Skye Owen, 24, from Newquay, says she was told by a consultant “I don’t think you realise how close it was” after her sepsis was finally diagnosed in hospital
An outdoor instructor claims she was told to stop being “dramatic” over her intense pain which was put down to sciatica four times by doctors before they found she had sepsis.
Skye Owen, 24, first began to experience hip pain after a weekend of hiking, surfing and climbing in September, 2024. When the pain began to travel up her lower back days later, she booked a GP appointment and said she was told her hip and back pain was sciatica and sent her home to rest.
But when she deteriorated hours later her worried parents called 111 and an out-of-hours doctor, and says she was again told it was the common ailment. Skye was rushed by ambulance to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske, Cornwall, the following morning but after examining her says doctors told her she was being ‘dramatic’ despite being unable to move.
READ MORE: Brit surfer dies alongside friend who tried to save him during ‘extreme’ wind READ MORE: Man, 60s, dies at Disney just days after superfan tragedy less than a mile away
When she was admitted onto a ward for pain management, she developed a fever and an MRI scan discovered septic arthritis in her left SI joint and hip, which developed into sepsis. Skye claims her consultant has since told her the infection was ‘almost deadly’ and that if she was sent home that day, she may have died. Now on the road to recovery, Skye is raising awareness of the symptoms of sepsis and urges others to advocate for their own health. Skye, from Newquay, Cornwall, said: “I thought I must have done something surfing or fallen weirdly, which wasn’t out of the ordinary. “The pain was a mix of a constant dull ache and every time I took a step it was a sharp shooting pain going down my leg. I think the GP heard this and thought it must be sciatica. Within a few hours from returning to the doctors, that’s how quickly it went really badly. My mum phoned 111 and they said again it must be sciatica.
“She phoned back and then they sent an out-of-hours doctor out, they came out and said it must be sciatica. The pain was not just in movement any more, it was constant and pulsating down my left leg and up my back. In the morning an ambulance finally came around midday and they still had no idea what it was and they didn’t think it seemed serious. “They did some scans on my back but they were scanning the wrong place as I think they still thought it was sciatica and were scanning my nerves. At the end of the first day, the doctor came in and said it was time to leave as the scans were fine. It’s terrifying to think that if I could have moved, I would have gone home as they said I couldn’t be there for back pain and I was being dramatic.”
After being admitted onto the ward, Skye developed a fever and an MRI scan on her hip and pelvis revealed septic arthritis, which later developed into sepsis. Skye said: “I was on the first ward for about four or five days before they started to realise it was sepsis.
“My mum and dad pushed for another scan and they then did a much more in-depth MRI on my hip and pelvis. This is when they realised the sepsis was also in my joints, which is why I was in so much pain.”
Skye underwent surgery to have the infection scooped out of her hip and was put on antibiotics. “Sepsis can be very deadly and it almost was. When I saw my consultant, he sat me down and said ‘I don’t think you realise how close it was’,” he said. “It sounds dramatic, but I thought it would be easier to just die because it was so painful. It was that hopeless feeling of ‘there is nothing I can do’, the pain was indescribable.”
After a month in hospital, Skye was discharged and stayed with her parents to recover and learn how to walk again. Skye said: “During my hip surgery they had caused a nerve injury and I lost the sensation down my leg, which hasn’t come back. In the new year I finally got back to walking but I still had a limp for months. The pain has definitely gotten better but I think it’ll still be there forever and I still can’t feel where they injured my nerves.” A year on from her diagnosis, Skye still has regular blood tests, MRI scans and attends physiotherapy sessions. Skye still doesn’t know how she contracted sepsis but is now urging others to ‘trust their gut’ when it comes to advocating for their own health.
Skye said: “It was really tough and some of the medical trauma, I still get little flashbacks. You need to trust your gut. I know there was something wrong as I know myself and I know my pain tolerance. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself as it could be life or death. You know your body better than anyone else and you’re not too young to get anything.” A spokesman for NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System said: “Across the NHS we are committed to learning from people’s experiences to improve care and safety, have reviewed and evaluated sepsis practice in the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly health system and are implementing recommendations in line with best sepsis practice, to improve awareness and early diagnosis. “Additionally two new initiatives are in place to support patients and families, Jess’s Rule for GP surgeries and Martha’s Rule in hospitals, which can be used to request an urgent patient review, ensuring early action, particularly for time-critical conditions like sepsis.”