‘I was going to the toilet 100 times a day – when doctors told me what was wrong, I fainted’

When Sas Parsad woke suddenly desperate for the loo and experiencing  intense stomach cramps one night 15 years ago, he put it down to an unfortunate bout of food poisoning.

‘I thought I’d eaten something dodgy and that it would pass after two or three days,’ 45-year-old Sas, from Eastbourne, tells Metro.

But, when the pain didn’t shift after ten days, he took himself to the doctor, who suggested salmonella.

It marked the beginning of months of tests, weight loss and agony, as Sas’ symptoms worsened.

‘It was a crampy pain quite high up, but then also urgency, of needing to go, and a sharp, lower, heavy anxiety-esque kind of pain.

It was debilitating,’ he remembers.

For months Sas was up all night going to the loo, and spending his days in his pyjamas, never wanting to be far from the bathroom and unable to work or socialise.

Living with his mum for the first time since he was 18 after moving house, the property entrepreneur felt like his life was at a standstill.

‘I was pretty much housebound and unable to work.

I was back and forth to the toilet 100 times or more a day, sore and bleeding constantly.

I was scared of eating, in case I made it worse,’ he explains.

‘I was tired, listless and lacking in energy.

It felt like the world was caving in on me.’
Sas’ mum Jaleh was also worried – foisting bowls of plums and peaches on her son to keep him eating, which he refused, and pushing him to go back to the doctor and ask for tests.

Over two years Sas lost around 15 kilos, looked pallid and struggled with psoriasis flares around his eyes and elbows.

As doctors suggested irritable bowel syndrome, he underwent prodding, poking, tests and scans in search of a diagnosis and was referred for multiple MRIs, a colonoscopy and an endoscopy – which took months of waiting.

‘It was a tough time.

If I did leave the house, I had to be very strategic,’ recalls Sas.

‘It was – where are the toilets, are they clean and can I get access to them?

Before, I’d never dreamed of using a public toilet, but the phrase “when you’ve gotta go you’ve gotta go” took on a whole new meaning for me.’
So when the symptoms hit at the age of 30, Sas felt despondent as he sat around listlessly scrolling instagram.

‘I am a pretty positive person, and I can always find a way out of a problem.

But without knowing what was wrong, I didn’t know how to get through it.

My friends were going on holiday to Vegas and Mykonos, while I had to pass up on anything social,’ he says.

‘I was single and supposed to be in my prime.

I was asking myself – am I going to find someone that will understand this?

What if I am going to be like this forever?

Are they going to want to be with someone that’s going to want to need the toilet every five minutes?

‘I felt like life was passing me by.’
While awaiting a diagnosis, Sas decided to refine his diet, restricting to foods least likely to cause him pain, like meat and eggs.

It seemed to work, and as he started to feel better, he finally received a diagnosis from his doctor in March 2012.

‘They hit me with: “It’s Crohn’s disease.

You’ve got inflammation and ulcers in your upper and lower intestine.

Anything from your mouth to your rear can be affected.”
‘They told me it was chronic, severe and lifelong,’ adds Sas.

‘They said I would have to have part my bowel removed within three to five years and advised me to go on steroid medication and immunosuppressants immediately.

‘I think I fainted.

It’s very vague in my memory, but I remember they put me on the bed and gave me a glass of water.’
Crohn’s disease is a long-term, incurable condition where part of your gut becomes inflamed.

It can cause diarrhoea, pain, constipation and can affect other parts of the body in joint pain, sore eyes and skin rashes.

In severe cases it can also lead to extensive surgery.

Sas imagined himself bedbound and fitted with a stoma as he struggled to process all the new information he was being given.

But as the news settled in, he also felt relieved to at last knew what was wrong with him.

After reading about the benefits of intermittent fasting, he now has his first meal around 2-3pm, which will be chicken, eggs and some yoghurt, and a similar simple meal for dinner.

He has also made lots of tiny shifts to his routine which he says help keep him feeling well.

‘I try to move outside every single day, I get vitamin D, I stay hydrated, I’m structured with my sleep – and I’ve been amazed at how much better it made me feel,’ Sas explains.

Now he experiences very few symptoms – a change he believes is mainly down to his diet.

‘In that first year post-diagnosis, I got into the best shape of my life.

I cut out all the sugars, refined crap, processed stuff and got rid of all the disruptive, harmful ingredients that are hidden in packaged foods.

‘The symptoms faded away and my energy levels were through the roof.

I felt so much better, started training twice a day and got my life back on track.’
He has since married.

had a daughter, and set up a company – The Gut Co – to help others support their own gut health, led by his own deep dive into nutrition.

Sas believes the many additives found in ultra-processed foods – and the protein supplements he was taking to stay healthy – must have been aggravating his condition.

‘I’m not saying I have found a cure for Crohn’s.

I know that everybody is different and that what might work for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another.

But this is where I landed – and I just have to hold onto the wins where I find them.’
Sas knows that will never be fixed, but continues to manage his condition, accepting that sometimes Crohn’s will leave him tired or struggling with cramps.

‘But that’s  just something I have to deal with.

We’re all fighting our own battles in one way or another.

I feel good now,’ he insists.

‘For me – the glass is half full.

Yes, I’ve got a chronic condition which can be challenging at times, but compared to what some people have to go through, it’s a drop in the ocean.

‘I don’t have any intention of any kind of surgery or going on any medication for as long as I can avoid it.

For now, touch wood, I’ve got under control.

‘I don’t know what the future holds, but for now I’m feeling optimistic.’