Dsd came home from her mother's yesterday with a fever, a stomach ache, and said she was dizzy. Kudos to DH...HE mentioned TSS!! Asked her if she had a tampon in...she said yes...so I told her to get rid of it and gave her 2 motrin..this morning she is fine and off to school. I don't know much about TSS but the symptoms sounded the same. I heard from a friend that she thinks once you get that you can't ever wear a tampon again. Does anybody know if this is true?

By Pamt on Monday, October 4, 2004 - 09:21 am:

If she is fine today then I doubt she had TSS, but is you suspect it then get her to the doctor ASAP! I had TSS in college. I was using a tampon and near the end of my period when my flow wasn't as heavy. I felt the string of the tampon cut me internally as I removed it, but didn't think much about it. I was out of town at a friend's house and we left the next day to go to TN on a girl's trip. The next day I had fever, chills, felt very weak. She had the heater in her Jeep turned up so high she was sweating and I still couldn't get warm. We finally got to TN and I was feeling so horrible and could barely walk I felt so weak and dizzy. I remember we stopped at a gift shop where some of her friends worked and I just sat in the middle of the floor with cuckoo clocks all around (we were in Gatlinburg--LOL) I felt so bad. I finally called my parents, told them I was concerned about TSS and then told me to go to the ER. By the time I got there I was really sick and I heard the doctors talking about me in the hallway. However, they were convinced that I had pelvic inflammatory disease and it wasn't until I argued with them and convinced them that I was a virgin that they decided to test for TSS. They just knew my blood was way screwed up. Anyway, the thing about TSS is you don't just have a mild case or it gets better. The reason it is so important to get to the doctor at the first sign is that the toxins in your blood multiply. If you wait too long they can be so numerous that antibiotics can't touch them--that's when the disease turns fatal. Thankfully for me we caught it in time, but I spent 2 nights in the hospital with IV antibiotics. And no....the Tampax Company themselves (who offered to pay my medical bills) told me I should never use tampons ever again. Ugh! I hate pads, but that's what I'm stuck with. You should also never use vaginal birth control like a diaphragm or sponge once you have had TSS.

By Monicamomof3 on Monday, October 4, 2004 - 03:47 pm:

I had a friend who got TSS and within 24 hours of the first symptom she was hospitalized and on the verge of a coma. The toxins do multiply and they do it quickly. She was in the hospital for 7 days and when she got home, she still had effects from it. Her hands peeled for a week or two afterward, her strength took weeks to regain, etc. If I am correct, TSS is a form of Strepticoccal (sp!) bacteria in the blood.

By Mrse on Monday, October 4, 2004 - 04:51 pm:

Tss I have never heard of this, I am not understanding what it actually is, other than , you get it from using a tampon ? I don't use them but dd's do, so I am a little worried .

By Janet on Monday, October 4, 2004 - 05:05 pm:

I remember the big scare of TSS when I was in college (the "Rely" tampons were targeted because of their "super absorbency," and the tendency to leave them in longer than other brands). I don't know much at all about it, except that it needs to be taken very seriously. Please check into this further! A dr. visit for your dsd would be something I'd look into.

By Pamt on Monday, October 4, 2004 - 06:00 pm:

http://www.toxicshock.com for more info. It is caused by Staphylococcus aureus which is a bacteria we all carry, but some strains can begin to produce toxins in the blood. Men, women, and children can all get TSS (from an infected skin wound, surgical incision, infected insect bite, etc.) but tampons were highly associated with TSS in the 80s. Mrse, in every tampon box there is a booklet about what TSS is and how to prevent it. Basic tips are to wear the lowest absorbency tampon possible, change tampons every few hours, and wear pads at night.

By Marcia on Monday, October 4, 2004 - 11:54 pm:

Our bus driver died of TSS 2 years ago. They didn't know she had it until after she died. It was horrible! She was fine one night, sick the next day, and her body shut down within days. Very sad!

By Mrse on Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - 10:32 am:

Thanks for the info.

By Janet on Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - 12:13 pm:

This is a bit off, but wanted to share anyway! When I was in college (1981), we actually had a tampon burning party at one of the parks, to raise awareness of TSS! LOL oh, we were such activists back then...

By Cocoabutter on Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - 01:54 pm:

I have never had TSS, but I am unable to use tampons because I get bad cramps and start to feel dizzy. I discovered this in high school. I tried them again earlier this year, and the same thing happened. It may not have been TSS, but why take the chance? My dr said that some women can use tampons, and some can't. I am one that can't. Luck of the draw I guess.

By Kristie on Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - 11:55 pm:

I had TSS 8 yrs ago and it was awful. Temp. of 103 chills, cramps, body achs, dizzyness. I can barley remember the hospital stay except for when the told me I probley wouldn't be able to get pregnant because of all the complications I had. Thank God I did get pregnant and have my ds. It dosen't just go away you have to get treatment, and they will tell you not to wear tampons anymore. So I use pads and they may not be comfortable (I flow so bad that I have to wear the overnights with wings even during the day) but I don't care as long as I never get TSS again. Its definately not something you want to ignore.