Ruptured Colon Without Surgery???

[HealthyWilly]

Hello,
Can a person have ruptured colon, but can survive without surgery?
I know someone who suspects to have a ruptured colon because all
the symptoms matches after sufferring from trauma (including blood
in stool). She had fever and chills at nights. But hasn't gone to the
hospital nor have surgery. Now she only has light fever in the afternoons,
and has pain and discomfort in lower left abdomin. Do you think she
still needs surgery? How can she know if her colon has healed? Can
a ruptured colon heal/seal itself without surgery? She is in her late 40's.
Is she out of danger?
THANK YOU FOR ANY RESPONSE AND HELP!

[hikermansteve]

I have had Diverticulitis events since Feb 2015. Antibiotics for 3 weeks, feel good for 4 weeks and then back on antibiotics. On September 12th I ended up in the ER with an abscess the size of a baseball. It was life threatening. After 3 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics and a drain in the abdomen I was able to go home where I spent 10 more days on antibiotics every six hours by IV. Visited with my GI surgeon who will do a laparoscopic surgery to remove 18" of diseased colon. No more colostomy. He uses ileo loop if necessary.

Here's the reality. A ruptured colon can result in death. Only 50-50 chance of survival if it bursts. I am a healthy 63 year old and was very fortunate to seek immediate medical treatment. Even though I was under medical care for all this time I still experienced a leak in my colon. Luckily, the abscess had its own wall which protected me from dire consequences. It was the size of a baseball. After 3 weeks of recovery I'll be going in for resection.

Forget waiting for your next DR visit. Time is of the essence DO IT NOW!!! Find a colorectal surgeon who can offer the laparoscopic option. To delay could mean your death

[Navi94]

My sister is going through the same thing currently however its her intestine that has ruptured. And my mom refuses to let her go through with the surgery and she also believes this can be cured naturally. She also relies on the fact that its been two days since her symptoms were severe and now they have seemed to calmed down a lot. My mom believes this is her body responding and healing everything. (however she is hospitilaized and is on cipro and flagyl). Doctors are of course preparing her for an emergency surgery. So I was wondering what the aftermath was with your friend. Was your friend able to heal their colon naturally, did they go through with surgery. Please let me know as soon as possible, anything that made them better and how are they doing now after all these years with the decision that they made. Any help or insight would be appreciated, thank you soo much.

[Kimber9]

I believe in natural healing if no other medical solutions are an option, because that could be he only option. Medical miracles happen all the time to those who diligently seek an answer. So if this is any help, those who have diseases and perforations that have gone out of their control or doctors control, I think they would strongly advise people if they have the slightest warning of somethig wrong with your body you seek medical help firstnif you value a long life. For example, peritoneal cacinoma cancer begins with ruptues inside your abdomin, it could be in any area that the abdomin lining is close to, and can turn cancerous and spread very quickly, most never find it even with x rays until it turns terminal. I am experiencing this with my best friend right now. Please even if the symptoms are gone, they were once ther, and these things have NO symptoms, but are caused by what you discribed. Again, if life is important enough, Im sure he person will make the right decision and go to the abdominal doctor.

[HealthyWilly]

Thank you both so much for your very concerned comments.

She doesn't think she has colon cancer, because the only time that bleeding occurred
was three weeks ago when she had trauma in abdominal area, and likely causing a
diverticulum to burst. There was no further bleeding after that incident. The first few days
after that, she had fever (not very high). As of yesterday, she has no more fever, and
no abdominal pain. She would feel discomfort at where the internal wound is if she stands
or sits for long. But NOTHING other than that.

Her risk of severe blood poisoning is low, her fever was moderate, because she has
been having a diet of mostly fresh vegetables and fruits for years.

What she does have now is stiffness and soreness at her lower back, from lying on her
stiff bed most of the time.

[Morecambe]

I don't mean to be impolite but your friend seems to have a considerable appetite to delude herself and find reasons to avoid seeking medical advice.

If she genuinely "has a wound" in her colon then this is a serious medical condition and considerations of "walking to the hospital" are of minor importance compared to the risk of ignoring her condition.

If a medical examination reveals a serious cause then this will have been worthwhile.  If an examination reveals that the cause of the rectal bleeding is minor (such as haemorrhoids, anal fissure etc) then treatment is straightforward and your friend can sleep easy at night.

Don't let your friend mirror what happened to my Wife's uncle who, inspite of noticing rectal bleeding, delayed seeking medical advice and, when eventually he did consult a G.I. specialist, the consultant sais "oh dear - if only you had come to see us sooner".  My Wife's uncle died a few months later from advanced colon cancer.

regards
Morecambe

[Kaneda2112]

Not sure an ultrasound would provide much useful information. The lower left abdomen has your small and large bowel in it. An ultrasound provides no useful info for looking at that as far as I know. A flexible sigmoidoscopy would give a gi doc a complete look at the sigmoid and descending colon to allow for a proper diagnosis I would think. I don't know if an ultrasound will see anything if the pain is possibly radiated from your friend's spleen. I'm sure a doc would do a basic CBC blood test to screen for any other obvious hint of disease.

No one wants to see a doc - but in my opinion you don't mess around with bowel issues. My attitude is generally due to having a coworker and neighbor all come down with bowel cancer in the last couple of months. Better to get it checked out properly rather than make your own diagnosis with incomplete information - if it's serious it can be caught early and dealt with.

[HealthyWilly]

Thanks so much for your comments and advice!!
Are there cases of the burst of a diverticula pocket heal on its own without surgery?
My friend now doesn't have fever, no chills, a healthy person otherwise except tenderness
in her lower left abdomen.
She plans to have an ultrasound exam in another week or two after the tenderness
is gone. She would have gone to a doctor, but she no longer has infection/fever symptoms.
She feels if she walks to the hospital, it would affect wound healing..
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR FURTHER COMMENTS!

[coughting]

The colon can heal itself, however the fecal matter that would have entered the body will attach itself to all of her vital organs causing infection and a very very high risk of death from this.  
We all hate to have surgery, but the alternative is worse than the surgery and procedures to see if surgery is needed.  Your friend should not wait another day.

[Kaneda2112]

I think it is unlikely for a wound in the colon to heal on it's own. I believe 'natural healing' or any alleged 'alternative medicine' style approaches for healing this - if it is indeed a rupture or colon injury of some sort - will be ineffective

If it becomes badly infected or matter enters the peritoneal cavity your friend could be in real trouble. You really should get it checked out by a doctor.

[HealthyWilly]

Thanks so much for your very valuable comments and advice.

I gave my friend all the helpful information. She hasn't seen a doctor yet. She now
no longer has fever and chills. She drinks mostly juice but does eat fibrous food to
keep the bowel moving. She is having a diet that is not-prone to bacteria/infection,
including fresh garlic, vitamin C rich juices, etc. The only discomfort she feels is
the tenderness on her left lower abdomen when she stands for too long. It's getting
better daily. She is waiting for this pain/discomfort to recover further and then go to
a doctor for a checkup, or she is afraid to "re-open" the wound on her colon by walking
too far to the doctor's.

Her condition was very likely the burst of a diverticula pocket from straining.
Our biggest concern now is: if the colon has the ability to heal itself without surgery.
We know other parts of our body such as skin can close up an tear and heal on its own.
Can the colon seal up and heal on its own as well?

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

[Morecambe]

I would urge you to press your friend to seek immediate medical advice.  Google rectal bleeding and click on to the Medicinenet site for further background.  From this site you will see that there are possible sinister causes of rectal bleeding which, if they became torrential, could be life threatening.

Conversely if indeed there is a rupture/puncture of the colon then there is the risk of intestinal bacteria entering the abdomen which may cause peritonitis - also can be life threatening.

I am not saying that this is definitely happening to your friend but better to be safe than sorry.  

If indeed your friend is unfortunate to be suffering from the most serious condition(s) I have mentioned above, then I believe she will need to contemplate "conventional medical techniques" rather than relying on "natural healing"

regards
Morecambe

[Kaneda2112]

Sorry to hear about your friend. I would think that fever and chills is a bit of a concern. I believe it's possible to burst a diverticular pocket from straining - I'm assuming she's eating fiber to keep those stools loose.

When it comes to the colon there don't seem to be any investigative techniques other than imaging (CT) or actually having a look inside (anoscopy, colonoscopy or virtual colonoscopy. I read that a barium X-ray series is not always accurate) Not sure what non-invasive things they could except for maybe a fecal occult or fecal immune sample testing.

Your friend definitely needs to see a GP though as it sounds chronic.

[HealthyWilly]

Thanks so much!
What are the medical procedures to rule out any issues? She is prone to natural
health and wants to avoid X-rays and any other invasive (surgical) procedures,
that's one of the reasons she hasn't gone to the hospital, she also doesn't have
full health insurance coverage except for emergencies. What non-invasive test
should she take to know she is safe and wouldn't need surgery?
THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN!

[benthic_man]

generally speaking, no. Sepsis would become an issue. She needs medical attention to identify the problem and rule out some other nasty issues as well that can come up after trauma- diverticulitis pops into mind almost immediately. Have her get to a doctor tomorrow.