Appointment went better than expected:
I saw the consultant migraine neurologist himself. He was happy to read my 4 pages of med history and notes - easier than me remembering it all cos too much. It cut the questions down a bit.
Doc says I
definitely have migraine (I was told I didn't as a teen and haven't had doctor confirmation since, only 'suspicion' and a nurse-led clinic which was clearly limited). We agree lighting is (and even pre worsening in 2015, was always) my biggest trigger. Nothing treats my attacks or chronic symptoms effectively.
I meet the tickbox requirements for
CGRP monoclonal antibody treatments (which is what I was told I'd probably need in 2017).
As I've been "floating around" (aka doc is admitting my referral got lost somewhere in the system and I've been waiting since 2017) so he'll expedite that referral - probably ~8 weeks. CGRPs apparently don't have many side effects and officially 50% chance of 50% improvement, but anecdotally seeing 70-80% improvement (don't know if that was people or frequency).
Bonus points to the Doctor, he hadn't just heard of Emeritus Professor Arnold Wilkins and his work on precision tinted lenses and intuitive colourimetry, he knows Wilkins personally. I had given my spiel of "I know the science is very *handwave* but lenses are the only useful thing I have" cos many docs don't even know of it or think it's like the other less evidence based coloured lenses stuff.
It feels like this clinic/doc is trying to slay through a HUGE backlog as quickly and effectively as possible. I happen to know my ENTIRE old clinic was transferred to this one in 2021ish cos the old clinic closed down and I see students with 5/10/15 year histories and letters about migraine stuck with no effective treatment. The old clinic had a huge backlog of people 'awaiting' CGRPs but not able to get them cos that Trust couldn't organise themselves to sort it (I won't accept referrals to that trust at all now).