2023-09-06 20:17:45
A woman who contracted Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is fighting for her life after forgetting her tampon for two months.
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For Kelsey Foster, 29, tampons have always been simple and safe menstrual products, but she didn’t know there could be dangers, according to news.com.au.
A mother-of-one, she said she briefly saw the little warnings in the pamphlet found in the boxes of tampons, but didn’t care too much.
She is now sharing her story in an effort to educate women about the dangers of TCS.
“The main thing I want to make clear is that talking about periods shouldn’t be shameful […] We need to take the shame out of talking about periods, tampons, and all things menstruation. Toxic shock is real, it’s deadly and it’s far more common than you might think,” Ms Foster explained.
Suffering from endometriosis, the woman initially attributed her pain to this disease. It was however when an old tampon fell out while she was in the bathroom that she was terrified.
“I have been in and out of the hospital five times in the past two months due to severe cramps and pain. I was found to have gallstones and then my gallbladder collapsed. My liver was also showing signs of irritation,” she told the Australian media.
“I’m waiting for surgery and I’m having tests. One day I went to the bathroom and felt something come out of me. I thought it was just another blood clot, which happens to me often. But it was an old tampon.
She clarified that she did not know how long he had been inside her. She knows, however, that it was at least six weeks ago, since that was when she had her last period.
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