PANICKING gross tampon situation - please help I don't know what to do

[pleasemakeitallstop]

Sorry, this is revolting but unfortunately happened to me and I don't know what to do.

I removed a tampon that had been in for 4 hours, and it smelled really bad, like rotten and sulphuric? It had only been in 4 hours which I thought was ok as long as it wasn't leaking - is the smell a warning I could be developing toxic shock syndrome?

I have googled and loads of sites just say that type of smell could be a lost tampon and if you can't find it you need a doctor to remove it. But I'm sure there is nothing else in there and my actual body doesn't have the smell now - it was the tampon itself?

But could a serious infection be inside my body now? What do I do?

I have never had a smell before it is freaking me out. Badly.

I think probably BV

It doesn't matter. You don't know how long that tampon has been sitting there. You don't know who else has touched it before you. You don't know if they washed their hands first. You washed your hands, but that means nothing if the wrapper was covering in microscopic shit, which you then touched, then transferred to the tampon because your mind control doesn't work, then put inside you.

Would BV not still be causing a smell, though? I thought it needed treatment to clear it up?

There's no smell now.

I haven't, but surprised to cold and flu tablets did this to you. I never would have put two and two together!

I like knowing these kinds of things for going forwards!

Do you have out of hours pharmacists where you live? You could talk to one of those.

I once had a tampon stuck inside me for weeks because back then I was drinking so heavily, I'd lost the plot, I'd obv put another one in and it had gone high up inside me (not sure where to be honest) but one day I felt something weird and the most horrific smell. Anyway it came out and it smelled like stagnant water or sewerage, the sort of smell that would make you vomit. I went to several GP / clinic type places and couldn't get any help or support to get checked out - everyone was just treating me like I was insane. So I bathed in salt water, made sure to keep myself really clean and it all resolved itself. Lucky I didn't die of something. Tampons are so dangerous IMO and especially now they've made the string even shorter than ever.

If you wanted to be assured there's no tampon inside you, you'd need a gynae practitioner to examine you really.

Surely if there was a tampon lost in me (which I don't think could happen, given I can always feel when tampons are in, even if they are more-or-less comfortable I can detect them) the smell would still be there now?

The smell isn't emanating from me. I have no smell. The crazy smell was from the tampon that was pulled out, and now there is no smell issue.

Unless, of course, there is some festering infection in my actual insides, that just isn't detectable. But then surely the blood that comes out would smell bad?

It sounds like it was a 'one off' situation and is now resolved.

You can get small cysts and abscesses inside your vaginal canal and cervix. I wonder if something 'burst'?

Otherwise, I guess whatever it was is a mystery and as long as it's cleared up now, then try not to panic and assume it's over.

If you're still anxious, you could go to a walk in sexual health clinic or gynae urgent care and tell them your anxiety and ask to be looked at?