A Michigan teenager is recovering in an area hospital after she almost died from toxic shock syndrome.
WILX reported Rylie Whitten, 15, was in intensive care for two weeks and only recently taken off life support.
Doctors said the case was one of the worst they've seen.
Whitten initially had flu-like symptoms Jan. 4. Her parents told her to get some rest and take a day off from school.
When Whitten was vomiting and in pain the next day, her parents took her to the hospital.
Doctors concluded that a tampon was likely to blame in Whitten's case.
Toxic shock syndrome is rare, but there are steps that should be taken to avoid it.
Anyone can get the infection, but it is most common in women who are on their period and use super absorbent tampons.
Those types of tampons should be avoided if possible.
Those who menstruate should change their tampons often and never leave a tampon in overnight, instead switching to a pad.
It can also be caused from foreign packings inside the body such as cotton for a nosebleed, a wound infection after surgery, or recent surgery, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
A family member set up a GoFundMe page for Whitten which has surpassed its $2,000 goal.
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