Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is giving fans an update on her health, six months after sharing her cancer diagnosis.
In an emotional Instagram video shared on Saturday, the 38-year-old reality star revealed she underwent a hysterectomy six months after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The video started off with clips of Polizzi arriving at the hospital and getting ready for surgery as she narrated what was going on via voice-over, before transitioning to her speaking directly to the camera following the procedure.
“I told you guys in general I’m not good with pain, and I’ve really been trying to be tough, but it’s not great,” Polizzi said. “And the reason is because we did that C-section cut, and he obviously ended up taking out the uterus, my cervix and then some parts of my vagina just to make sure we get everything. So that was crazy. The fallopian tubes, all of it. We kept my ovaries so I don’t go into pre-menopause, which is nice.”
The “Jersey Shore” star then cut the camera as she got emotional, telling viewers, “Sorry, it’s just been a lot,” but that she is “trying to stay in good spirits.”
She later shared her frame of mind prior to the surgery, explaining that the process involved hooking her up to machines, “put[ting] iodine in my nose. I had to scrub my body with this wipe, which left her feeling “nervous and anxious.”
“I was starting to get nervous and anxious, getting checked in and stuff, and then they wheel me in where they’re doing the procedure,” she said. “And I’m like, ‘Stay positive, it’s gonna be fine, don’t freak yourself out.’ My heart’s starting to race, I’m getting anxiety, and I’m getting the shakes. And then right when I go in, it’s just like, ‘Oh my god, like it hit me, like holy s—. I’m going under surgery. I’m losing my uterus and my cervix, fallopian tubes, half my vagina, like holy s—.’”
As she continued, she got emotional, recalling how she “start[ed] hysterically bawling” as she was “so scared,” feeling like, “I don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
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“I don’t wanna feel pain,” she said. “It’s very scary. But I got on the table and the nurses are great. They’re saying I’m gonna do fine. The doctors are great, so I lay down, and I’m like, ‘F—, it’s happening,’ and then they give me something in my IV to calm me down. And I’m like, What the f— couldn’t you give me this 20 minutes ago so I could calm down?
Polizzi also shared a lighter moment in which she felt determined to “set the record” for how long she could hold out before passing out from the anesthesia after doctors told her most people only make it to three seconds, proudly telling her followers she counted to 10.
In addition to getting a hysterectomy, Polizzi shared that the doctors also treated her for diastasis recti, with the reality star saying, “Obviously, I’ve had three kids, so when you have kids, sometimes your abs, they disconnect.”
When it comes to why she chose to share her health journey with her followers, she explained, “It’s a scary thing and a lot of us women deal with it, and no one really talks about it. So I’m here to give that platform for all of us ladies.”
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“And I read a lot of your comments that some of you are going to get surgery next week, you’re doing the same thing, so I’m here to show you what’s up and it’s scary, and it’s okay to be scared,” she continued. “But now it’s over. It’s over. I just have to deal with the pain. It’s just like any surgery. You have pain, you gotta manage it, manage it, get the pain meds, and in a couple of days, you’ll feel brand spanking new, no more periods. I don’t have to take birth control anymore. Hopefully I’ll be cancer free, and that’s it.”
She ended her post by thanking her followers and encouraging them to “get your Pap smears, okay?”
Polizzi first shared that she was diagnosed with Stage 1 cervical cancer in February, saying at the time that “I’m gonna probably get the hysterectomy.”
