Thin privilege is not having to always mentally prepare yourself for The Talk from doctor.

I have a condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which causes increased pressure in the fluid surrounding my brain, which results in chronic daily headaches and migraine attacks that can mimic strokes. I saw three different general practitioners and two neurologists before I was referred to the Headache Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Every doctor I saw before going to Hopkins began the appointment telling me that if I lost weight, my headaches would be better; they’d then read over my charts, prescribe a new painkiller (maybe an MRI or some blood work), and send me on my way without an actual diagnosis (the second neurologist was actually very sweet once we got past the initial appointment). So I figured that my experience at Hopkins would be the same.

And I was so so so wrong.

The nurses are fantastic; I’ve never gotten any weird looks or mini lectures from them like I have from other nurses. And my doctor is amazing. The first thing she did after reading all my case notes (the stack was almost an inch thick) was take me off all painkillers (essentially, by taking them as directed, I’d become almost addicted to them, and the head pain was feeding off the narcotics) and start me on preventative medicines.

She then told me that I should work exercise into my routine (I’m not one for exercise), thirty minutes, three times a week. Being fat, I steeled myself for The Talk, but it didn’t come. Her exact words were “I don’t care if you lose weight; the exercise is purely to get the blood flowing in your brain. That will help ease the pain.” I’ll never forget that. She’ll prescribe what she feels the best medicines are for my head, even though they may cause weight gain or make losing weight difficult. And it’s been working; my headache is down to a dull ache, and I’ve only had three migraine attacks in the last six months (as compared to two migraines a month before I started seeing her).

If anyone is looking for a neurologist or someone that can help with your headaches and migraines, I highly recommend Doctor Barbara Lee Peterson at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.