A mother-of-one nearly died of toxic show syndrome after accidentally leaving a tampon in for five days. She now shares her story to increase awareness about the dangers of TSS.
A tampon accidentally left inside her body for five days nearly caused Amy Williams' life. The 24-year-old and mother to a three-year-old boy survived the horrifying experience and now speaks out so that other women won't have to go through the same trauma.
Williams from Basildon, Essex, said that she has been using tampons for a decade. She is aware of what toxic shock syndrome is; however, she never thought it would happen to her. After what she has gone through, she said she would never use one again.
A Night Out with the Boyfriend
According to her, she and her boyfriend went on a night out. She went to the bathroom to change her tampon. When she tried to pull the string, she said that she could not feel it. She recalls that she was really drunk that night, so she could not remember if she had one in. Thinking that she probably doesn't, she decided to use a new one.
Everything went on as normal after that night — she continued changing tampons as often as she needed. However, she did notice something not normal on the fifth day — a pungent smell down her private part. She went to the shower to wash and get rid of the smell. Yet, even after she got out of the shower and dried herself, the pungent smell was still there. She then remembered that there was a tampon inside her.
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She laid on her bed to check herself, and she did feel something. It was then that she realized that there was a tampon inside her. She tried to remove that tampon, which has already turned on its side and got stuck. She said that it took her almost an hour to remove the tampon.
She described it as an overwhelming rush as soon as it was removed at last. She almost passed out because of the excruciating pain. It looked 'black and disgusting,' she said. She added that she felt painful cramping in the lower abdomen after that.
Two Days Later, She Was Hospitalized
It was two days later when the condition worsened. Williams was at work then when she felt nauseous, and her temperature rose to 40 degrees Celsius. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was immediately given antibiotics.
She was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome, a life-threatening condition. Toxic shock syndrome is often caused by an overgrowth of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria or staph. She was told that her CPR levels were 264 as compared to the normal amount of five. Her organs also started to fail as she was going into septic shock.
She then started to cry and wondered if she would ever see her three-year-old child again. Thankfully, she did make it through the ordeal, and after nearly a week of fighting the infection with the help of antibiotics, she was finally discharged.
A year has passed, and she is now expecting another baby, despite the doctors warning her that she might have difficulty conceiving again. She said she now uses sanitary towels instead and warned women to be careful when using tampons.
