A model has revealed she almost died after contracting toxic shock syndrome (TSS) caused by a tampon.

Lauren Wasser, 35, from Santa Monica, California, who had both legs amputated following TSS, reflected on the lasting impact of her near-death experience on The Diary Of A podcast. CEO with Steven Bartlett.

What started as flu-like symptoms left her suffering a massive heart attack and being put on life support as gangrene began to consume both of her legs, leading to a below-the-knee amputation of the two members.

Now, the Los Angeles-based model is determined to warn women and girls about the potential risks associated with tampons by promoting legislation for transparency in feminine hygiene products.

In 2012, the then 24-year-old turned down a full basketball scholarship to a top university to focus on her burgeoning fashion career.

However, life took an unpredictable turn when she started feeling unwell and thought she might have the flu.

She was found in her flat ten minutes from death, face down, unconscious on her bedroom floor covered in feces and vomit, after her mother called the police for a wellness check while ‘she hadn’t heard from her for a while.

While in hospital, her fever reached 107 degrees, she suffered a heart attack and her organs began to fail before she was put into an artificial coma.

An infectious disease doctor ordered staff to check if she had a tampon and after a test she was diagnosed with TSS.

Toxic shock syndrome is a rare and potentially fatal bacterial infection. It is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms resemble other more common illnesses.

Although her life was saved, the damage to Lauren’s legs from gangrene was beyond repair and doctors had to amputate her.

Speaking on the podcast, she said: “My feet were on fire, it felt like someone was setting my foot on fire, the burning sensation was insane.”

Lauren Wasser, 35, from Santa Monica, California, has revealed she nearly died after contracting toxic shock syndrome caused by a tampon

While in hospital, her fever reached 107 degrees, she suffered a heart attack and her organs began to fail before she was put into an artificial coma.

‘My right leg was worse than my left, my left toes were turning purple but my right side, there was a lot more damage you could tell. So the concern came that basically they needed to amputate my right leg to save my life or else I was going to die.

However, Lauren revealed that she only found out her leg needed to be amputated after hearing a nurse talking on the phone.

She said: ‘I’m laying there, my room is empty and I hear a nurse behind a curtain, she says: ‘I have a young girl here, she is 24, who is going to need a leg right below – the amputation of the knee.

‘I remember looking around and thinking, ‘Is she talking about me, is she saying I’m an amputee? And I just started screaming, I was screaming for my mom, my godfather, I was screaming for everyone, saying; “Don’t let that person touch me.”

“I was unaware of the seriousness of the situation for myself. It was the first time I had heard the word amputation.

Lauren has also made her mark in the fashion industry, starring in campaigns for Lacoste, Furla and Shiseido, and earning the nickname Fashion’s Girl with the Golden Legs, as her prosthetic legs are gold.

Lauren, who had to have both legs amputated following TSS, reflected on the lasting impact of her near-death experience on The Diary Of A CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett (pictured)

At the time, her doctors recommended amputating both legs, but there was a 50% chance her left leg could be saved, so she took the risk.

She said: ‘I probably haven’t looked at my leg for months, I couldn’t even recognize it had happened.

WHAT IS TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME?

Toxic shock syndrome is a very dangerous bacterial infection – but it can be misdiagnosed because the symptoms are similar to other illnesses and because it’s so rare.

It occurs when usually harmless staphylococcus aureus or streptococci bacteria that live on the skin invade the bloodstream and release dangerous toxins.

The prevalence of TSS is unclear, but doctors have claimed that it affects around one or two in every 100,000 women.

It has a mortality rate of between 5 and 15%. And recurs in 30 to 40% of cases.

Symptoms usually begin with a sudden high fever – a temperature above 38.9°C/102°F.

Within hours, an affected person will develop flu-like symptoms, including headache, muscle aches, sore throat, and cough.

Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, feeling faint, dizziness and confusion are also symptoms.

Women are at higher risk of getting toxic shock syndrome during menstruation and especially if they use tampons, have recently given birth, or use an internal barrier contraceptive, such as a diaphragm.

While boxes of tampons advise changing them between four and eight o’clock, it’s common for women to forget about them and leave them on overnight.

Treatment may involve antibiotics to fight infection, oxygen to help with breathing, fluids to prevent dehydration and organ damage, and medications to control blood pressure.

Dialysis may also be needed if the kidneys stop working.

In severe cases, surgery may be needed to remove dead tissue. In rare cases, it may be necessary to amputate the affected area.

To prevent TSS, women should use tampons with the lowest absorbency for their flow, alternate between a tampon and a sanitary napkin, and wash their hands before and after insertion.

Tampons should also be changed regularly, as indicated on the package – usually every four to eight hours.

“The doctors come in and they tell me I had some sort of complication during the operation and they say, ‘OK Lauren for the next 24 hours, we can’t give you painkillers’. That’s right after that I had my leg amputated, cut off.

“I guess it was something to do with the medicine, trying not to freak out my heart and having another heart attack, I don’t even really remember.

“So for 24 hours they put me in my own little room and I felt everything that was done to me, I was screaming, I was crying, I felt like a shark had just ripped me apart leg.

“My mum couldn’t be in the room, nobody could be because I was screaming and crying and freaking out. Not only was it traumatic having your leg cut off, but having to really feel what had just been done to me was on another level.

After being released from the hospital, she spent eight months in a wheelchair.

She said: “Every day I was rolling around in the shower, getting on a stool and screaming and crying and crying out to God.

“And wanting to think of ways to kill myself, to end my life. But every day there was something that said, “Hold on,” Something in my soul was telling me, hold on, and it all makes sense now.

While doctors initially salvaged her left leg, it caused her so much pain over the next six years that she had no choice but to have it amputated as well, just before she turned 30.

Lauren has since devoted much of her efforts to raising awareness of TSS and advocating for greater transparency in menstrual products for women.

She said: “(The tampons) are made from bleach, dioxin and synthetic fibers, which create the perfect storm in our bodies.”

“I worked with a mother who lost her teenage daughter to TSS at the age of 18 – Madeline Mosby. Through the darkness and trauma of this, we joined forces to want to change the world and want defend and pass these bills.

“She’s done a lot of grassroots work, like starting her DontShockMe.org foundation. There is a bill we are working on to pass.

She also worked with Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to promote legislation requiring manufacturers to list all ingredients in feminine hygiene items on their packaging.

Lauren has also made her mark in the fashion industry, starring in campaigns for Lacoste, Furla and Shiseido, and earning the nickname Fashion’s Girl with the Golden Legs, as both of her prosthetic legs are gold.

TSS occurs when usually harmless Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus bacteria that live on the skin invade the bloodstream and produce dangerous toxins.

Symptoms include high fever, low blood pressure, vomiting, confusion, and seizures.

It occurs most often in women using tampons. Each year, toxic shock syndrome affects approximately one in 100,000 women.

The boxes of tampons come with a warning of the deadly infection after leaving it on for more than eight hours, although Wasser said she changes hers regularly.