Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave Shares a Skin Cancer Update: "My Margins Aren't Clear"
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum opened up about her melanoma on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, and shared some advice for viewers.
After the Season 13 premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on October 25, Andy Cohen welcomed a current and past cast member to the Watch What Happens Live clubhouse. Kyle Richards was joined by Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave on the late-night talk show, where the latter shared a candid update on her skin cancer.
In the clip above from the WWHL After Show, Teddi responds honestly to Andy's question about how she's handling her resurgence of melanoma. "I am OK. I'm on my 13th [melanoma]. The 13th one came back and my margins aren't clear. It's the first time that's happened," she shared.
"Now, I've started an immunotherapy cream. And if that doesn't work — which, as of now, I'm two weeks in and it hasn't worked — then they will do a skin graft from my lower abdomen, and take the skin from there, and put it in my back."
Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave opens up about her skin cancer diagnosis
The Encino mom went on to open up about her past with the disease. "I saw a picture ... from 2018, and I finally saw for the first time what was happening," she says. "I always had a white spot on my back, but there was a time ... where the white spots turned red, and that's when the change, I think, started happening."
She added: "The biggest thing I can say about this is, no matter what it is that it looks like, you have absolutely no idea. We're not doctors, we don't know, just go get checked. Go get checked [out by a dermatologist] every six months. It's easy and it's worth it."
Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave's Skin Cancer History
In the months since she was first diagnosed with skin cancer, the RHOBH alum has received about a dozen more melanoma diagnoses, one of which she confirmed in September.
“I remember how every time I post about skin cancer someone else is reminded to get checked,” she shared in a September 13 Instagram post. “I found out late yesterday afternoon that the most recent spot biopsied is another melanoma. I can’t even remember if this is the 12th or 13th one. At this point, I am starting to black-out these memories like a portion of my childhood.”
She also took to Instagram in early October to share an additional somber statement. "Another update I didn’t want to give but in an effort to be fully transparent and help others, here goes..." Teddi's caption began.
"I received the call yesterday from my doctor that not all the margins are clear after my last wide excision surgery. 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 noted that the cream has some side effects, but ultimately concluded, "ya know what, it’s better than the alternative."She added: "Stay vigilant on getting your skin checked my friends. "We can fight this."
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