Some may wonder if an internal organ like appendix can burst. We tend to assume that if there is acute stomach pain, the physician would do physical examination to doubt appendicitis. A diagnosis would lead to finding appendicitis in you and you would get an appendix removal surgery done and remove the appendix. This is what most of you would think. But many a times, it is not an easy sequence of events. Let us look at the challenges.
The Initial Symptoms of Appendicitis and the Reasons
We should never forget that the primary reason for appendicitis is the infection that happens in the appendix. Though a precise reason for this infection is not known, it is widely believed that a block in the opening to the appendix into the caecum of the large intestine may be the cause. This block is caused mostly by the constipated solid motions. When such a block happens, the internal pressure within the appendix raises and puts pressure on the wall of the appendix. This pressure be felt as pain in the stomach.
The Initial Symptoms of Appendicitis:
- A tolerable pain surrounding the navel region
- Mild fever
- Vomiting
When the above symptoms appear no one would logically interpret it as appendicitis. They would only think that it is a normal stomach pain or stomach pain. Most would pop a soda, or would take some medications and would simply forget.
The Next Level Symptoms of Appendicitis
- The stomach pain aggravates and becomes unbearable. The pain can be felt in the lower right abdomen below the navel area.
- High fever
- Vomiting
- The count of white blood count will be higher in a blood test. This is because the body is fighting against the infection.
What happens if the initial symptoms of appendicitis are also ignored?
This is the most dangerous phase and most of the time people seek help from doctor. With the history and physical examination of the patient, the doctor would recommend getting an Ultrasound done and you should by now know that you have appendicitis. However there are people who ignore beyond this point too. It is at this stage that the appendix bursts inside. When we say burst, we are referring to the wall of the appendix getting ruptured. When the appendix ruptures, the entire faecal matters accumulated inside the small and large intestine bursts out into the abdomen through the appendix opening.
What happens after the appendix ruptures?
- The stomach becomes rigid and stony hard to feel
- Very high fever
- Difficulty in breathing
- Intense vomiting
- May lead to sepsis
In this stage, there is no option but to be subject to surgery under emergency conditions. During the surgery, all those faecal matters that spread throughout the abdomen is cleaned and then the surgeon proceeds to remove the ruptured appendix completely.Even before you could get to this stage, it is possible to diagnose for the presence of appendicitis using ultrasound / CT scan. If the presence of appendicitis is confirmed, the only solution is getting it removed through surgery. The removal of appendix is termed as appendectomy. The removal of appendix before the wall ruptures is always safe because it not treated as emergency and mortality and morbidity rate is lower.
Conclusion – Advance medical diagnostic methods and the availability of antibiotics have made instances of appendix rupturing a rarity. So if the presence of appendicitis is diagnosed in the early stage, the surgery can be done at a pace which does not require any emergency attending. It is prudent not to ignore any signs of pain in the stomach. Should you have pain in the stomach, consult a good gastro surgeon and rule out the presence of appendicitis.
#Appendicitis #LaparoscopicAppendectomy #DrMaran #AppendicularRupture