Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Mom Horrified After Discovering ‘UTI Pain’ Was Tampon Lost Inside Her
A mom was left terrified after discovering her ‘recurrent UTI’ was actually a tampon that had been stuck inside of her for a year.
Anna Osborn, 30, from Indiana, US, had been suffering with chronic pain for a year before her doctor eventually made a horrifying discovery.
She began feeling unwell in October 2023, when doctors diagnosed her with a chronic and recurring urinary tract infection – a misunderstood condition that affects over one million women in the US.
What are recurrent UTIs?
Chronic UTIs were only recognised by the NHS in the UK in 2022, despite patients suffering for many decades prior.
Indeed, many doctors do not formally recognize chronic, long-term, or ’embedded’ urinary tract infections as a distinct clinical condition.
There are also very few guidelines on managing complex or recurrent UTIs, meaning primary care doctors are generally not in a position to help.
However, Anna’s doctor listened to her symptoms, and concluded that this is exactly what she was suffering from.
Subsequently, she was prescribed numerous months worth of antibiotics, which were not alleviating the pain.
“I was in so much pain”
Speaking about her experience, Anna said: “Doctors just couldn’t figure it out. I was told I must just have a low pain tolerance or I’m being overdramatic.
“I was just brushed off by a tonne of doctors. It felt like my organs were shutting down. There was no other way to describe it.”
She added: “I thought my IUD might be misplaced or something, I was just in so much pain.”
A shocking check-up
After months of experiencing chronic pain, and no amount of antibiotics or medication helping, Anna underwent a vaginal examination in February last year, where her doctor made a shocking discovery.
She recalled: “This was the first time a doctor had done a vaginal exam.
“We were both traumatised. She saw [the tampon] quite far in there.
“Body tissue had grown over it. My body was trying to heal itself.”
“The doctor had never seen anything like this before,” Anna added.
“She started pulling on it, then I heard her say ‘oh my god, I think it’s a tampon’. She pulled the entire thing out and we were both in complete shock.”
Anna, a recreational therapist, was horrified when the medic pulled out the remnants of a used tampon, that had been lodged inside of her for somewhere between ‘six months to a year.’
“My body was fighting against me”
Following the discovery, the 30-year-old insisted that she did not feel the tampon during s** or a recent smear test.
She said: “I was constantly sick for months. My body was fighting against me.
“I didn’t notice it at all, the body tissue had grown over it. I didn’t feel anything. I even had a smear in the year before and nothing was mentioned.”
Treated for toxic shock syndrome
Following the horrifying discovery, Anna was immediately treated for toxic shock syndrome (TSS) – a rare but serious, life-threatening condition caused by toxins produced by certain bacteria.
Symptoms of TSS include sudden high fever, low blood pressure, a rash that may resemble sunburn, confusion, muscle aches, and vomiting or diarrhea.
TSS can quickly progress to shock, organ failure, or death if untreated, but it is treatable when caught early.
Speaking about her diagnosis, Anna said: “I didn’t even know TSS was real and actually happened to people. I just asked ‘is my body rotting from the inside out?’
“I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. It was so scary.”
After being treated for toxic shock syndrome, the mom made a full recovery, but believes she would’ve died if she hadn’t ‘pushed’ her case with doctors.
“It kept me alive”
The 30-year-old is now urging women in particular to trust their gut when pursuing medical treatment.
“I say to other people just follow your gut,” she added.
“If you feel like something is wrong, then keep pushing.
“I’m glad I didn’t just give up and go with the UTI diagnosis. I really felt the need to advocate for myself and my health. It kept me alive.”
“I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” she concluded.
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