A 20-year-old woman whose 'crippling' stomach pain was dismissed by doctors as a holiday tummy bug was actually suffering from a ruptured appendix and life-threatening sepsis. Lottie Perks, from London, had recently started university and was on a family holiday in Brazil when she fell ill. After returning home, her condition worsened, and she collapsed in her mother's arms before being rushed to hospital.
Dismissed as 'overly anxious'
Lottie's mother, Laura, said medical professionals dismissed her concerns as 'overly anxious' behaviour. Within days of the holiday, Lottie began experiencing severe stomach pain and vomiting, but recovered after 24 hours. However, after returning home, it became clear she was still unwell.
Laura described the terrifying moment her daughter's condition deteriorated: "She began shaking uncontrollably and I noticed her lips, hands and feet were freezing cold. Her feet were white and her lips were blue. And her temperature was weirdly very low. Her face and limbs were swollen and flushed. I had been trying to trust the doctors before this and convince myself they were right. But, at this point, it was clear something was very wrong. I was terrified. And then, she collapsed in my arms as her eyes rolled back in her head. Her blood pressure plummeted and her heart rate raced dangerously high. I thought this was the end."
Missed diagnosis
The family initially assumed Lottie had contracted the same bug her mother had after returning from the trip in April 2025. But hours after coming home, the stomach pain and vomiting returned, along with bleeding and diarrhoea. At A&E, nothing was found to be wrong, and Lottie was discharged with a gastro bug after blood tests showed normal inflammation levels.
Laura called the hospital, asking if it could be appendicitis, but was told everything was fine. She rushed Lottie back to hospital, where doctors claimed she was dehydrated and needed to leave. However, an unusual rash was spotted, and Lottie's legs turned a mottled purple. A CT scan revealed her appendix had burst, causing sepsis.
Laura said: "I knew something was clearly wrong and before they took me seriously, I felt powerless. She had emergency surgery, but it was too late, the sepsis had spread. When she collapsed in my arms, that was her going into septic shock. And the start of her organs ceasing to work. I thought she'd be OK after the operation But the look on the surgeon's face afterwards told me otherwise. When they explained about the sepsis and septic shock, and said they'd done all they could do, I felt powerless."
Recovery and awareness
Doctors rushed to give Lottie antibiotics, with a one-hour window before her organs would fail completely. After a week of waiting, she recovered and was slowly taken off medication and machines. Despite the ordeal, she returned to university and passed her first year with flying colours. She still suffers from bouts of sickness, stomach pain, dizziness, fatigue, and difficulty keeping warm.
The pair are now working with Sepsis Trust to raise awareness of the signs of sepsis. Laura added: "Sepsis doesn't need a cut, injury or an appendix bursting. It can be from something as simple as a virus. The symptoms are so subtle and confusing; but can become fatal so quickly. Having that one question in your mind when advocating for a loved one could save their life. We both suffer from nightmares following the experience. It's difficult to look at photos from that time. And it's hard not to associate the trip with what happened. We've always enjoyed relatively adventurous holidays and discovering further away places. But this has definitely put on the radar the possibility of a medical emergency while we're away. And so, as a family, we haven't been away too far since. We're trying not to let the worry and her vulnerability take over too much from enjoying life. It's forever changed us, but we're so incredibly lucky to have caught it just about in time. I was treated like an overly anxious mother – but that's what saved my daughter's life."
Lottie's perspective
Lottie recalled: "Initially, I was very scared. I tried to stay calm and thought it was probably a gastro bug or food poisoning. It quickly turned into frustration because I was in so much pain and it was clearly where my appendix was. There was a lot of fear; I was terrified. Genuinely feeling like you're dying and can't explain or get anyone to understand was [infuriating]. I still don't think I really understood what was happening while I was in the ICU. I remember being frustrated that I couldn't go up to the normal ward. But this was obviously because my organs weren't fully functioning on their own still. Another part of the recovery that was quite frustrating was the loss of all my muscle. I remember just doing one lap of the ICU when I was well enough and being completely exhausted and my legs feeling so tired. Going from being someone quite active, and having to come to terms with this new situation, was quite a shock. Looking back on it now, I just feel incredibly lucky and almost proud of my body for managing to push me through it. But that gratitude and appreciation also comes with a huge frustration that it could've been avoided or acted upon sooner. And I wouldn't have had to have been in that position in the first place. But it taught me a lot and I'm obviously very grateful for all the doctors and nurses that helped me. I have learned to advocate for myself better and to speak out when something isn't right. I also felt frustrated as just being young and female meant that so many things masked it – from doctors thinking I could be pregnant, toxic shock syndrome, period cramps. I wanted to explain that as women, we know what's normal for us, and this clearly wasn't normal. I understand that various possibilities needed to be ruled out; but I wish someone had considered rapidly progressing sepsis as one of those a little sooner. That said, I am well aware that I am one of the very lucky ones. I've been shocked to read all of the ways it could have ended differently."
