Nicole โSnookiโ Polizzi is sharing an honest look at her recent hysterectomy surgery after she received a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
The โJersey Shoreโ star posted a video on social media July 31, documenting the surgery. She told fans that she was โdoing my best and Iโm trying to stay optimistic.โ She also called on viewers to get a pap smear, a procedure in which cells are collected from the cervix to test for cervical cancer.
The surgery comes nearly six months after the reality TV star was diagnosed with Stage 1 cervical cancer.
โItโs a scary thing, and a lot of us women deal with it, and no one really talks about it,โ Polizzi, 38, said in the video. โSo Iโm here to give that platform for all of us ladies.โ
Polizzi, a mother of three, also said that sheโs been reading comments from many other women who are dealing with similar medical issues.
โIโm here to show you whatโs up,โ Polizzi said, getting emotional. โAnd itโs scary, and itโs okay to be scared.โ
Polizzi discovered she had cervical cancer after a cone biopsy, in which a cone-shaped wedge of abnormal tissue is removed from the cervix for testing. The procedure, which typically follows abnormal pap smear results, showed that she had a type of cancer called adenocarcinoma.
In her latest video about the hysterectomy, Polizzi documented the entire day of surgery. She shared with fans that her parents accompanied her to the hospital.
โYou always need your parents. I donโt care what age you are,โ she said. โI need my mom and dad.โ
Polizzi said in the video that she was โterrifiedโ ahead of the procedure. The doctors ended up removing her uterus, cervix along with โsome partsโ of the vagina โjust to make sure we get everything,โ she said, before tearing up.
โJust dealing with all that pain โ itโs not great,โ Polizzi said.
In typical Snooki fashion, she gave a shoutout to the hospital โgranny pantiesโ that she wore into surgery.
โTheyโre elite. If I could wear hospital underwear all day, I would,โ she said.
With the procedure over, Polizzi told fans that she will now have to work on managing the pain as she recovers.
โHopefully Iโll be cancer-free,โ she said.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Nearly all cervical cancer cases are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses, a group of 200 known viruses that are typically sexually transmitted.
However, cancers from HPV can be prevented. The HPV vaccine is 97% effective and has minimal side effects, research shows.
Treatment through hysterectomies are not unique. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hysterectomies are among the most common procedures in the U.S. among women. The percentage of women who have the surgery โ which is used to treat conditions including uterine fibroids, endometriosis and gynecological cancer โ generally increases with age. And by ages 45โ64, more than 22% of women will have had the procedure.