The Two Week Rule That Became the Three Week Rule And Then Back Again

I have been very lucky. I have a cousin who is a gastroenterologist. My husband called him at home at 7 AM on a Sunday morning with a new strange symptom that concerned him, which my cousin later said he immediately suspected was pancreatic cancer.

Unfortunately, my cousin has retired. We had a conversation prior to his retirement where I told him I have a two week rule.  If some new symptom or sign in my body that was not there before persists for two weeks, I would usually call him. What do I do now?

He said, in general, make it a three week rule. If you have some warning that there is some change that is bringing you discomfort or is making you worried and persists for three weeks, see a doctor.

What made me think of this now was an article in The New York Times, Tuesday, October 6, 2026, “Don’t Disregard These Gastrointestinal Symptoms: Five Warning Signs That Experts Say Should Prompt a Chat With Your Doctor,“ by Caroline Hopkins Legaspi.

Here are her five warning signs that you should not ignore:

1.             Blood in the toilet. Stool that appears black or dark maroon can be a sign of bleeding and other conditions, some very serious.

2.             Unusual bowel movement changes. Changes in the color of the stool. Changes without the reason.  I will add my husband’s. Your bowel movement looks like the color of oatmeal and floats.

3.             Diarrhea that won’t go away, which is described at bowel movements that have been loose or watery from more than 5 to 7 days, especially if you have pain, cramping or changes in your diet.

4.             Difficulty swallowing. In this case, you should see a doctor quickly, as this condition can lead to choking. Choking deaths are in greater number than you realize. I found out from my ENT that as we age our esophagus gets narrower.

TIP: It is worth seeing an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT) as a birthday present for yourself for your 70th birthday, if not earlier.

I call it your ears, nose, and throat check-up. Is your nose running when you eat, after hot or spicy food, too? There is a very easy solution for that that my ENT gave me and I am going to share with you. Neilmed in the light blue container, Sinus, Allergy, Cold,  a few sprays in your nose morning and night.  I swear it has kept me from getting sick too. I keep it in the kitchen and the bathroom. It is hard to find, but, of course, Amazon has it.

You may want to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist too. There are individually packaged Refresh Plus lubricant eye drops and Optase tea tree oil eyelid wipes or Ocusoft lid scrub that your aging eyes will thank you for.  They are great for travel too, especially on a long airline flight.

And, since this New York Times article targets the gut, consider a relationship with a gastroenterologist in your life.

Having a relationship with and being an existing patient of these three medical specialists before you need them is a plus!

5.             Symptoms that wake you. Added in this section is, “as a general rule, and unexplained loss of more than 10% of your body weight, across timeframe, is worth telling a doctor about. . . . Conditions of that can cause unexpected weight loss include gastrointestinal, cancers, bowel diseases,” and more.

My husband survived pancreatic cancer for five years because he acted at the first sign of a strange issue. Know your body! Or at least pay attention to it!

My cousin had me consider a three week rule but I think I’m going back to the two week rule after reading the bottom line in the article:

“If you’re unsure whether a symptom is worrisome, especially if it doesn’t resolve within a few days to a few weeks, it’s a good idea to run it by a doctor, the expert said. . .”

The article ends with your primary care doctor can refer you to a specialist. I don’t know about your area, but in South Florida it takes a long time, months sometimes, to get an appointment as a new patient with any doctor, much less a specialist.

From personal experience, I recommend trying to make an appointment with the appropriate specialist at the two week mark as well. If your primary care doctor is able to assure you that it is not serious or life threatening, and it can be treated by him or her, another patient on the specialist’s waiting list will appreciate you, as you can cancel the specialist appointment with.

Joy,

Mema

P.S.  I would tab this blog post and keep a copy handy.  I hope you never need it, more than for maintenance.