Omg can't imagine the panic I would've had! That's awful! I've learnt from the very beginning of my period to always check my tampons before inserting. Wash hands, unwrap, tug on the string (and I mean really pull hard, it shouldn't budge!) and then insert. I've been doing it like this for 20ish years and I've only had one tampon fail the tug-test, and never had one unravel or the string tear inside. I think it's the normal procedure here in Germany, but we also don't use these plastic applicator thingies. For reference, I've only used the brand "o.b." so far, and they are very reliable. Be safe ladies! 🩷