‘I left one in for 2 weeks in before on accident and it smelt horrendous. that’s crazy’
A woman has spoken about leaving a tampon in for two-years in what she described as not her “proudest moment”.
Doctors were left stunned when they found the tampon inside Melanie Galeaz, from Massachusetts when she was a teenager.
Melanie shared a video about the incident when that left viewers aghast and baffled about how she didn’t get Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) – a life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins.
Read also: Maura Higgins nearly died after tampon got stuck inside her for three months
The video went viral, amassing more than 16 million views, and a lot of people had questions, which she answered in a follow up video that has clocked up over 600,000 views.
@melaniegaleaz Not my proudest moment #fyp ♬ original sound – <3
After being asked how she didn’t get TSS – Melanie detailed the traumatic experience.
She explained that she had suffered from Lyme disease – a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks – as a child after being bitten by a tick.
She experienced all the symptoms, but the results of the tests were “confusing” and unclear.
@melaniegaleaz Replying to @livvvv_420 don’t be mean to me I beg of you I know this was very bad and it could have ended very badly #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – mel
Melanie was given medication and the symptoms went away.
But, in high school, she began experiencing “pains” in her body, as well as some “gross stuff happening down south”.
Melanie was embarrassed to tell the doctor what was happening, and hoped her symptoms were related to her earlier diagnosis of Lyme disease.
The medication she had previously been given for the disease helped with the pain, but the problems “down south” continued, she explained.
A gynaecologist later “crank[ed] her open”, looked inside her vagina and “gasped”.
“She says, ‘you have a tampon stuck horizontally under your cervix’,” Melanie recalled.
Though the gynaecologist reportedly struggled to believe the tampon could have been in there for two years, doctors suggested it might have caused an infection, which led to the pain she was experiencing.
Melanie assured viewers that she and the tampon have since “parted ways”.
TikTokers couldn’t get over the story. Twenty eight thousand commented on her first story.
“What I don’t understand is how you didn’t feel it. like ???,” one person wrote.
Another commented: “I left one in for 2 weeks in before on accident and it smelt HORRENDOUS. that’s crazy.”
According to the NHS, TSS is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins.
“It’s often associated with tampon use in young women, but it can affect anyone of any age – including men and children,” the NHS website reads.
“TSS gets worse very quickly and can be fatal if not treated promptly. But if it’s diagnosed and treated early, most people make a full recovery.”
Tampon manufacturers advise that a tampon should not be left in for more than eight hours, the NHS states.
TSS has been linked to women using tampons in some rare cases.
In October, Former Love Island contestant Maura Higgins revealed she got severely ill after having a tampon stuck inside her for three months.
The 31-year-old spoke about the experience on ITV2 show Shopping with Keith Lemon, which sees Lemon hitting the shops with celebrity guests.
Maura admitted to Lemon that she had a “very bad experience” with a tampon that made her “so ill” and hoped the experience would serve as a warning to other women.
“I did have a very bad experience. I’m not a doctor, I don’t know much about [toxic shock syndrome], but I know you are not meant to leave a tampon inside for more than, I think it’s nine hours, I think that’s the max,” Maura explained.
Maura recalled: “I was so ill. I did not know what was going on.”
She continued: “There were people that have died from that happening. Young girls might not have noticed, like you go on a night out, what if you got really drunk and forgot, like, these things actually do happen, and people don’t speak about it.”
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