{"id":3647,"date":"2026-08-20T12:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=3647"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:44:14","slug":"woman-lost-both-her-legs-and-almost-died-after-using-tampon-correctly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=3647","title":{"rendered":"Woman Lost Both Her Legs And Almost Died After Using Tampon Correctly"},"content":{"rendered":"

A woman lost both her legs and almost died after using a tampon correctly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tampons are a widely used menstrual product, designed to provide comfort and convenience during menstruation.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

These small, absorbent devices allow people to continue their daily activities without interruption.<\/p>\n

While tampons are a common part of many people\u2019s lives, it\u2019s essential to understand proper usage, potential risks, and benefits.<\/p>\n

Lauren Wasser followed the instructions on a tampon box but faced a devastating outcome \u2013 she\u2019s now speaking out and warning others.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren Wasser lost both her legs after using a tampon correctly. Credit: @theimpossiblemuse\/Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

People took to the comments after hearing Wasser\u2019s heartbreaking story.<\/p>\n

One wrote: \u201cListened to her on a podcast, such an awful story. This could happen to any woman at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Lauren, for being brave enough to share your story even if it only helps one person; you have succeeded,\u201d another commented.<\/p>\n

A third said: \u201cOmg, that\u2019s so scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2012, Wasser, at age 24, claims she dutifully changed her tampons every four hours during her period.<\/p>\n

\u201cChange each tampon every 4 to 8 hours.\u00a0Never wear a single tampon for more than 8 hours at a time,\u201d as advised by the\u00a0U.S. Food & Drug Administration.<\/p>\n

However, Wasser began experiencing flu-like symptoms and within hours, she was on the brink of death.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren Wasser says she was found \u201910 minutes from death.\u2019 Credit: NBC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wasser\u2019s friends quickly observed her worrying condition on a day out and advised her to go home and rest.<\/p>\n

But hours would go by without communication and the 24-year-old\u2019s mother grew concerned, contacting the police for a welfare check.<\/p>\n

When an officer arrived, they noted Wasser\u2019s illness, however, they deemed it not serious enough to warrant immediate hospitalization.<\/p>\n

Wasser, now in her thirties, recalled how she felt at the time on the\u00a0Life Uncut<\/em>\u00a0podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was extremely hot. By this time, I was developing a 41.5 (107 \u00b0F) fever, so I wanted all of my clothes off,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dog was jumping on me ferociously and barking at me. She knew something was wrong. My body was shutting down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasser said she was soon found face down on the floor \u201910 minutes from death\u2019 and was rushed to the hospital.<\/p>\n

Her condition deteriorated rapidly \u2013 she suffered two heart attacks, kidney failure, and tissue decomposition, per\u00a0The Sun.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren Wasser would be told she had contracted toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Credit: @theimpossiblemuse\/Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hospital staff gave her a one percent chance of survival and told Wasser\u2019s parents to prepare for the worst.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey couldn\u2019t figure out why this young, healthy 24-year-old girl was dying before them,\u201d Wasser said.<\/p>\n

Despite efforts, the damage to Wasser\u2019s limbs proved irreversible. Consequently, her right leg was amputated below the knee, as well as some of her left toes and a portion of her heel on her left foot, per\u00a0MailOnline.<\/p>\n

Later, in 2018, she would have her left leg removed after battling \u2018excruciating pain.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything happened so fast,\u201d she recalled. \u201cMy\u00a0life, within 24 hours, completely changed, and there was no going back.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would soon be confirmed that Wasser had contracted toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a rare but life-threatening condition.<\/p>\n

Mayo Clinic\u00a0says: \u201cToxic shock syndrome can affect anyone. Risk factors for toxic shock syndrome include skin wounds, surgery, and the use of tampons and other devices, such as menstrual cups and birth control sponges, or diaphragms.\u201d<\/p>\n

TSS is relatively uncommon, with\u00a0Clue\u00a0reporting that each year, toxic shock syndrome affects about one in 100,000 menstruating people in the\u00a0U.S.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren
Lauren Wasser, now known as the \u2018girl with the golden legs,\u2019 is a successful model. Credit: @theimpossiblemuse\/Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wasser, known as the \u2018girl with the golden legs,\u2019 now works as a model \u2013 she\u2019s walked the runway for Louis Vuitton and appeared in Vogue, Harper\u2019s Bazaar, and Glamour.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old emphasizes the importance of awareness about TSS, saying: \u201cEvery single person needs to be aware of this. People think they\u2019re invincible but no one is off limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasser \u2013 who now exclusively uses period pads \u2013 also wants to dispel the myth that TSS is caused by leaving tampons in for more than eight hours, she says the illness can even happen to those who use them correctly.<\/p>\n

Cleveland Clinic\u00a0elaborated: \u201cThere isn\u2019t a set time for when symptoms of TSS start after using a tampon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasser concludes: \u201cWe\u2019re putting that inside of us at such a delicate time and it creates a perfect storm. It takes one of those toxins to get inside your body and start acting like the flu and shutting down your organs, it\u2019s lethal, it\u2019s dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my goal and life mission to make sure that not only is this information out there but women have these conversations amongst each other, create the dialogue and check in with each other because knowledge is key.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A woman lost both her legs and almost died after using a tampon correctly. Tampons are a widely used menstrual product, designed to provide comfort and convenience during menstruation. These … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-3647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending","tag-breaking-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3647"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3649,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3647\/revisions\/3649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}