Mother Who Gets Sick Because Of A TAMPON Wakes From A Coma Unable To Remember Her Son

19 Dec, 2015 by Sierra Marlee

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Toxic Shock Syndrome is something about which every woman should be concerned. One mother developed the rare infection and lost portions of her memory and motor functions, as well as having a significantly weakened immune system.

From The Daily Mail:

A mother who thought she had the flu almost died after suffering a rare bacterial infection as a result of using tampons.

Deborah Usher, 27, from Porthmadog, Wales, became very ill and was rushed to hospital, where she was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome.

Doctors put her into an induced coma for a week, but when they failed to wake her twice, her family were told to prepare for the worst.

When she did regain consciousness she was ‘like a child again’, unable to talk, walk, wash or dress herself and struggled to recognise her family.

She also had severe memory loss, and she still forgets events just weeks after they happen, having no recollection of special events in her eight-year-old son Joshua’s life.

Four years on, she has re-learned to walk and her memory is improving and she hopes she will remember Christmas this year.

Ms Usher, a hotel manager said: ‘I’m hoping to remember all the special moments like my son unwrapping his presents, meeting Santa and putting a star on top of the tree for the first time.

‘Since I woke from the coma four years ago I’ve struggled to remember Christmas since, and all the memories I had of it before have been wiped, the whole experience has been heart-breaking.

‘I can’t even remember the presents I’ve brought Joshua until he opens them. I can’t remember him opening his presents or getting excited waiting for Santa to come.

‘I have pictures of him with presents, and us decorating the tree together, but I don’t remember them.’

She says Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), which affects just 40 people a year in Britain, has severely affected her life, leaving her with amnesia, confusion and a weak immune system years later.

‘TSS has completely taken over my life, it’s like having a permanent hangover every day where you have memory blanks and your head feels funny,’ she said.

‘We celebrated Joshua’s eighth birthday in September and I can still remember it three months on which is a huge achievement.

‘So now I’m hoping I can finally remember our first Christmas, rather than having to rely on photographs and other people’s memories.’

Ms Usher’s ordeal began in August 2011, when she came down with what the thought was flu.