Burst appendix now years later

Hi, @barberaa - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. So sorry to hear your appendix burst. Was your low potassium issue for which you were readmitted related to that appendix bursting?

I'm tagging a few Mayo Clinic Connect members who've mentioned a burst appendix to see if they've experienced complications or know to look out for anything in the future. Please meet @mark1952 @joan5678 @judithclark @ajnos @beebe.

Have you noticed anything concerning with your health since the bursting incident? Did your surgeon at that time warn you about any potential aftereffects?

I had no known issue with potassium. My appendix burst on a cruise ship on the Atlantic Ocean. I was airlifted to the Azores near Portugal. I was given no information for my future. My surgeon barely spoke English. After two weeks in the Azores hospital I flew home to California. The day after arriving home Kaiser in Walnut Creek removed my sutures and worked on my thigh burn caused by a cauterizing tool. My surgeon at Kaiser told me what the burn was from month later. 4 months after my initial 5hr surgery, I had surgery for a large incisional hernia. I have had 5 abdominal surgeries in the US. No blood tests in the past 10yrs had mention of a potassium issue.

Hi barberra,
I am 12 years post appendectomy, my surgery was more complicated than yours since they had to remove part of the distal ileum, the ileocecal valve, the cecum, and part of the large intestine. My digestion slowly fell apart for the 1yr in which I had diarrhea. Unfortunately I used Methyl cellulose, (my surgeon recommended this),to help bind the stool and found out later it damages the protective mucous layer in your intestines. I ended up with gluten sensitivity and other FODMAP sensitivities.
Any abdominal surgery has the potential to cause changes in digestion, my problems were probably partly due to the poor post surgery care. At one year I was finally put on a bile acid sequestrant which helped to bind up the unabsorbed bile and returned my stools to a normal consistency.
You should not have to worry about all of those issues, yours will be scar tissue. Any time they touch an internal surface, even with a water solution, you develop scar tissue. If you ever have abdominal surgery your surgeon will probably have to deal with scar tissue.
As you get older there is a chance the scar tissue may cause a narrowing in part of your intestines, a slight blockage. This happened to my Mother-in-law who had 3 c-sections (childbirth for 3 kids) and was full of scar tissue when she had to have a hysterectomy It was a 3hr operation just to cut out all of the scar tissue.
She was in her 60's when she had the hysterectomy and had intestinal blockages when she was in her 90's. You will know if that happens, the pain is intense and I think you vomit. She required hospitalization where they inflated the collapsed section of colon for a few days.
I ended up with endometrial cancer and believe the source may have been the Appendix contents which leaked into my abdomen. My Appendix burst when they were placing a drain in it and it took 20 minutes to get a different operating room ready for the Appendectomy.
My infectious appendix contents had quite a long time to disperse throughout my Abdomen. If I had known I was at risk I would have insisted on ultrasounds when I hit menopause to monitor the thickness of my endometrium, (even if I had to self pay). A thickened endometrial stripe is a warning sign for endometrial cancer.
All it takes is one cell to start a cancer.
It is too bad that pap smears are not used to detect more forms of cancer.
So I guess I would say be aware you are at risk for an intestinal blockage and keep up on the health of your uterus. I should have been seeing a gynecologist but was never advised to.
Best of luck to you:)

@lisalucier
Hi, thank you for the connections! Yes, they said the low potassium was likely related (and they were afraid my heart would stop. But it didn’t!)

I don’t want to jinx myself, but I have no concerns currently of my health. But I did have so much fluid in my abdomen cavity that the doctors were concerned (but admitted they didn’t know how concerned to be since they said they don’t often check abdomen cavity fluid levels in healthy people often to know a baseline normal).

I’m mostly wondering if others have heard of complications or cancers developing in areas where an appendix has burst or other down-the-road heath concerns that may come from a burst appendix. My doctors have given me no future goals/look-fors/warnings, so just wondering if anyone else has heard things or anything I should be aware of. I know many people who have had an appendix removed, but none who have had one burst, so not sure of long term health. My doctors keep saying there isn’t much research out there for years-after a burst appendix, so just curious if anyone has heard anything from someone who is studying it.

Thank you!

@barberaa 6 months after my appendix burst I did get Basel cell, squimous cell and melanoma. I don’t know if that is related but I do think the sepsis and trauma may have brought this on. Yes, I am Scottish and fair.

I just remembered. I have had a potassium/magnesium issue since I was around 20. I would have terrible foot arch cramps that stopped me from dancing and pointing my toes. I had a large issue swimming and snow skiing. A bag of smokehouse almonds did help with the skiing issue. Taking potassium and magnesium did help generally. When I swam, I couldn’t use my feet to kick as they would cramp.
After having my appendix out, I never had that issue again and stopped taking supplements. No doctors has been able to give me an answer for this.