Teddi Mellencamp recently went under the knife after a previous attempt to treat her melanoma proved to be ultimately unsuccessful.
However, Mellencamp has revealed that her latest surgery “went well” and she’s now on the mend.
“I specifically went through a ‘wide excision melanoma, soft tissue defect reconstruction with adjacent tissue rearrangement,'” Mellencamp explained in a post on Instagram, alongside a slideshow of photos from the hospital. “Basically they cut out the area of my shoulder and replaced it with a flap of skin from below on my back.”
Despite the toll the surgery took, Mellencamp declared, “The pain and discomfort are all worth it.”
“The outpouring of love and prayers in the comments and DMs has left me speechless (which is tough). I wish I could respond to everyone but please know I am forever grateful,” she added. “Please get your skin checked. I promise you do not want to go through this.”
Mellencamp also shared a series of videos to her Instagram story documenting her experience before and after the surgery.
Following the procedure, she shared a video of herself as she was transported to an aftercare facility and said that the whole procedure and subsequent recovery has been “a lot of damn pain but worth it.”
The surgery comes a little more than a week after the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star shared a tearful update with fans regarding her health struggles.
“I just had a big ole’ cry,” Mellencamp explained, as she addressed the camera. “I just got the call from my doctor that the immunotherapy did not work. It was not successful.”
“So I have two different options — I can either do a big skin graft for my stomach and my arm, but that’s a very long recovery, or I can go in and get another wide excision surgery,” Mellencamp continued, indicating at the time that she’d decided to go with the second option.
“They’ll have a plastic surgeon come too because it’s such a big area,” she explained, “And then [I will] just keep getting my checks, every three months.”
Mellencamp’s battle with skin cancer began in March 2022 when her RHOBH co-star, Kyle Richards, noticed suspicious spots on her back during a workout session. Over the following eight months, Mellencamp underwent 12 melanoma removal procedures, ultimately facing stage 2 skin cancer. Throughout her journey, she decided to document her experience on social media, sharing her story with her followers and advocating for skin cancer awareness.
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