Hi there,
My name is Chris, and I have recently been diagnosed with inoperable advanced bile duct cancer.
The diagnosis came somewhat out of the blue - I was at work as normal on the 1st September, but that evening I developed a stitch-like pain in my right side. I tried to sleep it off, but by around 2am, I was mildly feverish and figured that I needed to go to A&E first thing in the morning. I figured that I had gallstones, but it turned out to be a very large tumour in my liver, with signs of spread. It was later confirmed as having spread to the peritoneum, and that it is too dangerous to operate on.
I was living alone in my own apartment in Glasgow until my diagnosis, but since then I've moved back to my Mum's in Edinburgh. As I'm 'only' 50, I'm relatively young to have this type of cancer, but the flipside being that it should help me to cope with the treatment a bit better. Of course, this has also come as a tremendous shock to my family, and it is affecting my Mum particularly badly - however, my family and friends have been exceptionally supportive, and I'm finding living back at my Mum's a great comfort.
I'm possibly going to join a clinical trial next week which would see me switch from chemotherapy to a targeted therapy - it has the downside of being in a different city, but it is quite encouraging to know that there are other options out there, albeit I'm realistic about the likely benefits that it might have.
In general I've not been too down about my diagnosis - even though it is pretty devastating, I'm managing to stay in good spirits for now, although I do have plenty of moments of sadness. Living with my Mum is a tremendous bonus as we have always been very close, but I often struggle with the thought of her having to look after me, when she is 81 and has her own health issues to contend with, and it should be me looking after her and not the other way round; but for the time being, we are both comfortable and enjoying our time together. My sister has also been amazing and has pretty much been by my side for the whole journey so far - I don't know what I would do without her, although it upsets me alot when I think about how my illness and prognosis is likely to affect her too.
However, if nothing else, this whole process has brought my relationships with family and friends into sharp focus - and although I have never been ungrateful for having such wonderful people in my life, it has been a reminder of how valuable one's time is with those that you care for and who care for you! I hope to be an active member of these forums for the foreseeable future, so feel free to drop a reply or a message 
Best wishes,
Chris
