A 49-year-old woman suffering abdominal pain since childhood underwent three surgeries over the years in which her gall bladder and appendix were removed, but got no relief.

Last week, R. Zonum Samji, a resident of Aizawl, was detected with a rare congenital disorder of the intestine and operated on in a city hospital.

“The first time I felt the severe pain, I was five years old. My suffering had continued since then. The pain would come back at regular intervals,” said Samji. The doses of painkillers had to be increased but her pain did not subside.

Samji underwent the first surgery in the late ’80s during which her appendix was dissected. In 1991, she was operated on again and this time the doctors removed her gall bladder. “But even then my pain continued. In fact, it became worse,” Samji said.

In 1995, she went under the scalpel for the third time, but again without results.

“Every time I was admitted to hospital, I hoped my agony would end, but that was not to be,” she added.

“Tests revealed that Samji’s common bile duct (CBD) was hugely dilated due to a choledochal cyst, which is a rare genetic disorder,” said city-based laparoscopic surgeon Dhrubajyoti Bhowmick, who operated on her at AMRI Hospitals, Dhakuria.

The cyst was removed and the CBD reconstructed using a loop. “A week has gone by and my pain hasn’t returned,” said Samji on Sunday.

“It is a rare disorder that causes severe pain. It is usually diagnosed in childhood and surgery is the only option,” said laparoscopic surgeon V.K. Bhartia. “The pain can, however, relapse if the cyst is not removed properly.”