My condition: Adhesion Colic

To those who know me, often remember me with my common trait, which is so often fallen sick.. hehe its unwanted but inevitable. Alot of u had ask what is my problem exactly, and I have find it hard to explain to you all. So since the blog is running now, I have a chance here to clarify and explain to you all once and for all this condition of mine.. It is called "Adhesion Colic". It started after my appendectomy back in 2006.. So here are what I found out about it so far...

Colic; this one term encompasses a great myriad of abdominal diseases. Most horse-people are aware of the dangers of colic but it is important to realize that colic never happens alone. The nature of colic opens the door for a number of life threatening complications that can occur even months after the initial episode. Diagnosis and treatment of the problem is also not with out inherent risks that add to the already numerous complications that can occur.

Common Complications Associated with Colic:

· Intestinal Tissue Compromise/Necrosis

· Dependent Edema

· Endotoxic Shock

· Laminitis

· Intestinal/Gastric Rupture

· Dehydration/Diarrhea

· NSAID toxicity/Gastric Ulcers

· Rectal Tear

· Adynamic Ileus

· Adhesions

· Peritonitis

· Death

An episode of rolling during colic

Surgery is an often-inevitable treatment of serious colic and complications are common. It is imperative that you are aware of the risk and the expense involved with colic surgery and the intensive care and management that are necessary after the surgery. The most common and serious problems that arise after surgery include adynamic ileus, adhesions, and peritonitis and consequently recurrent colic or abdominal pain.

Adhesions

What is it?

Adhesions are fibrous tags that form between pieces of intestine (Fig. 2) or between the intestine and the body wall. It is believed that these adhesions originally form to help supply blood to a compromised piece of intestine but troubles arise when these beneficial adhesions do not break down and begin to cause potentially fatal problems. These consequences can include intestinal obstruction and strangulation, decreased gut motility and ileus, as well as recurrent abdominal pain and colic.

Why does it occur?

Any insult to the peritoneum (the tissue lining the body wall) or the surface of the intestine will open the door to adhesion formation. Decreased blood supply, distention, drying, and abrasion of the intestine or peritoneum during surgical manipulation or the initial insult are all predisposing factors.

Treatment/Management?

Adhesion management is mainly centered on prevention. Proper surgical technique, minimal surgery time and tissue handling, use of adhesion preventing compounds during surgery and early recognition and rectification of predisposing conditions such as ileus and peritonitis can go a long way to decreasing the incidence of adhesions. However, even after a seemingly successful surgery and recovery a horse may still succumb, and unfortunately adhesions are a major reason for euthanasia and death after abdominal surgery. Occasionally, a second surgery may be necessary in an attempt to break down the adhesions but this is generally unsuccessful and the adhesions usually reform with even more complications.

In Conclusion

Each of these complications is unfortunately frequently life threatening. This, however, does not mean that all is lost. Newer treatment techniques and constant vigilance make survival rates better than ever but it is not an inexpensive undertaking. These problems require intense monitoring and care and expense is often a limiting factor. You need to remember that colic is usually never just colic and the complications can be worse than the problem that started it all.

So hope u guys understand the article. Feel free to ask if u have any questions..