In October 2022, I discovered that I had a cavernous angioma in my liver. I began feeling the first symptoms (nausea and heaviness in the stomach) at the end of September 2023. My general practitioner (GP) prescribed a gastroprotective drug, which initially improved the symptoms. However, the symptoms persisted after a control ultrasound that revealed no specific issues.

Due to the ongoing symptoms at the end of December 2023, I decided to see a hepatologist for a specialist visit, which was never recommended before, as any other pathology was categorically excluded.

On 10 January 2024, I went for a specialist visit to a hepatologist to check a previously diagnosed cavernous angioma. Following further clinical investigations (MRI with contrast medium and liver biopsy), I was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma.

Receiving the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma was terrible but, above all, unexpected, given the initial premises of the diagnosis of cavernous angioma. I never thought that my life could change so drastically.

My first thought was my loved ones, husband/children and parents and how I would face the diagnosis with them, especially without having yet received information from the oncologist about the treatment options.

The second difficult moment was discovering, in the disease’s “staging phase,” the presence of two nodules, which led to classifying the disease as stage IV and, therefore, inoperable.

Despite this, my therapeutic experience has been positive so far, mainly due to the negligible side effects, which help me to avoid constantly thinking about the fact that I’m ill. The doctors who took charge of my situation were indeed timely and efficient. I found outstanding professionalism and sensitivity in the oncology department.

While the discovery of the disease has impacted my quality of life overall, the psychological toll has been more significant than the physical. Not knowing what will happen to you in the short or medium term makes you feel completely helpless and at the mercy of fate; we human beings are not used to thinking about when we will die but about how long we will live.