I was 10 minutes from death and lost both my legs because of a tampon

I was 10 minutes from death and lost both my legs because of a tampon – but it’s not stopped me being a successful model

Lauren Wasser, 35, from California, reveals she was ten minutes from death
Read More: Student, 18, reveals she ‘could have died’ from toxic shock syndrome

A model has revealed how she she nearly died after getting Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) caused by a tampon.

Lauren Wasser, 35, from Santa Monica, California, who had both her legs amputated as a result of TSS, reflected on the lasting impact of her near-death experience on The Diary Of A CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett.

What started as flu-like symptoms left her suffering a massive heart attack and on life support as gangrene began to consume both of her legs, which led to a below-the-knee amputation of both legs.

Now the Los Angeles-based model is determined to warn women and young girls about the potential risks associated with tampons through promoting legislation for transparency in feminine hygiene products.

In 2012, the athletic then 24-year-old turned down a full basketball scholarship to a top university to focus on her flourishing career in fashion.

However life took an unpredictable turn when she started to feel unwell and she thought she might be coming down with the flu.

She was found in her apartment 10 minutes from death, face down, unconscious on her bedroom floor covered in feces and vomit, after her mother called police for a wellness check when she had not heard from her for a while.

While in the hospital her fever reached 107 degrees, she suffered a heart attack and her organs began to fail before she was put into a medically-induced coma.

An infectious disease doctor ordered to check if she had a tampon in and after a test was done, she was diagnosed with TSS.

Toxic shock syndrome is a rare and life threatening bacterial infection. It is commonly misdiagnosed because the symptoms resemble other more common illnesses.

While her life was saved, the damage to Lauren’s legs from gangrene was irreperable, and doctors needed to amputate.

Speaking on the podcast she said: ‘My feet were on fire, it was like someone was lighing my foot on fire, the burning sensation was insane.

Lauren Wasser, 35, from Santa Monica, California, revealed she nearly died after getting Toxic Shock Syndrome caused by a tampon

While in the hospital her fever reached 107 degrees, she suffered a heart attack and her organs began to fail before she was put into a medically induced coma

‘My right leg was worse than my left, my toes on my left were turning purple but my right side, there was a lot more damage, you could tell. So then the concern came in that basically they needed to amputate my right leg to save my life or I was going to die.’

However Lauren revealed she found out that her leg needed to be amputated after she overheard a nurse speaking on the phone.

She said: ‘I am lying there, my room is empty and I can hear a nurse behind a curtain, she is saying: ”I have a young girl here, she is 24-years-old, who’s going to need a right leg below the knee amputation.

‘I remember looking around and thinking, “Is she talking about me, she’s saying I am an amputation?”. And I just started screaming, I was screaming for my mother, my godfather, I was screaming for everyone, saying; “Do not let this person touch me”.

‘I was unaware of the severity of the situation for myself. That was the first time I heard the word amputation.’

Lauren has also been making her mark in the fashion industry, starring in campaigns for Lacoste, Furla and Shiseido, and acquiring the nickname of fashion’s Girl with the Golden Legs, as bother her prosthetic legs are gold

Lauren who had to get both her legs amputated as a result of TSS, reflected on the lasting impact of her near-death experience on The Diary Of A CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett (pictured)

At the time, her doctors had recommended amputating both legs, but there was a 50 per cent chance her left leg could be saved, so she took the risk.

She said: ‘I probably didn’t look at my leg for months, I couldn’t even acknowledge that it happened.

WHAT IS TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME?

Toxic shock syndrome is a highly dangerous bacterial infection – but it can be misdiagnosed because the symptoms are similar to other illnesses and because it is so rare.

It occurs when usually harmless staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus bacteria, which live on the skin, invade the bloodstream and release dangerous toxins.

TSS’ prevalance is unclear but doctors have claimed it affects around one or two in every 100,000 women.

It has a mortality rate of between five and 15 per cent. And reoccurs in 30-to-40 per cent of cases.

Symptoms usually begin with a sudden high fever – a temperature above 38.9°C/102°F.

Within a few hours a sufferer will develop flu-like symptoms including headache, muscle aches, a sore throat and cough.

Nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, feeling faint, dizziness and confusion are also symptoms.

Women are most at risk of getting toxic shock syndrome during menstruation and particularly if they are using tampons, have recently given birth or are using an internal barrier contraceptive, such as a diaphragm.

While tampon boxes advise to change them between four to eight hours, it is common for women to forget and leave them in overnight.

Treatment may involve antibiotics to fight the infection, oxygen to help with breathing, fluids to prevent dehydration and organ damage, and medication to control blood pressure.

Dialysis may also be needed if the kidneys stop functioning.

In severe cases, surgery may be required to remove dead tissue. In rare incidences, it may be necessary to amputate the affected area.

To prevent TSS, women should use tampons with the lowest absorbency for their flow, alternate between a tampon and a sanitary towel, and wash their hands before and after insertion.

Tampons should also be changed regularly, as directed on the packaging – usually every four to eight hours.

‘The doctors come in and they are telling me that I had some sort of complication during the surgery and they say, ”OK Lauren for the next 24-hours we cannot give you any pain medicine”. This is right after I got my leg amputated, chopped off.’

‘I guess it was something to do with the medicine, trying not to get my heart to freak out and have another heart attack, I don’t even really remember.

‘So for 24 hours they put me in my own little room and I felt every single thing that was done to me, I was screaming, I was crying, I felt like a shark had just f***king ripped through my leg.

‘My mother couldn’t be in the room, no one could be because I was screaming, crying and freaking out. Not only was it traumatic having my leg chopped off but then to have to really feel what was just done to me was on another level.’

After she was released from hospital, she spent eight months in a wheelchair.

She said: ‘Every day I would wheel myself into the shower get myself on a stool and just f*****g scream and cry and yell at God.

‘And wanting to think about ways I could kill myself, to end my life. But every day there was something saying, “Just hold on”, Something in my soul said just hold on, and it all makes sense now.’

While doctors had initially salvaged her left leg, it caused her so much pain in the six years that followed that she had no choice but to have it amputated too, just before she turned 30.

Lauren has since dedicated much of her efforts to raising awareness of TSS and advocating for better transparency in women’s menstrual products.

She said: ‘[Tampons] made using chlorine bleach, dioxin and synthetic fibres, which create the perfect storm in our bodies.’

‘I have been working with a mother who lost her teenage daughter to TSS when she was 18 – Madeline Mosby. Through the darkness and trauma of that we have joined forces in wanting to change the world and wanting to advocate and pass these bills.

‘She’s being doing a lot of the groundwork like starting her foundation DontShockMe.org. There is a bill that we are working on to pass.’

She has also been working with the Democratic congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to promote legislation requiring manufacturers to list all ingredients of feminine-hygiene items on their packaging.

TSS occurs when usually harmless Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus bacteria, which live on the skin, invade the bloodstream and produce dangerous toxins.

Symptoms include a high fever, low blood pressure, vomiting, confusion and seizures.

It most commonly occurs in women using tampons. Each year toxic shock syndrome affects about one in 100,000 women.

Tampon boxes come with a warning of the deadly infection after leaving it in for more than eight hours, although Wasser said she changed hers regularly.

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