I made a mistake at my friend’s wedding that caused my organs to fail

A teacher in Texas nearly died from a rare bacterial infection she contracted after keeping her tampon in for too long.

Ashley DeSkeere, 43, woke up one morning last month with ‘major chills’ and intense waves of nausea, vomiting every half hour.

At first, she thought she had caught a regular stomach bug from a family wedding she attended two days before. But within three days, her blood pressure plummeted and she struggled to breathe. 

The mother-of-three rushed to the hospital, where doctors found she had developed a one-in-100,000 condition called toxic shock syndrome (TSS), which was caused by keeping her tampon in for eight hours during the wedding.  

Mrs DeSkeere, a teacher in Texas, was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome, a one-in-100,000 bacterial infection, from leaving her tampon in for eight hours. She is pictured here hooked up to six different antibiotics

Mrs DeSkeere, who was told she was ‘lucky’ to be alive, is now warning other women to change their tampons regularly to avoid the deadly infection, or avoid the sanitary products all together. 

She said: ‘I was very scared. I said to my husband that I thought I was dying. I have never felt so awful in my entire life.

‘I will never use a tampon again. This absolutely terrified me and I cannot believe it happened and there is no way I would do it.’ 

TSS is a rare but life-threatening infection from toxins produced by bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (staph) and group A streptococcus (strep). 

Leaving tampons in the vagina for long periods of time while a woman is menstruating’s can create a warm environment, which encourages bacteria found in period blood to grow.

Tampons, especially super-absorbent ones, can stick to the vaginal walls, causing tiny abrasions bacteria can seep into and then enter the bloodstream.

However, about half of TSS cases are from factors other than tampons, including skin wounds or infections. 

In some cases, swimming in contaminated water with an open wound could lead to TSS. 

The condition kills anywhere from three to seven out of 10 patients, according to Cleveland Clinic.  

Mrs DeSkeere’s doctors began suspecting TSS when they realized she had just finished her monthly menstrual cycle.

She told doctors tampons were all she ever wore while on her period and the longest she had ever worn one was eight hours at the wedding. 

She said: ‘I typically change them every four hours and in the night.

‘For something like this to happen to me, eight hours doesn’t seem enough.’ 

The FDA recommends changing tampons every four to eight hours and using the lowest absorbency tampons possible to reduce the risk, as well as only using a tampon when menstruating. 

Mrs DeSkeere was admitted to the intensive care unit for five days, where doctors had to hook her up to six different intravenous antibiotics to rid her body of the infection. 

Antibiotics, as well as fluids and medications to stabilize blood pressure, are the standard treatment. 

She said: ‘Multiple doctors told me I was very lucky that I was able to make it to the hospital as most people die after two days [with this], and I was on day two-and-a-half.

‘I was told that I came in at the right time because if I came in any later they may not have been able to do anything for me.

‘It’s one of those things that you don’t think is going to happen to you and you don’t hear about it as much these days.’

Mrs DeSkeere, pictured here recovering at home, spent five days in the intensive care unit recovering from the near-deadly infection

The mother-of-three is now warning other women to change their tampons often or seek out alternative sanitary products

Little is known about long-term effects from TSS, and most women recover fully. However, some reports point to mental and emotional issues like difficulty concentrating, as well as muscle weakness.

TSS has not been shown to impact fertility or reproductive health. 

Though she had used tampons for 25 years, Mrs DeSkeere is now opting to use other sanitary products to avoid TSS. 

She said: ‘To people that do want to use tampons, my advice is to just change them very frequently.

‘My advice would be to change your tampon every time you go to the bathroom and to never wear one that is a higher absorbency than you need.

‘I am just grateful to be where I am today and getting better. It has been a rough recovery and harder than I thought it would be but every day I’m getting better and better.’

Mrs DeSkeere’s treatment was extensive and included cultures, blood tests, fluids, imaging and multiple antibiotics. Now, her loved ones are raising money to help pay for her medical expenses through GoFundMe.