Teddi Mellencamp reveals she is pausing immunotherapy amid cancer battle
"Essentially, I haven't been feeling good for about a month, which was kind of shocking to me, and I think, mentally did a lot to me," Mellencamp told Tamra Judge during a July 23 episode of "Two Ts In A Pod," the popular podcast she co-hosts alongside her fellow "Real Housewives" alum.
Mellencamp, 44, shared earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in her brain and lungs. The reality star, who is daughter to rocker John Cougar Mellencamp, revealed in April on social media that after undergoing treatment, several of her tumors had "shrunk or disappeared."
Now, she says, the immunotherapy may be causing more harm than good. The side effects, she told Judge, have been debilitating, even resulting in days where she struggles to keep her eyes open or speak clearly.
"We're going to take a little break on the immunotherapy to get my body back feeling stronger," she said. Immunotherapy uses certain parts of a patient's immune system to fight tumors, according to the American Cancer Society.
Mellencamp, who shares three children with husband Edwin Arroyave, also revealed that her diagnosis is making going the extra mile for her kids difficult.
"I've never in my adult life been in a situation where I'm like, 'Gosh, I can't do this right now.' I can't stay up that extra hour and put my kid to bed tonight, I can't go to my daughter's horse show, or oh my gosh, I'm going to have to miss Cruz's practice," she said. "I've never once felt that way until recently, and it's heartbreaking."
She and Arroyave are also in the midst of divorce proceedings, which they paused while she undergoes treatment.
Mellencamp has been very open throughout her cancer journey with fans, sharing updates on her treatment, the success of immunotherapy and the hard conversations she's needed to have with family along the way.
Mellencamp previously told USA TODAY that a positive mindset has been key to her journey.
"I'm feeling positive, but I also would say that my mood and my overall energy level shifts by the hour," she said in May. "There's moments of fear and there's moments of whatever, but as long as I'm moving my body and taking action, then I seem to be in a more positive mindset."
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