Teddi Mellencamp.Photo:Ella Hovsepian/Getty
Ella Hovsepian/Getty
Teddi Mellencamphas begun a new treatment plan after her recent melanoma diagnosis.
On Sept. 13, theReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsalum shared onInstagramthat she had beendiagnosed with her thirteenth melanomain the past year.
Since then, Mellencamp shared on Saturday that she is beginning an immunotherapy cream as a part of her treatment plan.
The 42-year-old posted onInstagramsharing the update with her followers as a means to continue to help her followers keep up with their personal health.
Teddi Mellencamp wrote about beginning immunotherapy after her latest melanoma diagnosis.Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave/Instagram
Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave/Instagram
“Another update I didn’t want to give but in an effort to be fully transparent and help others, here goes… I received the call yesterday from my doctor that not all the margins are clear after my last wide excision surgery," Mellencamp wrote.
She explained, “Because the area is so broad they no longer feel comfortable cutting. They said I can wait a week so I can show at nationals but upon my return I will start on a 5-week immunotherapy cream.”
She then provided the definition of the therapy treatment in her caption. “Immunotherapy is an anti-cancer treatment that uses the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. An immunotherapy cream called imiquimod (Aldara®) is a cream that stimulates the immune system,” the definition reads.
“Side effects include: fatigue, inflammation, blisters and some pain but ya know what, it’s better than the alternative. Stay vigilant on getting your skin checked my friends. We can fight this. 💕,” wrote Mellencamp.
She concluded the caption with the hashtags#skincancerawarenessand#melanomaawareness, as well as tagging the Instagram page for theMelanoma Research Foundation.
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Last month, Mellencamp revealed she was debating whether or not to share the news publicly, but then recalled how it could serve as a reminder to others to get checked for skin cancer.
“I am so grateful for my 3-month checkup because we caught this one early. This means another surgery next week and additional biopsies,” she explained. “Life goes on. I am also reminded of my faith and the reminder I keep telling myself, ‘We can do hard things.’ We have so many beautiful things to look forward to.”
“Even on your toughest days, movement will help get you through it,” she said. “I’ve been running the gamut of emotions since my latest melanoma diagnosis — and yes, there are moments I just want to stay in bed and ignore the world. But the world still turns no matter what, so getting out there and moving my body, releasing my emotions, fixing my mindset— that’s the key.”
“I’m just thinking about all the things I can’t control — that I was turned down for life insurance or I haven’t written a last will and testament,” she continued. “And I truly do believe it’ll be a long time before I ever need those things, but I have to do it. I have to take action and not talking about the hard things doesn’t make them go away, it just makes them fester.”
Mellencamp’s journey with skin cancer began in March 2022 when she was exercising with herReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsco-starKyle Richards, who noticed spots on her back.
“She looked at my back and said, ‘Listen, I know that I’ve talked to you about these spots before, but they look different — one of them has a black dot in the middle,'” shepreviously recalledto PEOPLE.
For the next eight months, the reality star would then need 12 melanomas removed as she faced Stage 2skin cancer. Throughout her treatment, Mellencamp then decided to document her skin cancer journey on social media.
source: people.com
