LYING on the examination table, Hollie Smith waited as the nurse examined her, desperate to discover the cause of her painful romps.
But she could never have expected what the medic discovered lodged inside her.
Hollie Smith was in agonising pain when she was intimate with her partnerCredit: Kennedy News
When she visited her doctor she was horrified to learn that she had a tampon lodged inside her, and it had been there six weeksCredit: Kennedy News
The mum was horrified to learn that she had a lost inside her for a total of six weeks.
Hollie Smith noticed she had a brown discharge while on a family holiday in in August 2025 and when she returned home began experiencing
The discomfort became so agonising that the 31-year-old was unable to be intimate with her partner, prompting her to visit the doctors for a check-up.
During an examination, while having swabs taken, a nurse spotted an old Hollie.
Horrified, the mum-of-three burst into tears when medics told her they believed the tampon had been stuck inside her for as long as six weeks.
Nurses told the stay-at-home mum that she had begun showing the early signs of (TSS) – a rare but life-threatening bacterial infection, often linked to high-absorbency tampon use.
Hollie said she had no idea the menstrual product was inside her, and believes she inserted it while ‘tipsy’ before forgetting all about it.
The mum admits her partner noticed a new ‘coppery’ smell but it hadn’t raised any alarm bells.
Now, Hollie has vowed never to use tampons again after her brush with a life-threatening condition.
Hollie, who lives in , Essex, says: “I was on a family holiday in Turkey and started to get brown discharge.
“I didn’t know what it was but it was starting to worry me.
“I’d had it a couple weeks before the holiday too, I was having it most days. I just put it down to my implant.
“Every time I had intercourse, I would bleed quite a lot and it would really hurt and I couldn’t continue.
Hollie Smith noticed she had a brown discharge while on a family holiday in Turkey in August 2025Credit: Kennedy News
She was put on a two week course of antibiotics after narrowly avoiding toxic shock syndromeCredit: Kennedy News
“I just couldn’t have sex. It was then that I thought ‘I need to go to the doctors’.
“I’d started getting hot sweats too and was extremely tired.”
Concerned about her worsening symptoms, Hollie went to the doctors to have some swabs taken when the nurse made an unexpected discovery.
Hollie says: “As I got on the bed and she went to do the swabs, she said ‘I think you’ve got a tampon stuck in you’. I burst out crying.
“I’ve always been careful of tampons. She said it was pressed into the side, which would make sense as to why my partner couldn’t feel it.
“She told me she thought it had been there for about four to six weeks and I was starting to show the signs and symptoms of toxic shock syndrome (TSS).
“She said she needed a second opinion and I was put on a two-week course of antibiotics to make sure any infection that had started would go.”
What is toxic shock syndrome?
TOXIC shock syndrome (TSS) affects around 40 people in the UK every year. It’s rare, but very serious.
It can occur when using a tampon, menstrual cup, contraceptive diaphragm or cap, after a vaginal birth or caesarean section, or from an infected cut, wound, boil or burn.
Symptoms tend to come on very quickly and can be life-threatening. They include:
- A high temperature
- Muscle aches
- A raised skin rash that feels like sandpaper
- Flu-like symptoms
TSS requires urgent treatment. This can involve antibiotics, fluids, blood pressure medication, oxygen and surgery.
If you suspect you or someone else may have it, call NHS 111.
But dial 999 or visit A&E if they display more serious signs like slurred speech, breathlessness, blue skin or lips and large areas of peeling skin.
You can help prevent TSS by:
- Not leaving tampons, menstrual cups, contraceptive caps and diaphragms in longer than needed or recommended
- Washing your hands after using them
- Keeping cuts and burns clean
- Looking out for signs of infection (e.g. a rash, swelling or pain)
Source: NHS
Hollie believes she had inserted the tampon around six weeks earlier after a few drinks, but then forgot all about removing the sanitary product.
Hollie says: “I didn’t feel anything inside me, which was really strange.
“I asked my partner if he felt it and he said no, but said it did smell like a coppery metal smell, which isn’t my usual smell.
“The only thing I can imagine is when I’ve been drinking one evening, which I don’t do often, I put a tampon in and forgot all about it.
“I can’t remember using it so I must’ve put it in when I was a bit tipsy.
“Because of the implant I hadn’t been having regular periods.
“I didn’t feel any fullness inside me, nothing.
“I didn’t have any clue it was there. I even put my fingers up there to see if I could feel anything and couldn’t feel anything.”
The mum said she’s now put off tampons for life after narrowly escaping TSS.
“I reckon I had another week before I was in full blown toxic shock. I feel so lucky, it petrified me. I haven’t used a tampon since.
“I don’t know how I didn’t get TSS. It obviously wasn’t my time. I know how serious it can be with sepsis and stuff.
“My anxiety was horrendous for four days after.
“I had pain during sex for a little while after.
“I’m put off them now, I’ve got rid of them all out the house.”
Hollie is now avoiding tampons for life admitting she had forgotten inserting hers while tipsyCredit: Kennedy News 
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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