Her symptoms were so severe doctors thought she had a brain tumour
A woman who was told she may have a brain tumour due to her severe symptoms is now unrecognisable after losing a jaw-dropping 13 stone. She has transformed her life and even her own family members didn’t recognise her – and she has reversed her medical issues completely.
Chanice Higgins had struggled with her weight since her school years and reached 23 stone and was wearing a size 26 when she began experiencing severe migraines. During an especially intense episode, the 31-year-old was rushed to the hospital, where doctors feared a more serious underlying issue.
After spending three days in the hospital, Chanice was diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension—a condition caused by increased pressure around the brain, leading to debilitating headaches. Doctors suspected that her weight was a major contributing factor.
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“I was suffering with severe migraines that felt like I’d been hit with a brick, flashing lights in my eyes and blurred vision, especially in the morning,”Chanice, a carer from Wolverhampton, told NeedToKnow.
“I could feel pressure at the back of my eyes and across my forehead, dizziness and neck pain and stiffness. I Googled the symptoms and they were similar to meningitis.
“When I arrived at the hospital, a doctor suggested it could be a tumour, which was terrifying. They couldn’t determine what was wrong with me because they couldn’t perform a lumbar puncture due to my size. I was diagnosed with a CT scan, MRI, and eye exam.”
The woman recounted her initial reaction to the diagnosis. She said: “When I was told it was related to my weight, I was relieved that it wasn’t too sinister – but shocked that my weight could cause something so severe.”
She acknowledged the gravity of her situation by stating: “It was a wake-up call because I was shocked that my weight could do so much damage to my health to the point I could go blind.”
She admits that despite trying every diet imaginable from the age of 18, the results never lasted. Reflecting on her past eating habits, she said: “I began gaining weight when I started secondary school and had the freedom to eat whatever I wanted.
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“I’d gone from home-cooked meals to chips, mayo, burgers and sausage sandwiches.” Sadly, as many can relate to, bullying became part of her school experience. She said: “I got teased a lot, but would try to laugh it off.
“Kids would say they’d need a crane to get me out of school. “The boys who said that stuff are the ones who like all my photos these days so it’s a big turnaround.”
Even at work, her size was the topic of unfiltered remarks. She said: “A lot of the old people at work would say ‘you’re a big unit’ because some have dementia and they do say what comes to their head.”
Chanice experimented with multiple diets, including Slimming World, WW, SlimFast, liquid-only meals, and OMAD (one meal a day), but none provided a lasting impact.
Her self-confidence suffered as she struggled with her image, feeling embarrassed when she saw her reflection and avoiding public transport to escape judgmental stares. Chanice recalled: “I was looking at myself in the mirror and thinking “what the hell”.
Although she used filters and positioned herself behind others in photos to conceal her discomfort, she admitted to previously being in denial about her condition. She said: “I used filters and would try and hide in the back of photos because I was comfortable but I was deluded and told myself I was ok.
“My job is really active. I had to walk up and down three flights of stairs a day and I was so out of breath and had pains in my feet.
“It affected my confidence massively and I had a lot of anxiety. I didn’t want to go out or on public transport because I thought people were looking at me.
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“At lunch, I’d sit on my own and I didn’t want to make friends. I wouldn’t use communal showers at the swimming baths and felt uncomfortable in little clothing.”
However, following her hospitalisation in September 2017, she made significant lifestyle changes – cutting calories and walking 10,000 steps daily. These efforts paid off when she lost three stone.
Her journey took a turn with a gastric sleeve operation funded by the NHS in February 2024. Since then, her weight has dropped to just 10 stone, allowing her to comfortably wear a size ten and completely reverse her medical conditions.
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She expressed her astonishment at the turnaround. She said: “My life has changed massively and my health condition has completely reversed.”
At her six-month follow-up appointment, she received more good news: “I had a six-month post-op check-up and my optical nerves are no longer swollen, my headaches and all the other symptoms have gone.”
Her success extended to normalising her blood pressure as well: “My blood pressure used to be elevated but now it’s perfect. I wear what I want. I couldn’t get my clothes from H&M or Primark because they didn’t have my size.”
Yet, old habits die hard: “Even now I still go straight to the back of the rail looking for the bigger sizes.” In disbelief at her new size, she admitted: “I didn’t expect to get so small. I’ve never been a size ten in my life.”
Chanice, who underwent an incredible transformation after losing weight, shared how she confidently wore a bikini in Egypt last year without any self-consciousness. Her change was so dramatic that even her own family had trouble recognising her.
She also recalled a moment of disbelief at a family event: “After I lost the weight, we had a family gathering and my own cousin didn’t recognise me. She said: ‘oh sorry, I thought you were Chanice’. I said: ‘it is Chanice’ and she couldn’t believe it.”
The instances of mistaken identity didn’t stop there. Chanice shared another anecdote, saying: “A few weeks ago, I was walking down the street and a family friend who I’ve known all my life walked by and blanked me.
“I shouted her over and she said ‘Is that Chanice?’ It’s crazy that people don’t recognise me.”
Now, as a carer, Chanice is eager to motivate others facing weight challenges. She advised: “Deep down, you think you’re happy being big but I don’t think many bigger people are.
“You just need to start small, get off the bus a stop early or park a bit further away. Little and often is the way.”
Chanice’s diet before
- Breakfast: Skip
- Lunch: Fruit, yoghurt, four bags of crisps, two chocolate bars, a packet of biscuits, Fanta, Lucozade, Coke
- Dinner: Sandwich, potatoes, rice, chips, Indian takeaway, Chinese takeaway, chicken, pizza, Caribbean food
Chanice’s diet now
- Breakfast: Protein yoghurt with fruit, protein Weetabix, eggs and cottage cheese
- Lunch: Tuna salad, ham salad
- Dinner: Steak, eggs, chicken, wraps, salad salmon and wraps