Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp revealed that she underwent her 15th melanoma surgery this week.
The 42-year-old reality star, daughter of legendary singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, gave her followers the update on her ongoing battle with skin cancer in a now-expired Instagram Story.
As she headed to have a spot on her arm surgically removed, the mother of three said she was doing her best to “be positive and happy” as she prepared to visit her oncologist.
She explained that she was relieved that the procedure was done while she was awake, but admitted that receiving anesthesia always excites her “for some reason.”
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp revealed she underwent her 15th melanoma surgery this week
The 42-year-old reality star, daughter of legendary singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, gave her followers an update on her ongoing battle with skin cancer.
“For some reason, I cry every time I get vaccinated,” Mellencamp wrote. “I’m not afraid of gunshots, it’s just knowing that they’re about to cut me again right after I get one.”
In a follow-up post, the podcast host shared a selfie of her holding an ice pack in her arm while lying in bed.
“After 3 days of no sleep, I was able to take a nap,” she captioned the Instagram Story. “I woke up and felt like my arm had been stung 20 [bee emoji] but this too shall pass,’ he declared.
The fitness influencer also shared a photo of the scars on her back with a call for fans to check their skin for melanoma and advocate for skin cancer awareness.
She uploaded a photo of herself giving a thumbs up to the camera while recovering in a hospital bed, and also included a “before” photo of her back before the procedure.
Her skin cancer journey began in March 2022 when fellow RHOBH co-star Kyle Richards pointed out spots on Teddi’s back. Later that year in October, she was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma.
During a recent interview with Good morning americaMellencamp recalled the conversation with Richards.
“She said, ‘Teddi, the spot on your back, a spot looks very different.’ I’m not going to let you not go to the doctor right now and get it checked out.”
As she headed to have a spot on her arm surgically removed, the mother of three said she was doing her best to “be positive and happy” as she prepared to visit her oncologist.
“For some reason, I cry every time I get vaccinated,” she wrote.
The Real Housewives alum then explained that after trying the immunotherapy cream and having “over a dozen spots” removed, she was “still not safe.”
“There was that initial angst,” Teddi admitted. ‘Because you say, ‘But I went through a lot.’ That should have worked…’
After the surgery, the mother of four spoke about her next steps, saying, “I want to start the New Year and I want to keep fighting, I want to keep pushing myself.”
In December 2023, the star revealed to her fans that immunotherapy had not worked, explaining in a post: “Last week I had a wide excision of my most recent melanoma to see if it would work and unfortunately it didn’t.”