Am I being paranoid about toxic shock syndrome?

April 25, 2023 6:29 AM

I never wear tampons, ever but yesterday I went to the spa and was on my period so I used a tampon. It was in for about 6 hours. I started feeling unwell after I had taken it out and still feel unwell today, is this related?

About half an hour after taking it out I started getting a really bad migraine and getting a temperature, I was sweating quite a bit. I then felt okish yesterday evening, this morning again I have got a bad migraine and am now feeling quite cold.

I'm super paranoid that it might be toxic shock syndrome. Has anyone else ever experienced it and do my initial symptoms sound like they might relate?

posted by Sunflower88 to Health & Fitness (16 answers total)

You are almost surely being paranoid, but look a fever and migraine are not crazy reasons to do a covid test and not crazy reasons to call your doctor. Wouldn't you feel better having your doctor tell you you're being paranoid than hearing it from us?

Also 6 hours is not that long.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:34 AM on April 25, 2023

I would definitely take a covid test just to be on the safe side. I doubt very, very, very seriously it's TSS. My sister recently had a very weird body temperature/fever issue after leaving a spa and nearly worried herself silly before calling her GP. Turns out it had to do with getting a little dehydrated and a little bit of heat exhaustion from sitting too long in a jacuzzi/sauna, which happens post-spa all the time. I have medical anxiety. I have convinced myself countless times I have had TSS. I really don't think that this is what is happening.
posted by thivaia at 6:39 AM on April 25, 2023

I think that TSS is serious when it does happen, but it's quite rare. It's hard not to be concerned about it occasionally when tampon packets have warnings about it.

Certainly get checked by a doctor if you still feel unwell. There are plenty of other things which could explain these symptoms. I hope you feel better soon!
posted by kinddieserzeit at 6:45 AM on April 25, 2023

FWIW TSS was really an issue with the design of tampons in the 70s and 80s. It's incredibly rare to develop it from tampons now. I don't know anyone who's ever had it. I've been known to accidentally leave a tampon in for longer than the recommended 8 hours with some frequency and have never had an issue. I'm sorry that you're ill, however! No fun.
posted by stray at 6:57 AM on April 25, 2023

Agreed that it is quite reasonable to see the doctor if you are ill, and also that it seems very, very unlikely to be TSS, which is genuinely very rare. Just to reassure you further, six hours is a very ordinary amount of time to wear a tampon. The (very conservative) warnings on the packet advise you not to go longer than eight hours.
posted by redfoxtail at 6:58 AM on April 25, 2023

It is very unlikely you have TSS. TSS is very rare in the US - like < 100 cases a year, and many cases aren't even connected to tampon use. The warnings really make it seem super common! But it's not, at all. Also, six hours is a pretty regular amount of time to wear a tampon.

Agree with the COVID testing recs. If migraines are not normal for you and you're not able to manage with OTC painkillers, it sounds like a doctor's visit might be in order. Stay hydrated and feel better soon!
posted by quadrilaterals at 7:00 AM on April 25, 2023

It's incredibly unlikely that you have TSS - much more likely that this is just the inevitable overlap of "sometimes, someone's going to get sick at the same time they happen to be wearing a tampon." But I'm sorry you're feeling unwell and anxious! Get some rest, and if you can't keep yourself comfortable enough with OTC meds, by all means call your doctor.
posted by Stacey at 7:06 AM on April 25, 2023

I'd say it's extremely unlikely you have TSS, as symptoms come on suddenly and get worse very quickly. See the NHS guidance here, for what to look out for - yours sounds more like a low-grade virus.
posted by altolinguistic at 7:23 AM on April 25, 2023

Many millions of people routinely wear a tampon overnight, ie ~8 hours, so you'd have to be unbelievably unlucky to have it from wearing one for only six hours, on a rare occurrence of wearing one. Sorry you're feeling ill, but I do think this is a case where "when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras" is probably useful. Hope you feel better soon, whatever it is.
posted by penguin pie at 7:40 AM on April 25, 2023

You are about 1000 times more likely to be dehydrated from your period + spa attendance than have TSS, which was only actually associated with tampon use - and only rarely that - for a brief period in the 70s. People get modern tampons lost for days or weeks without serious consequences now. You're at a higher risk for water-borne illness than TSS.

Electrolytes, an nsaid if you can take them, and covid test. If you experience any unusual discharge, go to urgent care. If the headache persists through medication and rehydration, go to urgent care and make sure to explain about any pools you used at the spa. It would take some pretty serious negligence to get amoebosis from a spa pool, but any time you are sick enough for medical attention and have been in a body of water, it's worth mentioning.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:53 AM on April 25, 2023

Heat exhaustion, perhaps?
Google search results:
Hot Tub Hyperthermia - signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion:
Heat exhaustion symptoms may include dizziness, light-headedness, blurred vision and headache. Fever, usually over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat exhaustion usually causes a rise in body temperature, even though it can sometimes cause a person to feel cool.
Heat exhaustion is not something you recover from right away. It may take up to three or four days until your body is back to normal. During that time you'll need to rest and stay out of the heat and humidity.
posted by SageTrail at 8:10 AM on April 25, 2023

Seconding heat exhaustion, possibly. It's not unusual to have weird thermoregulation stuff happen during your period and spa-related heat exposure can exacerbate things.

Also, you might be having a vasovagal response from the tampon coming into contact with your cervix, which would case faintness and other fun stuff. Usually you hear about this happening when someone inserts a tampon, but the way that some tampons expand and some cervixes sit makes this a possible risk of tampon removal. If you rarely use tampons this might be a possibility worth considering.
posted by blerghamot at 9:03 AM on April 25, 2023

As a data point, I routinely with tampons in, for 8+ hours. I have never had an issue.
posted by corb at 1:32 AM on April 26, 2023

As other commenters have pointed out, TSS is very rare and unlikely. If you haven’t been diligently masking against COVID, I think that’s the far more likely option here.
posted by quince at 9:19 AM on April 26, 2023

fwiw, twice in my life I have had VERY bad reactions to tampons, with symptoms that looked a lot like TSS but probably weren't.

Very sudden onset of symptoms that escalated fast. Fever, weakness, flu-like feeling, shivering. The first time it happened I literally had to crawl along the floor and up the stairs to get to the bathroom and take the damn thing out, then crawl to my bedroom to collapse in bed. In both cases the symptoms improved after I took the tampon out and I was recovered completely by the next day. I avoided using them for years after the second time it happened, but I do use them now.

It's super weird!

Anyway I'm describing this to say it's not outside the realm of possibility that your symptoms are related to using a tampon. But that doesn't necessarily mean it is TSS. If you are still worried this evening maybe call a gynecologist (your regular doctor or try the local equivalent of Planned Parenthood?) to set your mind at ease. I'm guessing a non-specialist GP might not see this kind of thing too often.
posted by EllaEm at 11:51 AM on April 26, 2023

Saunas, hot tubs, and cold pools give me body aches and headaches. For me, it's dehydration related. I would monitor your symptoms and seek medical care if they get worse, but probably just having 2 glasses of water and some electrolytes (a salty snack, a banana, a pickle, a gatorade, etc) will fix it.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:29 AM on April 30, 2023