Farmers Are Not Afraid of Obstacles; They Are Afraid of Not Knowing Which Way to Go - My Two Interventional Treatments at UNI-ASIA

My name is Liu Heyi, 48 years old and i'm from Guanghan, Sichuan. During the Chinese New Year holiday last year, my wife noticed that my eyes had turned yellow. I thought I was simply tired from working and did not take it seriously. When I went to the township hospital, the doctor’s expression changed after reviewing my scans and told me to go to a major hospital as soon as possible. After visiting several hospitals, I was finally diagnosed with a growth in my liver. Then my condition began to progress rapidly. I developed severe bile duct obstruction, marked yellowing of my whole body, and itching, and I lost nearly 15 kg within one month. The test report showed that my bilirubin had reached 257.50 umol/L. Even after I underwent an interventional bile drainage procedure at the hospital, my bilirubin level continued to rise.

The image shows severe yellowing of the patient’s skin and sclera caused by bile duct obstruction at the onset of the disease.

During that period, I felt completely dazed. I had always been strong, and I had never fallen behind on farm work. How could I suddenly be connected with such an illness? Doctors at a major hospital said the tumor was in a difficult location, close to a major blood vessel, and that direct surgery would be risky. I was deeply unsettled. I was afraid of undergoing such a major operation, but I was also afraid that delaying treatment would make things worse.

The abdominal CT image shows severe bile duct obstruction at the area marked by the red arrow.

Later, through someone’s recommendation, I came to Chengdu UNI-ASIA Cancer Hospital. At the end of February, I underwent my first interventional treatment here. The doctor told me that this method did not require major open surgery. They could use a very thin catheter, guide it through the blood vessels to the liver, locate the blood vessels supplying the tumor, deliver medication, and block those vessels at the same time. I did not really understand the technical details. I only remember lying there while Dr. Liao Zhengyin occasionally said to me, “The catheter is in position,” and “The medicine is being delivered; don’t be nervous.” His voice was calm and steady, just like chatting with someone familiar. I remained awake throughout the whole procedure and did not feel anything particularly uncomfortable. It was finished in less than an hour.

I also recovered quickly afterward. That evening, I stayed in bed as instructed. The next day, I tried moving my legs. Apart from a little tightness where the gauze was taped over the wound, I did not feel much discomfort. On the morning of the third day, the doctor came for ward rounds, checked the wound, and said I was recovering well. He asked how I felt, and I said I was just waiting to go home. My wife kept saying beside me that she had thought I would have to stay in the hospital for ten days or half a month, but she did not expect me to be able to get out of bed and walk so soon. On the day I was discharged, I carried my own belongings out of the hospital gate. I thought to myself: this was not as frightening as I had imagined.

In early April, I came back for the second treatment. This time, I felt much more at ease. Dr. Liao still remembered me. During ward rounds, he asked whether I had been eating well and whether my weight had dropped. He also brought up the previous scan and compared it with the latest one, pointing to the shadow on the screen and saying, “Look, it is much smaller than last time.” At that moment, I was truly happy in a way I cannot fully describe. I felt that I had chosen the right path.

The procedure took about the same amount of time and followed almost the same process. This time, when I lay on the operating table, I felt steady inside. Dr. Liao’s technique was stable and gentle. With him beside me, my tense shoulders gradually relaxed. After the procedure, the doctor told me to lie still for a few hours and keep my leg straight. For me, that was nothing. Squatting in the fields for a whole day is much more tiring than that. By the third day, the mild tightness in my chest and back had eased, and I was discharged after four days. Before I left the hospital, the nurse carefully explained a list of precautions: no alcohol, do not overwork, keep up with nutrition, and have blood tests once a week. I nodded and remembered every word.

Now I am at home. I eat when it is time to eat, take walks when it is time to walk, and for now my son is watching over the farm work. Life is not much different from before. My wife says my complexion is much better than it was around the New Year, my eyes are no longer yellow, and when I smile, I look the same as before. I still need to return to UNI-ASIA for the next treatment, but I am no longer anxious. In life, people are not afraid of obstacles; what they fear is not knowing which way to go. Now I know my direction clearly, so I feel at ease.

This case is based on a real patient experience. Privacy details have been modified. It does not constitute a promise of diagnosis or treatment outcomes.