Sometimes, what we consider minor annoyances in bodily function could be warning signs of something more serious.
Sudden Onset of Abdominal Pain Associated with Sudden Weight Loss
Pancreatic cancer, which is the fifth most common type of cancer among women in the United States, usually causes no symptoms until the tumor has advanced in size and spread. The first signs are abdominal pain associated with sudden weight loss, digestive problems, lack of energy and weakness. Consult your physician if you experience jaundice, mid-back pain, nausea and diarrhea, general weakness, itchy skin and light-colored bowel movements.
These symptoms are associated with cancer in the head of the pancreas. When pancreatic cancer occurs in the tail of the pancreas, a person experiences abdominal pain that worsens about three to four hours following a meal. Additional warning signs include back pain that changes as you change position, loss of appetite and the development of blood clots in the legs. You may be at high risk for pancreatic cancer if you are over the age of 50, a heavy cigarette smoker and have a history of chronic pancreatitis. Though the cause is unknown, exposure to cancer-causing agents, working with petroleum and chemicals used in the dry-cleaning industry, having diabetes and consuming a diet of high fat, low fiber and foods with additives seems to increase one’s risk for developing this form of cancer. Pancreatic cancer occurs twice as often in men than women and two to three times more often in heavy smokers than non-smokers.
Nasal Obstruction with Nosebleeds
Esthesioneuroblastoma is a very rare form of cancer that develops in the nasal cavity. This form of cancer is thought to arise in the olfactory nerves, which are responsible for the sense of smell. The olfactory nerves originate in the nose and travel into the brain. The most commonly experienced symptom is the inability to breathe through the involved nostril and nosebleeds -- or both. These two symptoms are common to other benign nasal conditions such as chronic nasal sinusitis. In many cases, a person undergoes sinus surgery and the diagnosis of esthesioneuroblastoma or olfactory neuroblastoma is made as an unexpected pathological finding. This form of cancer commonly occurs during the teen years and the sixth decade of life. The incidence of metastasis is approximately fifty percent. The tumor can spread to the lymph nodes or laterally within the orbit. Consult your physician if you experience unilateral nasal obstruction and nosebleeds lasting longer than two months. Diagnosis of esthesioneuroblastoma is confirmed by CT and MRI studies and biopsy of the mass.
Sudden Loss of Vision in One Eye
The sudden loss of vision in one eye is called amaurosis fugax. It is caused by the temporary lack of blood flow to the retina and is a sign of an impending stroke. People who suffer from carotid artery disease are at a high risk for experiencing amaurosis fugax. Carotid artery disease is a condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries that supply blood to your brain. Loss of vision occurs when a piece of plaque in a carotid artery detaches and travels to the retinal artery in the eye.
The sudden loss of vision can last from a few seconds to a few minutes and has been described as a gray or black shade coming down over the eye. Consult your physician if you experience any loss of vision. Seek immediate medical attention if vision loss lasts longer than few minutes and if you are having other symptoms such as difficulty walking, talking and comprehending, sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body and a sudden severe headache. . Amaurosis fugax usually does not result in permanent disability. Rather, it indicates the presence of atherosclerosis and the increased risk for stroke.
Sources
Penn State/ Milton S. Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine: Pancreatic Cancer
New York Presbyterian: Esthesioneuroblastoma
MedlinePlus: Amaurosis fugax