Woman's Vision Fails Days After 10st Weight Loss, Leading to MS Diagnosis
Yasmin Neves believed she had achieved peak physical fitness after shedding an impressive 10 stone through dedicated dietary changes. In her twenties, with her wedding on the horizon, she felt healthier than ever before. However, this sense of accomplishment was abruptly shattered when she woke up one morning with blurry vision in her left eye.
Sudden Onset of Alarming Symptoms
"I continued going to work, but after five days, my vision went from slightly blurry to the point where I couldn't see the hand in front of my face," recalls Yasmin, now 37, an HR consultant from the Brecon Beacons. Her employer immediately directed her to hospital, where she endured a week of anxiety-filled scans, examinations, and high-dose intravenous steroids. Doctors initially suspected she might have suffered a stroke.
Then, a consultant arrived on the ward and asked if she knew anything about Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Having transformed from a size 26 to a size 12 through consistent workouts, Yasmin was utterly stunned. "I was like, 'No, what the hell is that? I'm fit, I'm healthy, I'm young, what are you talking about?' I was just in a state of shock," she explains.
The Reality of Multiple Sclerosis
MS is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system, disrupting communication between the brain and body by damaging the protective myelin sheath around nerve fibres. The condition impacts approximately 150,000 people across the UK, with around 7,100 new diagnoses annually—averaging 135 individuals weekly, a figure that continues to climb.
Despite the consultant's suspicions, Yasmin discharged herself prematurely to attend a Beyoncé concert and a friend's wedding. While her vision temporarily improved, new complications soon emerged:
- Heat sensitivity causing vision deterioration
- Stumbling and coordination issues
- Bladder difficulties requiring frequent urgent toilet visits
- Persistent exhaustion and brain fog
- The 'MS hug' sensation feeling like a tightening belt around her chest
Two Years of Diagnostic Limbo
Under diagnostic criteria at the time, medics needed to witness several relapses before confirming MS officially. This left Yasmin facing two years of uncertainty as symptoms mounted and her psychological wellbeing declined. "I just thought my life was over and I ended up in a very dark place," she remembers.
When she finally received the diagnosis in 2018, hearing the term "incurable" and being told to "go and live your life" proved deeply upsetting. "I said, 'is there anything that I can do? What about changing my diet?' and they said, 'not really' and handed me a leaflet of treatment options," Yasmin recalls.
Rejecting Medication for Lifestyle Changes
Yasmin began a medication regime that actually made her feel considerably worse, causing digestive problems and additional side effects. That same week, she and husband Matthew finalized the acquisition of a smallholding in the Brecon Beacons, relocating from Cwmbran in Wales to lower their stress levels.
She abandoned her full-time corporate position to concentrate on her HR consultancy while investigating lifestyle modifications. Through the charity Overcoming MS, she discovered a programme advocating:
- Regular meditation practice
- Exercise including yoga and walking
- A nutritious whole food plant-based diet
Yasmin traded ready meals for fresh ingredients, recognizing that previously she had depended heavily on ultra-processed foods. "I thought I was cooking, but I wasn't. I was taking stuff out of the freezer and putting it in the oven," she admits.
Remarkable Recovery Through Self-Care
Three months after starting medication, Yasmin quietly stopped her prescription without informing Matthew. Though scolded by her neurology nurse, she began to feel better. Two years into her new routine, she woke up feeling "like a fog had been lifted." Since then, many symptoms have subsided:
- Heat-induced vision issues have disappeared completely
- Fatigue has eased significantly
- Balance has improved enough to teach yoga regularly
- She now enjoys saunas without complications
Today, Yasmin claims she feels better than before her diagnosis. While she acknowledges that abandoning medication isn't an option for everyone, and MS affects each individual differently, she hopes her experience provides comfort to others.
Living Well With MS
"I feel the fittest, the healthiest and the most content that I ever have," Yasmin says. "I would say that you have to take one day at a time and be really gentle and kind to yourself. It is terrifying, and we don't like the unknown."
She emphasizes that a diagnosis doesn't mean complete reliance on others. "But I try and show by living my life, a diagnosis doesn't mean you're going to be completely reliant on other people and you can continue to live a full life. No one wants the diagnosis. It's an awful thing to have. But there is hope and choice and you can do positive things to help yourself live well with it."
Dr Kate Petheram, consultant neurologist at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, supports this approach: "Alongside medical interventions, providing patients with the knowledge about proven ways that lifestyle changes can help manage their specific symptoms and give them a greater sense of agency in their treatment, can be hugely empowering."
With growing evidence about the positive impact of lifestyle changes on those living with MS, Dr Petheram emphasizes these discussions should be part of clinical care for more patients.
