Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
0Like many young women, I started menstruating at 13 years old. Although I was aware that my period would likely start soon, it was still slightly frightening to find brown spots in my panties as a 7th grader. I immediately told the nurse that I was feeling sick and went home - sounds drastic but I didn’t want to risk the trauma of actually “leaking” at school and being humiliated. Instead of calling my mother, I took matters into my own hands and went directly to her stash of tampons and without hesitation inserted one to handle the situation. I am not sure why I didn’t share the news with her but when I finally did we took a trip together to the pharmacy and I got my own supplies. I know my experience is an uncommon one, most young girls will reach for a pad before tampons but I just couldn’t fathom using those bulky contraptions - back in the day we did not have pads with “wings” nor were they thin. Using tampons was the best thing in my opinion and pads were limited to use only when necessary.
Shortly after my period began, news of Toxic Shock Syndrome hit the airways. According to the Mayo Clinic :
“Toxic shock syndrome is a rare, life-threatening complication of bacterial infection. It has been historically associated with the use of superabsorbent tampons and occasionally with the use of contraceptive sponges. Often toxic shock syndrome results from toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, but the condition may also be caused by toxins produced by group A streptococcus (strep) bacteria.”
Scary! But even armed with the knowledge that TSS could kill, I still stuck to using tampons. I tried to be hyper-vigilant about changing my tampons but there was one instance when I actually left a tampon in my vaginal canal. I’m sure some of you may be thinking that is ridiculous -- but it happened. I’m not sure if it was one of the times that I used two tampons, (don’t do this at home kids, my periods were very heavy and in order to stay in class I’d do whatever it took to keep from running to the bathroom every hour), but one was stuck. I was lucky because I didn’t develop TSS, I actually just had a horrendous odor from my vaginal area and visited the gyn quickly to remedy the problem. I have to say it was the most embarrassing moment of my life to have my doctor extract a tampon but it potentially saved my life, which is why I share this story today. According to WebMD , “More than a third of all cases of toxic shock involve women under 19, and up to 30% of women who have had the disease will suffer a recurrence.
Symptoms Of Toxic Shock Syndrome - News
Shortly after my period began news of Toxic Shock Syndrome hit the airways. According to the Mayo Clinic: “Toxic shock syndrome is a rare, life-threatening complication of bacterial infection. It has been historically associated with the use of
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is a rare but extremely severe illness characterized by hypotension (low blood pressure) and shock. Other symptoms can include renal (kidney) impairment, coagulopathy (abnormality in the blood's ability to clot),
I will start with bladder infections and will also write about yeast infections, older women and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), and TSS (toxic shock syndrome). Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and cranberry juice for prevention: The myth is
The report said the deaths were blamed on sepsis, the use of drugs, methadone overdose, delayed onset of toxic shock-like syndrome, suspected homicide and ruptured ectopic pregnancies. "There were five additional deaths in women from foreign countries
The five year old boy who died in Hong Kong's Princess Margaret Hospital had initially been treated for chickenpox but developed symptoms of scarlet fever on Sunday. He died of toxic shock syndrome after bacteria entered his bloodstream.
TSS – Get Educated!
I first heard of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) in my late teens. I was still living in Israel, my country of origin, when my friend Sheila, a young American woman who recently emigrated to Israel, spoke about how it was possible to die of using tampons!
This was shocking (no pun intended) since neither my Mom, nor any of my friends, have ever heard of TSS. At the time everyone I knew was into the convenience of using tampons. Except me, that is, who couldn’t use them since my Mom was worried of a tampon piercing my hymen…
Looking back, Sheila didn’t give me a whole lot of information. She may have not had much herself. What I remember mostly is fear , and something about not leaving a tampon inside you for too long.
My next memory is from my early twenties. By that time I was already using tampons, since I’ve “lost” my virginity. Funnily, starting to use tampons felt almost like a bigger deal to me than my first sexual experience… The use of tampons, which was a “forbidden fruit” for quite a few years, seemed to me to be the epitome of “having arrived” to womanhood…
On that particular day I was on the beach , vacationing with my Dad and my brother. Upon going to the bathroom to change a tampon I discovered, to my young horror, that it started to split. Some of the tampon fiber stayed inside me. Remembering Sheila’s warning I was paralyzed with the thought that I could die from having these fibers in me, having tried unsuccessfully to pull them out. I thought I should go to the emergency room, but had no way of getting there by myself. There was only my Dad to turn to, as my Mom had died the year before. I remember not knowing what was worse: the risk of dying from some shock syndrome I knew nothing about, or the need to speak about tampons with my Dad…
Dad was understanding and supportive, as was the ER doctor, and the matter sank into oblivion until recently, when I realized women DO die of TSS, and I had hardly any information about it ! Having been a Menstrual Empowerment Educator for some 20 years, my own lack of education on the subject felt embarrassing to me…
Not only did I not know that women still die of TSS, but I had no comprehensive information about symptoms, risk factors, or prevention.
Symptoms Of Toxic Shock Syndrome - Bookshelf
Biology of women
Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome One reason why the true incidence of TSS is unknown and why TSS cases may be more common than believed may result from the ...Toxic Shock Syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome is composed of a variety of signs and symptoms that collectively point a medical doctor to the condition. ...Women's symptoms, a comprehensive guide to common symptoms and diseases : their causes and treatments
THE DIAGNOSIS OF TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME If you notice an illness with features resembling those described under Danger Signs, the symptoms must ...Toxic shock syndrome, assessment of current information and future research needs : report of a study
Restrictive criteria were intended to minimize confusion of TSS with other diseases whose signs and symptoms overlap. However, it is likely that toxic shock ...American Medical Association family medical guide
Symptoms The symptoms of shingles include an itchy, tingling feeling or severe, ... Toxic shock syndrome caused by staphylococcal bacteria was linked in the ...Daily Report Directory
Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome - WrongDiagnosis.com
Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome including 20 medical symptoms and signs of Toxic Shock Syndrome, alternative diagnoses, misdiagnosis, and correct ...
Toxic Shock Syndrome-Symptoms
Learn about possible symptoms of toxic shock syndrome, which may develop rapidly.
Toxic shock syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a potentially fatal illness caused by a bacterial toxin. ... Symptoms of toxic shock syndrome vary depending on the underlying cause. ...
Toxic shock syndrome: Symptoms - MayoClinic.com
Toxic shock syndrome — Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, treatment and prevention of this life-threatening infection.
Toxic Shock Syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome is a serious but uncommon bacterial infection. TSS is a medical emergency - symptoms include sudden high fever, a faint feeling, diarrhea, ...