Reason I no longer Wear Tampons

So, when I was in I think middle school still (or like first year of high school, can't remember the exact date) I only ever wore tampons when swimming because I found them uncomfortable but I loved swimming so I would just deal with them for an hour or two.

Anyway, my parents took me to Tennessee where I had other family and of course, I end up having my period the entire weekend (got it on the car ride down, just my luck. At this point I didn't really keep a calender of my period so it always sort of surprised me lol). But while we were down there, they decide to go to a lake to go swimming. And like I said, I love swimming so I borrowed my step sister's tampons and would change it like every 30 min while we were there because I always felt uncomfortable.

I changed it right before we got back into the car and the car ride was about 10-15 min (not very long). We get back and I decide to put a pad on since tampons weren't my thing. I went to take it out and had a slight panic attack because the string wasn't there. I knew sometimes it would go up a little so I kind of put my finger up and tried to see if I could feel it and I couldn't. I knew about Toxic Shock Syndrome so I quickly put the pad in my underwear and run out to my step mom while basically bawling because I thought I was gonna die. She asked if I "looked" for it really well. I told her I shoved my finger up and couldn't find it. (Don't think I said that, probably just said yes because I was extremely shy at this point in my life.)

So she and my dad drives me to the hospital where I sit in a room with my step mom for like, an hour (it seemed like an entire day). This guy doctor (yay....remember how I said I was shy? Ya talk about having a guy doc do) walks in. Of course there's a girl nurse with him because I was underage and it was mandatory for a female nurse to be there even though my step mom was also there. It was still awkward as all hell.

So he starts out with talking about how it may have just fallen out into the toilet without me realizing it and how that's how it usually is when people come in with this (made me feel better that this isn't the first time he dealt with this). Anyway, they start looking and the tool he used was freaking cold, like holy hell at least make the damn instruments warm, please!

After a few seconds, he says "Oh yeah, I see it. Definitely pretty far in there." I blush and look to my step mom who is like, watching the guy like a hawk. He gets it out and explains Toxic Shock Syndrome to me LIKE I DON'T ALREADY KNOW AND WAS BAWLING MY EYES OUT BEFOREHAND. And then we go on our way.

This whole experience has made it impossible for me to wear tampons now, like I tried a few times and I've had like, PTSD and I'll start crying and hyperventilating and all that good stuff. So yea, now I can't even swim while on my period which is kind of really annoying, and since I'm 22 it's been a good 8 years or so since it's happened. Also apparently almost cost my dad like $20k because of that visit. (Yay for insurance? Lol)

Had anyone else had scary experiences like this? Or worse?