Sas Parsad, a 45-year-old property entrepreneur from Eastbourne, fainted when doctors told him his debilitating symptoms were caused by Crohn's disease. He had been going to the toilet up to 100 times a day and experiencing intense stomach cramps for years before the diagnosis in March 2012.
The symptoms began suddenly 15 years ago when Sas woke up desperate for the loo with severe stomach cramps. He initially put it down to food poisoning, but when the pain persisted after ten days, he visited a doctor who suggested salmonella. Months of tests, weight loss and agony followed as his condition worsened.
Housebound and unable to work
Sas described the pain as crampy and high up, accompanied by urgency and a sharp, lower, heavy anxiety-like pain. He was housebound, unable to work or socialise, and spent his days in pyjamas, never far from the bathroom. Living with his mum for the first time since he was 18, he felt his life was at a standstill.
Over two years, Sas lost around 15 kilos, looked pallid, and struggled with psoriasis flares around his eyes and elbows. Doctors suggested irritable bowel syndrome and referred him for multiple MRIs, a colonoscopy, and an endoscopy, which took months of waiting.
Diagnosis and turning point
While awaiting a diagnosis, Sas refined his diet to foods least likely to cause pain, like meat and eggs. It seemed to work, and in March 2012 he finally received his diagnosis: Crohn's disease, with inflammation and ulcers in his upper and lower intestine. Doctors told him it was chronic, severe, and lifelong, and advised steroid medication and immunosuppressants immediately.
Sas threw himself into learning about nutrition and now only eats simple, home-cooked food. He practices intermittent fasting, has his first meal around 2-3pm, and has made small shifts to his routine, including daily outdoor movement, vitamin D, hydration, and structured sleep. He now experiences very few symptoms and believes his diet is mainly responsible.
Life after diagnosis
Since his diagnosis, Sas has married, had a daughter, and set up a company called The Gut Co to help others support their gut health. He believes additives in ultra-processed foods and the protein supplements he was taking aggravated his condition.
Sas acknowledges that Crohn's is not curable and that what works for him may not work for others. He continues to manage his condition, accepting that sometimes it leaves him tired or struggling with cramps. He remains optimistic and has no intention of surgery or medication for as long as he can avoid it.
