Following surgery to remove 55% of her liver Emily says is happy to have an 8-inch scar on her abdomen as a reminder of how lucky she was that her benign tumour was discovered. Thank you for sharing your story, Emily
In December 2024 I went to A&E with a chest pain and had some routine blood tests. Randomly, the results showed high liver enzymes, so I was sent for an ultrasound scan just to cover all bases. I thought nothing of it because it was unrelated to the chest pain. Shockingly, a large mass was found on my liver. I was sent for an MRI scan, which confirmed I had an 8cm x 7cm x 6cm tumour on my liver, which is the size of a jacket potato. I was told there and then: ‘We think you have cancer’.
Obviously upon hearing those words, our world shattered. How can you have something that size with no symptoms and not know?
After many scans, blood tests and appointments I made the decision to use BUPA healthcare through my work because it meant the fantastic liver surgeon could fast-track a major surgery. I was really grateful to have this option because the NHS wait times were uncertain and we really didn’t want to postpone the wedding of our dreams in Las Vegas. I would prompt anyone with the option of having private healthcare to get it!
Urgent operation
The liver specialist team did extensive tests which suggested my tumour could also be a benign condition called a hepatic adenoma, which can be catastrophic if it ruptures because you bleed out internally. They would only be able to confirm the diagnosis when all the mass was removed and tested, so they suggested an urgent operation.
I had an embolisation in January 2025, which is a procedure that stops the blood flow that ‘feeds’ the tumour. Thankfully, it was a great success and on Thursday 13th February 2025 I had major surgery to remove 55% of my liver along with the tumour and my gallbladder. They also removed the surrounding lymph nodes in case the diagnosis showed hepatocellular cancer (HCC).
The human body is an incredible thing – I had no idea the liver can regenerate and grow back to the size your body requires to function within a few months.
I was in hospital for five days in total, including one day in ICU and a week after I was discharged, my surgeon confirmed the tumour was a benign inflammatory hepatic adenoma caused by long-term use of the pill. I had been on the pill for 20 years with no break and never had any problems, but didn’t realise what damage it was doing to my body! The tumour had probably been growing for years and I had no idea and if I’d I carried on taking the pill and the tumour hadn’t been found, it would have continued to grow and could have turned into cancer and/or ruptured.
Although tumours are very rare and stated as a potential side-effect in the pamphlet of the pill, no one discusses this with you and they are usually only ever found incidentally. You hear these horror stories and think it will never happen to me, but it can and it did!
Helped to understand
I found out about the British Liver Trust through Googling my condition and coming across an information page on tumours. I then was able to review all the other patient stories which gave me comfort that I wasn’t alone, and it made me decide to also share my experience to help raise awareness. I visited the website for more information on overall liver health too which has set me up post surgery to ensure I am keeping my left lobe healthy.
I’ve connected with so many women in support groups on social media who are all in the same boat as me and it’s really alarming. I had never heard of the condition and neither had anyone I know. Seeing their stories helped me understand what I was about to go through and come out of the other side of it.
I now have an eight-inch scar down my abdomen which I’ll happily wear as a reminder of how strong I’ve been and how goddamn lucky I am this was accidentally found. I will be eternally grateful to my surgeon, Charles, who has undoubtably saved my life.
