As a teenager in the 90s, I was scared silly of using tampons because of the dreaded toxic shock syndrome that tampon boxes and health class warned us about. I mean, GEEZ! But after years of well…not dying, the fear of it began to fade a bit.
But you know what? That’s not really good. To be honest, I think it’s busy MOMS, rather than teens, who need to be worried about forgetting to change their tampons in a timely manner. That’s exactly the message mom Aimee Hollis, 37, wants to spread to other women after she nearly died from toxic shock syndrome last May,
Fox News reports that Hollis, her husband and two children had just moved into a new home when she began experiencing flu-like symptoms (moving = perfect time to be distracted and busy!).
“Initially I thought I was just rundown from all of the craziness that happens when you move,” she told Fox News. “But the fever got higher and higher and higher.”
The fever rose “higher and higher” to the tune of a panic-inducing 106.8 when she was admitted to the hospital. Doctors, realizing she was already septic and in danger of organ failure, began scrambling to try and save her life.
Finally, a few hours later, they discovered the source of the infection. The date of her last period – just four or five days before she fell ill, provided the clue they needed to confirm toxic shock syndrome.
