Totally normal. Ahh, to be young again. First of all, I was very afraid of TSS when I first started using tampons even though, like you, I knew it was very uncommon. To ease your concern, start with the light tampons, and wear a pad if you're worried about leaking. I recommend Always Ultrathins, they're more absorbent than you'd expect.
Some tampons can be uncomfortable but they shouldn't be painful - you want to insert the tampon so it's just inside of your vagina, maybe half an inch from the opening. Tampax Pearl tampons are the most comfortable to insert and wear in my opinion so maybe try those.
Tampons have a bit of a learning curve but once you figure out how to get them in comfortably, you'll think you were crazy for wanting to only use pads. The biggest thing to remember is to relax. If your pelvic muscles are tight, then it'll be harder to get the tampon to rest comfortably.
Some side information, though I don't know if you'd be interested - there is an option other than pads and tampons. I now use a menstrual cup which you insert into your vagina to catch the flow and dump out. It sounds gross but they're made of flexible plastic so comfortable you forget it's there, there's no need to worry about TSS, it's good for the environment and it never, ever leaks (well, unless you leave it in for too long and it gets full but depending on your flow that could take 8 hours or a full cycle). The brand I use is called Diva Cup and I rarely use pads (generally just overnights as I have a heavy flow and don't want to risk waking up to bloody underwear if I end up sleeping in), much more rarely use tampons. It was a weird switch at first but now I can't imagine going back to tampons.
Anyway, to sum this all up: normal, it gets easier with practice. Good luck to you.
Is it normal to be terrified of tampons? (GIRLS ONLY)
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Totally normal. Ahh, to be young again. First of all, I was very afraid of TSS when I first started using tampons even though, like you, I knew it was very uncommon. To ease your concern, start with the light tampons, and wear a pad if you're worried about leaking. I recommend Always Ultrathins, they're more absorbent than you'd expect.
Some tampons can be uncomfortable but they shouldn't be painful - you want to insert the tampon so it's just inside of your vagina, maybe half an inch from the opening. Tampax Pearl tampons are the most comfortable to insert and wear in my opinion so maybe try those.
Tampons have a bit of a learning curve but once you figure out how to get them in comfortably, you'll think you were crazy for wanting to only use pads. The biggest thing to remember is to relax. If your pelvic muscles are tight, then it'll be harder to get the tampon to rest comfortably.
Some side information, though I don't know if you'd be interested - there is an option other than pads and tampons. I now use a menstrual cup which you insert into your vagina to catch the flow and dump out. It sounds gross but they're made of flexible plastic so comfortable you forget it's there, there's no need to worry about TSS, it's good for the environment and it never, ever leaks (well, unless you leave it in for too long and it gets full but depending on your flow that could take 8 hours or a full cycle). The brand I use is called Diva Cup and I rarely use pads (generally just overnights as I have a heavy flow and don't want to risk waking up to bloody underwear if I end up sleeping in), much more rarely use tampons. It was a weird switch at first but now I can't imagine going back to tampons.
Anyway, to sum this all up: normal, it gets easier with practice. Good luck to you.