Living with toxic shock syndrome (TSS), Lauren Wasser has had to endure amputations, extreme pain, and more in order to survive.
Here is her story of resilience and the importance of women’s health awareness.
Lauren Wasser was born into the modeling industry as the daughter of two models, and had always felt beautiful and strong.
So it was unsurprising that she too pursued a career in modeling.
But, her life changed drastically in 2012 when she suffered flu-like symptoms that almost killed her – she was found unconscious on her bedroom floor 10 minutes away from death due to a fever reaching 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
After being placed on life support for a week-and-a-half, Wasser then found herself unrecognizable.
She weighed 200 pounds due to fluid retention, her hair had been shaved off due to matted hair, and gangrene consumed both legs.
The only way to save her life was to amputate both feet from her right leg as well as all toes from the left foot.
Shockingly enough, after enduring 6 years of grueling pain and suffering, the actual cause behind Lauren Wasser’s nearly fatal experience came down to something very common among women – tampons.
More specifically Super Plus tampons, which are used regularly by many women worldwide each month, were responsible for causing this horrific event – leading some experts even going so far as saying they should be banned entirely.
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is caused by usually harmless Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus bacteria living on skin invading our bloodstream producing dangerous toxins which can lead to sudden high fevers, headaches, muscle aches sore throats coughs nausea vomiting diarrhea dizziness confusion etc.
While tampon boxes warn against leaving them in for more than 8 hours due its risk factor associated with TSS, Lauren claims that she had followed instructions changing them regularly while experiencing symptoms associated with the infection – thus emphasizing just how easily TSS can be misdiagnosed if not properly handled.
Since then Lauren has since become an advocate for raising awareness about potentially dangerous effects of tampons on both women and young girls alike.
In addition promoting legislation for transparency related towards feminine hygiene products, Lauren uses her voice/story informing others about risks associated with toxic shock syndrome speaking publicly.
