Eating myself blind

Takeaway addiction almost cost my sight

Moving in with my partner James in November 2011, I was 21 and a healthy size 12. We were so excited to finally be away from our parents.

The novelty of doing what we liked, when we wanted, was exhilarating. But eating what we liked soon got out of hand...

I’d always loved my food... But now my appetite was out of control.

‘So, what takeaway shall we have tonight?’ we’d ask.

Both working long hours, me as a care coordinator, we opted for an easy option – pizza or Chinese.

Soon, it wasn’t just a treat, it was four or five times a week.

If it wasn’t a takeaway, our portions were gigantic – half a chicken each and a plateful of buttery mash.

Sitting behind a desk, I’d snack throughout the day.

For lunch, I’d scoff a baguette overflowing with cheese. Then, I’d finish it off with flapjacks and chocolate bars.

Each and every meal, I’d eat until I could barely move.

Of course, I knew I was putting on weight. My size-12s no longer fitted. Shopping with friends, I’d try to squeeze into a size-16. But only a size-20 would go on.

And, soon, I was a size-24.

At my heaviest, I weighed 18st 2lb (and I’m only 5ft 3in tall).

‘I’m fine,’ I’d snap, if my mum Shelly ever mentioned it. Batting away her concerns, I was stubborn, and she gave up in the end.

I enjoyed my food and wouldn’t let anything ruin that.

But something was else bothering me – I had pounding, excruciating headaches.

I’d suffered with them for about three years.

Doctors said they were tension headaches, gave me painkillers.

But in 2014, they became a lot worse.

Crippled by the pain, I often had to take time off work.

Then, in early 2015, a routine eye test led to some answers.

‘ There’s a slight blur behind your eye,’ the optician explained, referring me to hospital.

I have a brain tumour, I thought instantly.

‘I’m going to die!’ I sobbed to James.

‘You won’t,’ he soothed.

Seeing an eye specialist, in September 2015, he couldn’t find anything, so referred me to a neurologist.

An MRI scan in the November finally revealed what was going on.

Not a tumour, but not good news either.

‘You have idiopathic intracranial hypertension,’ the doctor told me.

What on earth is that? I thought.

My mind rattled with thoughts of hospital beds, surgery, wires...

‘You need to lose weight,’ he went on.

I stared at him in shock.

Surely that wasn’t the solution?

But he explained the condition was caused by too much pressure on the brain.

While the cause was unknown, it was associated with obese and overweight women. I’d put on 6st in a year. ‘If you don’t lose weight, you could lose your sight,’ he added. I couldn’t believe it. I was eating myself blind! Booked in for a lumbar puncture to drain fluid and ease pressure on my brain, the seriousness of my situation started to sink in.

Except, I was so fat, doctors couldn’t find the spot for the needle. They had to perform another

under an X-ray.

So humiliating.

Enough was enough.

That night, I cleared out the fridge and joined Slimming World.

‘You’ve lost 2st,’ the consultant told me after a couple of months.

Success!

The headaches started to ease off, too, and the hospital discharged me. But it didn’t last long. Soon, I’d quit Slimming World and the pounds piled back on.

I can’t do this again,

I thought, looking down miserably at the scales.

I needed to completely overhaul my lifestyle.

Starting to halve my portions, I cut out the takeaways and the snacks.

It was hard. I felt hungry a lot of the time, but I soon got used to it.

James was really supportive and lost a bit of weight himself, too.

Instead of a fried-egg sandwich with three slices of white bread, I chose poached egg on wholemeal toast.

Ditching Indian takeaways, I’d make my own curries.

Then I cut my portions in

I weighed 18st 2lb – and I’m only 5ft 3in tall! An MRI scan finally revealed what was going on

half once again...

In just over a year, I lost 6st. And I felt amazing.

‘You look fantastic,’ my friends gushed.

By the end of 2016, I was a size-16.

‘I can finally shop in the high-street stores,’ I beamed.

My headaches had completely gone, too.

Taking the dog out for long walks, it was the first time in ages that my back or knees didn’t ache. A new job helped, too. Rather than being stuck behind a desk, I became a carer. So I’m always on my feet.

James and I went our separate ways – but we are still friends.

A fresh start in every part of my life.

I’m now in remission from the condition that almost cost me my sight, though there’s a chance it could return.

So I’m working hard to maintain my weight. And, for the first time in years, the future looks bright!