Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi recently opened up about her own health scare to raise awareness about cervical cancer.

In a TikTok video posted on Wednesday, January 21, the 38-year-old expressed her fears and stressed the importance of staying diligent with health check-ups. “I’m scared and freaking out,” Polizzi admitted, emphasizing that she wanted to share her experience to remind others to keep up with their medical appointments, something she confessed she hadn’t been great at.

The star of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation highlighted the challenges women face, particularly when it comes to gynecological visits, which she finds particularly daunting.

Polizzi candidly shared her dislike for pap smears, admitting her anxiety had grown due to recent concerning results.

She’s not alone in facing health challenges. Many celebrities have bravely shared their battles with cancer. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, for instance, publicly announced her breast cancer diagnosis in September 2017 via Instagram and celebrated her victory over the disease nearly a year later when she returned to Veep. “It might sound cliché, but there’s something about coming back after…”

“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.”

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.”

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi can’t imagine what her life would look like if she wasn’t adopted. In Us Weekly’s exclusive sneak peek of the Thursday, July 3, episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, the cast comes together and reflects on their costar’s emotional adoption journey that led to her connecting with her birth mom. “All she […]

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***!”