Omg! Student Nearly Died After Leaving A Tampon For Too Long
#1 20-year-old Emily Pankhurst contracted a severe case of infection-turned-sepsis when she accidentally left her tampon in for nine days.
Pankhurst is a criminology student at the University of Canterbury in Kent, South East England. She found herself in the ICU for three days, suffering from toxic shock syndrome and unable to use her legs without the help of a walker.
#2 Speaking to Press Association, Pankhurst said:
"When I finally realised the tampon was in me and I pulled it out it was pure black. It was obviously coated in bacteria. I wouldn't have known what it was apart from the string. It was horrible."
#3 Pankurst said she originally put the tampon in during her period last month,
.. but said because she was stressed from studying, she forgot and inserted a second tampon.
#4 Despite her long stint in the hospital, 36 hours of IV antibiotics, and doses of morphine to dull the pain,
Pankhurst is unbelievably lucky. Just last year, 24-year-old model Lauren Wasser lost her leg to toxic shock symptom (TSS), also due to a tampon left in too long.
#5 Indeed, TSS is not an uncommon occurrence among young women, especially since the '80s when there was a huge spike in TSS-related deaths
Although it is important to note that a person must already have Staphylococcus aureus (Staph bacteria) present in their system. Because tampons created by most big tampon manufacturers are made of synthetic fibers, they create an ideal environment for bacteria to flourish.
#6 She was fed through a tube
She said: "The doctors asked me when I had last been to the toilet and I couldn't remember. I was stressed about my exams and really wanted to do well on my degree, it didn't register."
#7 Pankurst says she owes her life to her mother:
"I put my illness down to stress and ignored the symptoms. But mum knew it was something more and pushed me to feel better. She saved my life."
