Silver Stool

The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported on a case of a woman whose poop turned silver. Or, at least, silver-colored.

She wasn't drinking silver, which would have been an easy solution to the mystery. Instead, the doctors offered this explanation:

The physical examination was notable for jaundice, hepatomegaly, and a diffusely tender abdomen. The rectal examination showed silver-colored stool (Panel A)... The appearance of silver stool results from a combination of white stool associated with obstructive jaundice and black stool of melena. After a discussion of treatment options with the patient, a decision was made to focus on her comfort. She was discharged home with hospice care.

In light of this case, the website PoopColors.com should be updated to include silver.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 20, 2020
Category: Excrement

Comments

The reference to hospice care suggests that her condition was fatal.

Posted by Brian on 07/20/20 at 08:38 AM

Hospice care is slowly evolving. It's still mostly a warehouse for people who'll soon be dead, but it's also becoming a place to watch for developments when the patient doesn't need the skilled care of a nursing home but can't care for themselves well enough to be in a retirement gulag. My mother is in one now, and two of her co-inmates have been there over a year. The doctors are hoping she'll regain enough strength over the next few months to be a good candidate for surgery. They did have to sign off on the whole "if we do nothing, she'll be dead within six months" thing to get her in, but they're actually hopeful (not just plastering on smiley faces to keep the family from freaking out).

Posted by Phideaux on 07/20/20 at 01:09 PM

The linked article says she had metastatic colon cancer.

Posted by ges on 07/20/20 at 01:28 PM

I didn't see the linked article -- I've developed a very quick reflex for closing a tab when there's a pay wall, adblocker detection, or anything that looks at first glance like one or the other.

Posted by Phideaux on 07/21/20 at 12:55 AM

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