Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp continues her ongoing battle with melanoma. “I have to listen to my body, and something isn’t feeling right,” she recently told her Instagram followers.
“I have felt a little something in my neck and in my back,” she shared on July 16, on her way to a doctor’s appointment. “So anxiety is pretty high because I didn’t feel these things before.”
Afterward, she revealed, “2 more removed today. This is why follow-up appointments are just as important as getting that first check … Trust your instincts.”
“Go get your skin checked”
Teddi’s instincts were right because her doctor found two new spots on her back. She already has a large scar from a previous surgery to remove the skin cancer.
The wellness guru received a diagnosis of stage 2 melanoma in 2022 and has had 15 cancerous growths removed since then. The Mayo Clinic describes melanoma as a type of skin cancer that “can be treated successfully if it is found early.” Treatment “usually includes surgery to remove the melanoma.”
To her credit, Teddi is using her battle with cancer as an opportunity to urge her followers to take charge of their health. “This is just a reminder to all of you guys,” she said. “Go get your skin checked. I was talking to someone the other day, and they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I tan easily, blah blah blah. So, I’m not prone to it.’“
“There is no such thing as a safe or healthy tan,” Teddi reminded us, quoting the Skin Cancer Foundation. “Tanning increases your risk of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.”
“Anyhoo, I know that sometimes going to get things checked or booking your appointments can create uneasiness in us, but it is so worth it,” the mom of three admitted. “I wish I wouldn’t have put off my original skin checks and maybe I would have been in a different place than I am today.”
“Book your mammogram, book your ob-gyn [appointments], book your skin checks,” the Two Ts in a Pod co-host added. “The list goes on and on.”
“Y’all can do this,” Teddi concluded. “Whatever stress that may cause you to be booking it, the alternative, I assure you, is worse.”
TELL US – HAVE YOU HAD YOUR SKIN CHECKED?
