Doctors initially said Lottie Perks was just dehydrated and should rest at home
A mum says she was ‘dismissed’ as being ‘overly anxious’ by doctors until her daughter’s holiday stomach bug turned out to be her appendix bursting – and potentially fatal sepsis. Lottie Perks, now 20, began experiencing ‘crippling’ stomach pain, coupled with vomiting just days into a holiday.
24 hours later she was back to normal and the family got back to enjoying their holiday in Brazil, but on arriving home in London it was clear Lottie was unwell.
“She began shaking uncontrollably and I noticed her lips, hands and feet were freezing cold,” said mum Laura. “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.”
Laura had also experienced a bout of sickness after returning from the trip in April 2025, so the family assumed Lottie had contracted the same bug. But just hours after coming home, the stomach pain and vomiting started again, coupled with bleeding and diarrhoea.
They went to A&E but nothing was found to be wrong. Laura said: “She was very pale, weak and physically could not stop vomiting even though there was nothing left in her. Lottie was placed on an IV drip for three hours while being observed, but was ultimately discharged with a gastro bug, as her blood tests showed normal levels of inflammation.
“That night, and the next day, she didn’t improve and became much weaker. I called the hospital and asked if it could be appendicitis, but they said everything was fine.”
Laura rushed her daughter back to hospital and begged for her to be seen again. Doctors allegedly claimed she was simply dehydrated and that they needed to leave the hospital – until an unusual rash was spotted.
After further checks, Lottie’s legs had started to turn a mottled purple and her body was severely swollen. A CT scan was ordered and it was found that 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.”
Doctors rushed to give Lottie antibiotics, as there was a one hour window before her organs would start to fail completely. As nothing else could be done, it was a waiting game for a week.
Luckily, the teen recovered and was slowly taken off medication, as well as machines, keeping her alive. And, despite her life being on the line, she managed to return to university and pass her first year with flying colours.
Now, she still suffers with bouts of sickness, stomach pain, dizziness, fatigue and difficulty keeping warm. The emotional toll is felt by not just Lottie, but her mum, too.
To help raise awareness, the pair are working with Sepsis Trust to warn others of the signs to look out for. And, to never dismiss whether worrying symptoms could be 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 added: “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.”