Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi has shared a tearful update from her hospital bed after undergoing a hysterectomy, following her stage one cervical cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
The Jersey Shore star, 38, told fans that surgeons removed her uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and part of her vagina, but she kept her ovaries "so I don't go into premenopause."
In an Instagram Reel documenting her surgery, Polizzi struggled to hold back tears as she spoke from a hospital bed in a gown.
Pain and Recovery
"Sorry it's just been a lot," she said. "Just dealing with all that pain, it's not great. But I'm doing my best and trying to stay optimistic."
She described the early recovery process: "So the first couple of days is hell, and then it's gonna get better." She added, "I'm trying to stay in good spirits, and the nurses and doctors and everybody was so great."
Polizzi is a mother of three - Lorenzo, 13, Giovanna, 11, and Angelo, 6 - with husband Jionni LaValle.
Celebrity Support
The star was met with an outpouring of support in her Instagram comments. Singer Meghan Trainor wrote, "you are supermom," while Real Housewives star Kyle Richards said, "Thinking of you." Her Jersey Shore co-stars Pauly D, Angelina Pivarnick and Sammi Giancola all sent love hearts.
Fans also flooded the post with well-wishes. One commented, "Girl, it was best easiest thing I did for my health. Good luck to you for a speedy recovery !" Another wrote, "Sending prayers to you and your family," and a third added, "Speedy recovery. Feel better soon!"
Cancer Diagnosis and Pap Smear Warning
In a TikTok video in February, Polizzi revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer after irregular smear tests. "Obviously not the news that I was hoping for. But also not the worst news, just because they caught it so early," she said.
She urged her followers to attend screenings: "That's why I'm literally telling you guys to get your Pap smears done. I'm 38 years old. I've been struggling with abnormal Pap smears for like, three, four years now. And now look at me, and instead of just, like, putting it off because I didn't want to go, and it hurt and I was scared, no, I just went and did it, [and] cancer's in there, and it's only stage I and it's curable."
