Woman who accidentally left tampon in for a MONTH lays bare horrifying symptoms
Reality star Savannah Miller, 24, who is best known for starring in season seven of Netflix 's The Circle, opened up about the 'traumatizing' ordeal during a recent chat with the New York Post.
She explained that despite feeling sick and developing a horrific smell in her private area, medical professionals failed to uncover what was causing it across multiple visits.
The TV star said it began after she put in a tampon during a night out with friends near the end of her period.
But the next morning, she had 'forgot she put it in' so she never took it out.
'There was no blood and the string had disappeared, I didn't see it,' she told the publication.
Savannah said the first thing she noticed was that a strange smell started to come from her vagina... and as the days went on it got so bad she compared it to a dead animal.
'It smelled like a rat crawled inside of me while I was sleeping and died,' she confessed.
She thought the smell meant she was still on her period so she ended up putting in another tampon, which likely pushed the other further back.
She soon started to feel run-down and itchy down there, so she went to her college clinic.
Doctors tested her for STDS but everything came back negative.
'They thought it was just [bacterial vaginosis], but I knew there was no way people walked around with BV smelling like this,' added the 24-year-old.
It wasn't until her third visit when the doctor noticed traces of cotton in her urine that they realized what was causing her mysterious illness - nearly a month after she initially put the tampon in.
'It was so far up in my cervix there was no shot I was gonna see it. The doctor had to fish it out of my ovaries,' she said.
In the end, she said she's grateful she didn't develop Toxic Shock Syndrome, and she hopes that speaking out about it will help prevent others from suffering the same fate.
Back in June, Shannon Toner spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail about how she almost died from using a tampon at age 15 after developing Toxic Shock Syndrome.
'It put me in a coma and nearly took my life - I hadn't even had my period for a full year yet,' Shannon, who was on a family vacation at the time, explained.
Shannon revealed she began to feel ill in the evening after she landed, but she assumed it was just jet lag and tried to sleep it off.
But she woke up the next day with extreme symptoms, including: vomiting, diarrhea, a fever, and fatigue.
'I was brought to the doctor that afternoon, given a shot for nausea, and sent home,' she continued.
'I continued to deteriorate and was brought back to the doctor later that same day.'
'My last memory is collapsing in the office and laying on the ground because it hurt too much to sit up,' she recalled.
'My heart rate was extremely high, my blood pressure was dangerously low, and I was rushed to the ICU. I didn't wake up until a few days later.'
Toxic Shock Syndrome is a 'rare complication of certain types of bacterial infections,' according to MayoClinic. It can be fatal.
'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.'
Shannon was given a 50/50 chance of survival and while she ultimately recovered, she suffered from the after effects for years.
'I dealt with memory loss, anxiety, attention issues, and depression. My periods also became extremely painful,' she explained.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
40 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Woman from Gaza evacuated to Italy dies in hospital
A 20-year old Palestinian woman described as being in a 'state of severe physical deterioration' has died after being transferred to Italy for treatment, medics in Pisa said. The patient was admitted to Pisa University Hospital late on Wednesday and died on Friday. Advertisement She was removed from Gaza as part of a humanitarian mission and arrived with a 'with a very complex, compromised clinical picture', according to the hospital. She died after entering a respiratory crisis and subsequently going into cardiac arrest, it said in a statement. Hospital staff had performed tests and started supportive therapy before she died, the statement said. The woman, named by Italian media as Marah Abu Zuhri, had arrived in Italy with her mother. Advertisement Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said almost 120 Palestinians – 31 patients and their families – had been flown to Rome, Milan and Pisa on three planes. Families evacuated from Gaza arrive at Rome's Ciampino military airport (Gregorio Borgia/AP) In a post on X, Mr Tajani said that it was the 14th medical evacuation of Palestinians that Italy had conducted since January 2024, and the largest. The hospital did not specify whether the woman had suffered from malnutrition, but said that she had arrived in a 'state of severe physical deterioration.' Eugenio Giani, leader of the Tuscan region, expressed his condolences on Saturday for the woman's death. Advertisement Earlier in the week, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza were at their highest levels since the Israel-Hamas war began. The UN says nearly 12,000 children under five were found to have acute malnutrition in July – including more than 2,500 with severe malnutrition, the most dangerous level. The World Health Organisation says the numbers are likely an undercount. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month no one in Gaza is starving. 'There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,' he said. Advertisement US President Donald Trump responded to Mr Netanyahu's claim by noting the images emerging of emaciated people. 'I don't know,' Mr Trump said when asked if he agreed with the Israeli leader's comment. 'I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.' Over the past two weeks, Israel has allowed around triple the amount of food into Gaza than what had been entering since late May. That was after two and a half months when Israel barred all food, medicine and other supplies, saying it was to pressure Hamas to release hostages taken during its October 2023 attack that launched the war. Advertisement
Times
40 minutes ago
- Times
Harvey Morrison's parents speak out after the death of their son
Even before he was born into the world, Harvey Morrison was fighting for his life. His parents Gillian and Stephen were told during her first scans that their unborn son had spina bifida and would probably not survive birth. 'The hospital kept mentioning termination. They kept saying, 'You're only young, it's your first child, you can go again. This will be a burden on you for the rest of your life.' Harvey was anything but a burden,' Gillian said. When she had her 36-week scan, it was suggested it might be best if they made the baby comfortable and let him pass when he was born as he might not survive. Gillian made her way home distraught. 'I felt under pressure to give up on him before he was even born.' That night she and Stephen promised to do whatever it took to help their son. 'We went back in and told them to do everything medically possible to keep him alive,' Stephen said. 'He changed us as human beings. He shaped us morally. He just changed who we were.' The Morrisons are grieving the loss of their eldest son, whose unexpected death on July 29 has provoked public outrage. For years, they had fought in vain to secure better services, healthcare and surgery for Harvey's scoliosis. #Justiceforharvey has been trending all week. The boy's death has led to opposition calls for the tanaiste Simon Harris to resign, after he failed to organise a promised meeting about the boy's condition when he was taoiseach. Here, Harvey's parents tell the full story of what happened for the first time. Gillian was 23 when she became pregnant with Harvey. At the time she was planning a career in childcare. 'I actually wanted to work with children with additional needs,' she said. 'When I was told about Harvey, it just felt so fitting.' Harvey was born on January 15, 2016, by planned caesarean section. The Morrisons soon adjusted to life as full-time carers, with Gillian receiving an allowance and some support services. Then Harvey began to fail. He would scream and vomit repeatedly. Gillian suspected allergies and she says her concerns were dismissed. The family's real struggle began when Harvey's scoliosis worsened. He had been born with a Z-shaped spine. 'That's what they said he looked like in the scan,' Gillian said. 'I didn't really know much about scoliosis then.' Medics told the Morrisons that controlling Harvey's spinal curve was literally a matter of life or death — but operating on someone so young carried serious risks. 'Harvey was too ill to operate on. So we watched and waited to see how it would progress. But it seemed to get worse very quickly,' Gillian said. They discussed a traction system attached to his wheelchair — a method normally used for short periods before surgery to correct posture. In Harvey's case it would have meant eight or nine years of continuous use, robbing him of any quality of life and requiring full-time nursing. The prognosis darkened when Harvey's Chiari malformation, a condition in which part of the brain is pulled down towards the spinal column, worsened. 'They weren't sure whether the scoliosis was driving the Chiari, or the Chiari was driving the scoliosis,' Stephen said. Doctors decided on surgery to correct the Chiari through decompression. The operation, carried out when Harvey was just two and a half, stalled the scoliosis for a time, but complications arose. 'It actually had a massive impact on his quality of life,' Stephen said. Harvey was a survivor. Though he could not speak, his emotions were plain in his eyes and expressions. He fought off every cold, flu and virus going. 'Any time he'd get a cough, he didn't have the lung function to clear the phlegm from his chest,' Gillian said. 'So it would fester and then he'd get pneumonia.' Ambulances became routine. 'If he got a bit of a sniffle in the morning, we could need an ambulance by the afternoon,' Stephen said. By 2020, the curvature of Harvey's spine had reached a life-threatening angle. In February 2022, he was added to the waiting list for corrective surgery. That June, the family were told it would take place in August. But the date came and went with no explanation. 'No one contacted us. At that point, we hadn't found our voice,' Gillian said. As Harvey's condition worsened, his parents learnt to frame their concerns as suggestions. Too often, they said, symptoms were dismissed as behavioural issues rather than signs of illness. 'There was a pattern to this through his life,' Gillian said. 'They'd dismiss our concerns and we'd have to keep saying it.' Like many other families whose children have spina bifida and scoliosis, when they made complaints to the hospital, but also politicians and the media, no one listened. Separately, leaked reports have since exposed how departments in some Children's Health Ireland-run hospitals are dysfunctional, held hostage by toxic internal cultures, professional rivalries, alleged corruption, bullying and a failure of leadership that often put patient safety at risk. This is why they are seeking an inquiry into the care provided to children suffering from scoliosis. By 2023, Harvey's health had sharply declined. In March that year, a date was set for April then cancelled a week before. 'We were essentially left in limbo,' Gillian said. Harvey's scoliosis progressed rapidly. That summer, he broke several bones and developed a serious chest infection. 'I was quite angry at the time,' she said. 'He was losing weight. He was seven years old and weighed 15 kilos. At one stage I screamed and demanded they get a surgeon to look at him. I actually said, 'My child is going to die.'' It was suggested putting Harvey in a brace until he was old enough for spinal fusion. Gillian suspected the real plan was to keep him braced until he 'aged out' into the adult service. 'So we said no.' Then she discovered his name had vanished from the waiting list due to bureaucratic blunders. This spurned the family into going public. They posted details about Harvey's story on X, attracting tens of thousands of likes and praise. Harvey became an influencer of sorts. The Morrisons did everything possible to get help for their son. They arranged for a specialist from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to see Harvey in a clinic at Crumlin hospital. His view was unequivocal: Harvey needed surgery and spinal rods to stop the life-threatening scoliosis. The family considered emigrating to Liverpool or Canada for treatment, but Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool had a two-year waiting list and Canada would not take Harvey. They were eventually introduced to Professor Damian McCormack, who examined Harvey in his clinic and devised a plan. His weight was low and bone density a concern — but only in his lower limbs. 'Professor McCormack said there's a slightly higher risk with Harvey but it wasn't to the point we shouldn't do it,' Gillian said. By then, his condition had deteriorated significantly, the delays compounded by bureaucracy and what his parents call hospital indifference. 'Their hospitals are dysfunctional,' Gillian said. 'I remember once being asked to deliver a letter from one department to another. The woman told me it would take three days to arrive by internal post. It summed up everything.' Delays in treating scoliosis can place patients at grave risk because the progressive curvature of the spine can distort the body's structure and compromise vital functions. When surgical interventions are postponed, the spine may curve to such an extent that it begins to impinge on the lungs, heart and other organs, leading to respiratory difficulties, chronic pain and reduced mobility. In February 2022, Harvey's spinal curvature measured 75 degrees when he was first placed on the surgery list. By the time he went into theatre — 33 months later, in November 2024 — it had doubled to 130. His life was at risk, his frail body was failing and his parents had no choice. Harvey faced complication after complication following surgery. On Christmas Eve, he was admitted to hospital with sepsis, forcing medics to remove some of the metalwork from his spine. He went on antibiotics and pulled through. Then, for the first time in six years, he began to thrive. 'He was eating,' Gillian said. 'He was starting to communicate.' The family were given an electronic speech device by the HSE, similar to an iPad, that allowed Harvey to press buttons to speak. They took more than four years to get it. 'It had a button which said 'I love you',' Gillian said. 'I used to press it hoping that one day he would be able to press it to tell me he loves me. Then it was 'crisps', 'lollipop' and 'drink'. And then 'wheelchair'. It completely transformed his life and ours. We were beginning to think about holidays. We were just in the process of booking one, and rearranging the house … when he got sick.' How quickly everything can change.' Harvey died in the early hours of July 29. He had fallen ill just days earlier, during a street party outside his home in Clondalkin. Gillian was the first to notice something was wrong — he had broken his leg. 'I brought him into the children's department at Connolly Hospital, but they sent him to Temple Street,' she said. At Temple Street, an X-ray confirmed a clean break. His leg was put in a cast and they returned home. But later that day, Gillian noticed he was breathing rapidly and felt hot. She took him back to hospital. Overnight, doctors struggled to bring down his heart rate and could not find a source of infection. Gillian saw something that chilled her — Harvey's pupils were dilated, sluggish and barely reacting to light. Later, an ultrasound scan showed his internal organs were inflamed. Still, they believed he would pull through, as he always had. At times he was conscious, using his speech device to press the button for 'drink'. 'We couldn't give him water to drink because we didn't know what was wrong, but he was thirsty and kept hitting: drink, drink, drink, drink,' Gillian said. 'I just kept saying, 'I can't give you any more.'' Gillian and Stephen went home to rest. At 3am, the phone rang: Harvey was in cardiac arrest. By the time they reached the hospital, he had died, but the doctors were still trying to revive him. 'I knew at that point if they got him back, there would have been probably nothing there. It will never leave me,' Stephen said. They spent time with their son before returning home to tell Harvey's younger sister and brother. Before leaving, Stephen leaned in close. 'The last thing I whispered into my son's ear was, 'I'm going to dedicate my life to you'.' • Gary Murphy: Simon Harris is paying price for breaking golden rule of politics Harvey was cremated after a colourful celebration of his short life. Gillian and Stephen asked mourners to wear bright colours. They have not begun to grieve. 'We haven't had time. I'm getting what needs to be done and then I will breathe,' Stephen said. 'I feel like his life was stolen from him because he spent so much of it — 33 months — on a waiting list.' They say they are only now beginning to see the reality of what happened. 'It was impossible for us to plan for the future because we didn't know where we stood,' Gillian said. 'When you have a child waiting on scoliosis surgery, you live in limbo from one day to the next, never knowing when you're going to get that call. So you put everything on hold,' Gillian said. 'His life was put on pause while he was waiting for that surgery. In the end, Harvey only got eight months,' Gillian said. Stephen's anger is raw. 'Why was our son denied the healthcare he needed throughout his whole life? Why did it take 33 months? I fear other parents are going to lose their children if they don't get to the bottom of the problems within CHI. A shiny new building in the form of the National Children's Hospital won't fix this disaster.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
WWE legend's daughter left with life-changing injuries after rollercoaster ride
The daughter of WWE icon Mick Foley has revealed that she suffered a rare neck injury more than five years ago that has left her with headaches ever since. Speaking on the 'Rulebreakers' podcast, Foley explained how her neck was injured after the ride 'went up, down, and immediately went back up.' The daughter of the retired wrestler said that it had been a 'huge mystery' why she was experiencing a headache for so long — until she was finally diagnosed with a rare neck issue. 'It took me about two months to realize I had a concussion. I'm like, "This headache is not going away, and I'm so sensitive to lights and sounds and I feel all weird,"' she said. 'And I was asking my dad, who you would think would know a lot about concussions, but he was like, "Sorry, I don't really know."' 'I feel like his concussions, boom, they happen, and he's like OK. But he never really had a concussion that lasted longer than maybe a couple months. I've been to around 50 doctors, between doctors and physical therapists. It's just been a mystery.'
