares sons Lorenzo, 13, and Angelo, 6, and daughter Giovanna, 11, with husband Jionni LaValle.)
“I knew I was going to get emotional. The thought of getting a hysterectomy is sad and it’s scary,” she said, wiping away tears. “[I’ll do] whatever to keep me healthy and safe to be here for my kids. It’s just scary.”
Polizzi pointed out that she’s staying optimistic but wanted the “community of mamas who have gotten this done and are dealing with to comment below” so they all know they’re not alone.
“Being a woman is not easy and this is definitely a scary thing. I know I’m going to be fine,” she assured herself and her fans. “I’m terrified. But everything will be fine.”
Polizzi wrapped up her TikTok on a more hopeful note, saying, “I love you and stay on top of your s***!”
