Toxic shock syndrome is a life-threatening illness that first started gaining significant mentions in about 1978. It’s an illness that doesn’t occur frequently, but when it does occur, prompt care is crucial. About three individuals out of every 100,000 people in the United States get TSS each year. The United Kingdom sees about 40 cases each year.
Toxic shock syndrome can have many causes, and super-absorbent tampons are one of them. In fact, so many cases of TSS involved menstruating women and tampons that people thought it only affected those women. Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria are the culprits in TSS and victims can suffer from TSS if they have deep wounds or certain problems with their immune systems. People of all ages, genders and lifestyles can develop the condition.
1. Abdomen Pain
Abdomen pain is one of the signs of toxic shock syndrome, but it is not one of the most common signs that appear in people when they initially present themselves to the hospital. The abdomen pain may come from cholecystitis, which is gallbladder inflammation, which could be a complication of a streptococcal form of toxic shock syndrome. The abdomen pain can also come from other complications like kidney or liver failure. TSS can affect so many of the organs that it is often hard to tell whats happening.
The pain can be in various parts of the stomach because it can mimic other problems. It may vary in intensity and be dull or sharp, bearable or severe. It can be the on side of the abdomen or the top of the abdomen. Additionally, the abdomen could be so sensitive that just touching it can cause the person pain. Some other symptoms such as malaise or vomiting may accompany the stomach pain. Diarrhea may also run concurrently with the other gastrointestinal symptoms. Since other issues can quickly progress after the stomach pains, the individual must address the pains as quickly as possible. TSS has been known to progress within hours to a fatal situation.
2. Muscle Pain
Many of the symptoms of TSS resemble the flu. Muscle pain is one of the common flu-like symptoms that occur in the condition. The pain occurs because the bacteria affects the central system. Fatigue, sore throat and coughs may exist as well as the muscle pains. Muscle pains may be confined to one area of the body, or they may involve several areas. The person may feel a general soreness in the entire body. The muscle pain could be sporadic, or it can be consistent and increase in severity as the disease progresses.
3. High Fever
A fever is one of the body’s responses to microorganic intruders such as bacteria and viruses. As the person’s body tries to ward off the infection, she may have a high fever. The average toxic shock syndrome induced fever is at least 102 degrees Fahrenheit. To calm a fever, a person can place a cool cloth on his or her forehead until it comes time to go to the doctor. Another source of comfort for a person with a fever is a lukewarm bath or ice pops if the person will eat ice pops. A fan may provide a little bit of comfort, as well.
4. Low Blood Pressure
People who are suffering from TSS often have an extremely low pressure in the blood when they get checked by the hospital or physician. The professional name for low pressure is hypotension, and it involves a reading that is lower than 90 mm Hg systolic or 60 mm Hg diastolic. Many of the flu-like symptoms that occur in TSS come from the low blood pressure. Some of the most common associated symptoms are nausea, fatigue, fainting, vision problems and concentration issues. If the blood pressure is severely low, the body can go into shock. Low blood pressure can be life threatening in the case of TSS. Generally, extremely low pressure will warrant a stay in the hospital.
5. Chills
Chills are a common reaction that the body has to an intruder. They are very common when people have fevers, as well. Septic shock is the life-threatening condition that many people who have TSS go into. Chills are a common occurrence in septic shock. It occurs because the body releases chemicals into the bloodstream that are supposed to fight the infection, but they end up inflaming the person’s insides instead. The person with TSS feels very cold and may need a cover over herself. This person may also experience shivering and chattering of the teeth because of the severity of the chills.
6. Dizziness
The dizziness in toxic shock syndrome can occur for a variety of reasons, and one of them is the low blood pressure. Low blood pressure is often a culprit of fatigue, dizziness and confusion in some cases. The second reason the person may have dizziness is that she is dehydrated from vomiting or from the general illness itself. The feeling may be so bad that the person cannot get up and walk anywhere without losing balance. A person who is experiencing such severe symptoms should not attempt to do anything. Someone else in the household should tend to the person until a medical professional can take over.
7. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is another symptom that may occur in an individual who has toxic shock syndrome. It is defined as a watery or extremely loose stool that occurs more than three times in the same day. Diarrhea can cause other complications such as dehydration, which can add severity of other symptoms like dizziness, nausea, fatigue and more. The best way that another person can help someone who is in this condition is by providing them with water and trying to get the person to take it. The hospital will have to hydrate the person intravenously if the dehydration gets too serious.
8. Nausea
Nausea is is the queasy and unsettling feeling that usually comes before vomiting. This feeling is prevalent in people who have TSS. The feeling can be mild, or it can be so disabling that the person does not want to eat, drink or get out of bed. The individual may dry hack or heave, and it may be painful. The queasiness may be so severe it brings forth an actual bout of vomiting. It’s difficult to hydrate someone who is experiencing extreme nausea, but anyone who is trying to help should at least try to offer drinks.
9. Vomiting
Throwing up may occur in toxic shock syndrome cases. It may be severe, and it may happen immediately after the person tries to ingest any food or drink. It’s the body’s way of trying to purge something infectious. Unfortunately, the body may start reading everything as a harmful substance and reject it. Throwing up causes a severe loss of electrolytes as does diarrhea. However, it will be difficult to keep someone like this properly hydrated if everything goes into the system leaves it. A caretaker should just try to make the person feel as comfortable as possible until medical attention occurs.
10. Mental Confusion
Finally, mental confusion may occur in someone who has TSS. Mental confusion can manifest in many different ways. One way that it may manifest is in an outright loss of memory. It may be a loss of short-term memory or long-term memory. Both have occurred in TSS patients. The person may also lose sharpness and not be able to communicate very well. In some extreme cases, victims had suffered from hallucinations. If the TSS gets to this point, it is a severely dangerous situation that should be taken care of immediately. Hallucinations can cause a person to do risky and even deadly things.
Those are some of the most common TSS symptoms. No one can stress enough how important it is to get to a doctor right away. It’s such a quickly moving illness that immediate care is necessary.
