Two Years Of Suffering Ends With Rare IBS Diagnosis

Sam Launder thought his trouble was minor. At twenty-seven, the frequent trips to the loo seemed like a small price for an active life. He ate well and worked as a restaurant assistant manager in a fast-paced job. Even better, he hit the gym four times a week and trained for ballroom and Latin dance competitions.

Then things got worse. The frequency of his bowel movements jumped from four or five times a day to six or seven. The urgency became real; he had to run just to make it in time. Sam hesitated to see a doctor because he assumed it was irritable bowel syndrome, a condition with no cure that people simply learn to live with.

Months passed while his pain grew. Finally, after nearly two years of suffering, a specialist looked him over and confirmed the IBS diagnosis. The advice was standard: keep a food diary, skip fatty and spicy meals, and drink lots of water. Around fifteen percent of adults in the US face this issue, according to the American Medical Association. Yet there is no specific test for it. Doctors rely on symptoms and rule out other diseases like inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease using blood and stool samples.

Professor Anthony Hobson, a gastrointestinal scientist at The Functional Gut Clinic in London, explains the logic clearly. 'You will not be diagnosed with IBS if you don't experience its key symptom – abdominal pain,' he says. 'But abdominal pain alone does not necessarily mean you have IBS.' Bloating is the next most common sign, alongside diarrhea or constipation. Sometimes a bowel movement helps, but often it does not. Certain foods make the pain worse, including onions, garlic, dairy, sugary fruits like apples, and high-fiber items.

The professor warns about specific 'red flags' that demand further investigation. Unintentional weight loss, blood in the stool, a family history of colon cancer, or new symptoms appearing after age forty-five require simple stool tests to check for inflammatory markers. These checks help exclude serious conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Without these signs, a diagnosis based on symptoms is generally acceptable.

Sam's condition did not stay mild. His discomfort deepened until he started doubting the original verdict. Going out became a nightmare of logistics; he had to find bathrooms before leaving home and avoid long gaps between meals while traveling. He even packed extra clothes just in case of an accident. Reading online forums, Sam realized his situation sounded far more severe than what other IBS patients described.

Eventually, the truth came out. A year after that initial diagnosis, doctors found a much graver issue. Sam needed surgery to remove his bowel and rectum. Now thirty-three, he lives near Oxford with his partner Ellie and their two-year-old daughter Evie. Despite the radical change in his body and life, Sam says he is finally 'in the best place I've been for a long time.' The journey from a dismissed worry to major surgery highlights how easily gut pain can be misread if serious warning signs are ignored.

So I returned to the doctor – but was again told it was IBS." That diagnosis stuck around him for years. Then came early 2020, roughly a year later. Sam started passing blood and his back hurt badly this time. This pain pushed him toward a referral for a colonoscopy. A tiny camera slid into the colon to inspect the lining directly. The view revealed ulcerative colitis.

"I'd never heard of the condition and didn't really understand what could potentially come of it," Sam says now. Ulcerative colitis makes the large bowel lining inflamed and sore, creating painful ulcers. Experts think the immune system mistakes harmless bacteria for threats and attacks the gut wall instead. A recent study points to rising cases of inflammatory bowel disease in the US, especially among young people. Some 100,000 kids under age 20 live with some form of IBD today, according to experts.

Researchers suspect diet, low fiber intake, and antibiotic use shape the gut environment. These factors could upset the immune system and alter bacterial balance. Inflammation drives symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal pain, bleeding, and an urgent need to reach a toilet. There is no cure yet. Treatments exist to control inflammation and manage daily life.

"Although it can occur at any age, ulcerative colitis usually affects people in their youth – possibly due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors that trigger the immune system to overreact," says Dr Rishi Goel, a consultant gastroenterologist at the New Victoria Hospital in London. He adds that IBS also hits younger adults often, so telling these two apart matters greatly for patient care.

Irritable bowel syndrome touches about one in five UK adults and roughly 15 percent of US adults. Ulcerative colitis typically brings diarrhea, pain, and rectal bleeding. IBS usually causes bloating, pain, and shifts in bowel habits but not bleeding. "Because some symptoms overlap, it's not uncommon for sufferers to confuse these conditions - and it can also be a challenge for [doctors] when choosing investigations and making a diagnosis," Dr Goel notes.

One check stands out: the calprotectin stool test. This lab look finds a protein that signals bowel inflammation. "IBS does not cause inflammation, so the test can help doctors tell the conditions apart," he explains. Results guide next steps. A negative result makes IBD less likely but does not rule it out completely. "[Doctors] should consider checking a fecal calprotectin test in patients presenting with IBS-type symptoms," Dr Goel adds.

He warns that delaying diagnosis for ulcerative colitis is dangerous. "The inflammation can become more severe and affect more of the bowel. The condition may then not respond as well to treatment." He says early testing might have raised suspicion sooner in Sam's story and pushed for further checks faster.

For three years after his ulcerative colitis diagnosis, Sam got many medications. Some came as infusions inside a hospital. "Nothing seemed to help, so I kept being put back on high doses of steroids [prednisolone], as it was the only thing that relieved some of the symptoms," he says. Doctors hesitated because long-term steroid use carries risks like weight gain and weakened bones.

"At my worst I was running to the toilet up to 25 times a day," Sam recalls. People asked him how he coped. The answer? He did not cope well at all.

Sam was honest about his health issues at work. His colleagues knew the truth. He kept his job by planning ahead and memorizing bathroom locations. But his social life suffered badly. Canceling plans became a constant habit. Embarrassment drove him away when he needed to rush for the toilet. Eventually, going out felt like too much trouble.

He quit ballroom dancing and Latin dancing classes entirely. The gym went on pause as well. Steroids caused his weight to skyrocket from 165 lbs up to 253 lbs. He developed a moon face because the drugs changed how his body managed fat and fluid. Inflammation grew so bad that his doctor said there was only one path left. That meant removing his colon to stop severe bleeding or dangerous swelling.

Sam admits he could not keep living as he did. In July 2022, he entered surgery for eight hours. The procedure took longer because part of his colon looked much worse than expected. Surgeons created a permanent stoma on his abdomen to collect waste. When he woke up, Sam wanted nothing to do with the sight initially. Once he learned to fit and change the bag, relief washed over him. He could finally leave home without worrying about the nearest bathroom. Freedom returned for the first time in years.

Sam still tries to hide or disguise the stoma bag wherever possible. He wears support belts to make it less noticeable. Last July, he needed another operation to remove his rectum. Long-term inflammation raises cancer risk significantly. This second surgery is known as Barbie butt surgery because stitches close everything for a smooth look. Recovery was incredibly hard work. He could only lie on his side or walk around. Sitting caused too much pain after the procedure.

He felt pretty low while shuffling with a support cushion under his arm. Countless painful infections plagued him along with regular bag leaks. His stoma shifted slightly due to a hernia repair done during that same operation. It took between six and nine months before he started feeling like himself again. His daughter had recently turned one year old. Not being able to pick her up felt heartbreaking for him.

Now Sam feels much more positive about his future. He has returned to the gym and lost around 33 lbs. He wants to get stronger for himself too. Being active with his daughter matters deeply now. These past few years were difficult indeed. Yet he always tries to stay positive and be grateful for every day.

Sam hopes his story encourages people not to ignore symptoms if something feels wrong. Keep pushing for answers is the message he shares.