(( VaginaPagina ))

To start with, I totally admit I am pretty careless with tampons, about leaving them in too long. I've used them for years with no problem so i slowly have gotten less and less careful about changing them as frequently. I'm asking because though we get fed a lot of horror stories about tss, I know it's supposed to be really really rare anymore.

I've been on my period for five days, using tampons the whole time. The last one I put in was at 7ish last night and taken out at 5am this morning. Tampax regular flow tampons, btw. While I was at work, about 8ish, I was trying on clothes on my lunch break and noticed a ton of strange red dots all over my arms and chest. They were not there before I started trying on clothes. I mentioned it to a coworker and they said they looked like the hives they get a lot, and I just figured I had a reaction to something on the fabric (the amount of chemicals on clothes is disgusting, guys). Aside from the hives, i felt fine. They do not itch.

About 5am this morning, I woke up freezing with a fever around 101, the whole chills and sweating stuff, started feeling nauseous and wobbled (very very dizzy) to the bathroom where I threw up. I hadn't eaten anything for most of the evening so it was just bile. I had a sip or two of water and sat up for about twenty minutes before I threw that up too. Ever since then I have had a constant fever hovering around 100-101 (i run cool though). The hives completely cover my arms and torso, but none on my legs and they don't itch at all. I still feel dizzy when I walk around for more than a few minutes and my stomach starts grumbling when I drink anything, but I haven't thrown up again. I've managed to keep down and antihistamine and some asprin for the fever. I don't have any pain and I feel generally pretty alert and normal, just covered in red dots, hot from the fever, and dizzy when I stand.

I really want to avoid going to the er because we have one of the most expensive ones in the country and I really can't afford another $7000 bill for a few hours. I'm afraid the urgent care will just send me to the er because they are really picky with what they treat. I'm not really sure what else to do because I don't have a gp.

EDIT: Thanks everyone, I was pretty sure it wasn't tss but it's easy to panic when I get come sort of sick i've never been before. It's looking like it's most likely German/three day measles, which is annoying but nothing serious at least.