Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Health


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Comments (1)     E-mail article     Print view

"Floaters" could signal something bad

Q: I read your column about floating poop. When I experienced this about seven years ago, I ignored it because there were no other symptoms...

Syndicated Columnists

Q: I read your column about floating poop. When I experienced this about seven years ago, I ignored it because there were no other symptoms. Luckily for me, I ended up in the emergency room with a kidney stone. When they performed a CT scan to find the stone, they found the cause of my floating poop — pancreatic cancer.

One of the reasons the survival rate for pancreatic cancer is so low is that it is rarely found early. By the time most people are symptomatic, it has metastasized. The tumor had blocked the bile duct just enough to cause the floating-poop symptom.

I had a Whipple procedure and am one of the very few survivors of pancreatic cancer. Please tell the person with floating poop to see a doctor.

A: You are not the only reader who made a connection between "floaters" and pancreatic cancer. Several readers remembered a televised interview with the late Randy Pausch, author of "The Last Lecture," in which he talked about this as a symptom of his pancreatic cancer.

There are other causes of floating poop, and many are not serious. Just the same, it makes sense to discuss this symptom with a physician.

Q: I struggled for years with hair loss, dry skin and constant fatigue. I was finally sent to an endocrinologist, who discovered I have Hashimoto's disease and prescribed Armour Thyroid.

Now that I take this natural hormone, my hair is not falling out, my fingernails and toenails grow, my skin is not as dry, my monthly cycle is not as heavy and, to my amazement, I have much better mental clarity. I used to feel like I was in a haze sometimes. I never understood why, but that is one of the symptoms of low thyroid as well.

A: We're glad you were finally diagnosed correctly. Thyroid disorders are common, and your symptoms were classic. Armour Thyroid is an old-fashioned treatment for hypothyroidism, and many doctors no longer prescribe it. Some readers report, however, that they feel better on this than on synthetic levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levothroid, Levoxyl) that contains only T4.

Q: I was recently traveling in France and ran out of the acetaminophen I brought from home for my painful arthritic knee. When I attempted to buy more acetaminophen from a French pharmacy, the pharmacist said acetaminophen is not sold in France. The pharmacist advised me to take a product named paracetamol. What is paracetamol, and is it safe to use?

A: Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.) is sold throughout the world as paracetamol. The two are identical.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them c/o King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019, or via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

More Health headlines...

E-mail article Print view      Share:    Digg     Newsvine

Comments
Regarding acetaminophen and paracetomol, the questioner asks if the latter is safe to use. The answer states that the 2 are identical, which...  Posted on November 17, 2008 at 9:29 AM by ex RN. Jump to comment

advertising

The People's Pharmacy: Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen

VA clinic opens in Mount Vernon

Layoffs planned at Rainier School as DSHS deals with budget cuts

Just how friendly are those probiotics in your food?

Argentina acts on flu

Advertising

Video

AP Video

Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech

Marketplace

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising