“Trying to be positive and happy”: RHOBH alum Teddi Mellencamp has Melanoma removal surgery for the “15th time”

On April 10, 2024, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp revealed on her now-expired Instagram Stories that she was getting a melanoma spot in her arm surgically removed. Mellencamp stated that this was the 15th time that she had ever done so. She further told her followers:

"Trying to be positive and happy I can do this one awake."

Mellencamp later provided an update, stating that her arm felt like it was being stung by 20 bees, but she remained positive and wrote that "this too would pass."

Teddi Mellencamp first revealed that she was diagnosed with stage-2 melanoma in October 2022 and underwent wide excision surgery in December 2023 for her 13th melanoma.

Mellencamp has been very open about her struggles with melanoma (Image via Instagram/@teddimellencamp)

---

"This too shall pass": Teddi Mellencamp after her 15th melanoma surgery

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp posted on her Instagram Story that she was on her way to get melanoma surgery. The reality TV star tagged her story #curemelanoma and wrote:

"On my way to my next surgery with Dr. Fairies (my oncologist) to cut out the spot on my arm. Trying to be positive and happy I can do this one awake."

Mellencamp added:

"I just cry everytime when I get the shots for some reason. Not scared of shots, it's just the knowing they are about to cut into me again right after I get one."

Mellencamp is the mother of three children and stepmother to one child (Image via Instagram/@teddimellencamp)

Mellencamp thanked her husband Edwin Arroyave for taking her to the surgery and posted another story tagging him while at the hospital, disclosing that this was her 15th time. A few hours later Teddi Mellencamp posted an image of herself in bed with an ice pack on her left arm. She wrote:

"After 3 days of no sleep. I was able to nap."

Mellencamp continued:

"I did wake up to my arm feeling like it was stung by 20 🐝s but this too shall pass. 💕🙌🏻"

Mellencamp constantly encourages people to check their skin (Image via Instagram/@teddimellencamp)

---

Teddi Mellencamp's melanoma journey

Back in March 2022, Teddi Mellencamp posted on Instagram that she got a mole removed from her back and was diagnosed with melanoma but it was in situ, so the cancer cells were contained. However, in October of the same year, Mellencamp revealed on social media that she had stage-2 melanoma.

The reality TV star narrated that during her 3-month skin check, her doctors located an abnormal mark that was close to the spot where she had her previous melanoma, so they did a biopsy and confirmed that it was stage-2 melanoma. She further mentioned that she was going to go to an oncologist, cut out the spot, and come up with a game plan. She wrote:

"Moral of this story: if a doctor says, “come in every 3 months” please go in every 3 months. I so badly wanted to blow this off. “What could happen in 3 months?” I thought. Apparently a lot."

Mellencamp said that as a "90s teen," she used to put iodine and baby oil on her skin to tan it and never wore sunscreen or got her moles checked before she turned 40. She told her followers via Instagram post:

"This has been such a wake-up call for me, and I hope to all of you, to love and protect the skin you’re in."

Back in December 2023, Teddi also went through yet another surgery to get rid of her 13th melanoma on her back, which she was diagnosed with in September of the year. Post-surgery, she assured her followers via Instagram and X posts that it went well.

"I specifically went through a “wide excision melanoma, soft tissue defect reconstruction with adjacent tissue rearrangement.” Basically they cut out the area of my shoulder and replaced it with a flap of skin from below on my back," wrote Mellencamp.

At the time Teddi Mellencamp stated that the pain and discomfort were all worth it. She was "forever grateful" for the massive outpouring of love and prayers and encouraged people once again to get their skin checked.