Non-Artificial Intelligence Summary: The author reveals that he was misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) over 13 years ago, after initially seeking treatment for Essential Tremors (ET). The article concludes with a link to an open access article on Six Myths and Misconceptions about Essential Tremor.
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Over the summer of 2025, I’ve been undergoing review of my movement disorders, with a reduction in medications as well as no clinical observation of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) symptoms.
Some thirteen or so years ago, after a neurologist or nurse practitioner observed some slight rigidity, providing enough symptoms to make a clinical diagnosis, an old high school girlfriend called to express some concern and to wish me the best. Apparently, she was under the misconception that PD was equivalent to a slow death. Glad to say she must be mighty disappointed after all these years.
I had essential tremors (ET) from my teen years, in addition to several other prodromal conditions or symptoms relating to PD. In 2010 the ET had become somewhat disabling, and after many months of unsuccessful treatment for ET, I opted for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which apparently had a great success rate with ET. However, in order to rule out PD, several months of tests were undergone, with the eventual three of four of the cardinal signs being observed. DBS was scheduled less than two months later. Seven years later, due to a lack of progressive neurological deterioration, a DAT Scan was ordered, with an interpretation that I apparently did have some form of parkinsonism. Apparently, the original diagnosis of PD was premature and made under the influence of confirmation bias. Or, to paraphrase Paul Simon, a person sees what they want to see and disregards the possibility of other underlying causes for a barely detectable symptom.
Finally, after moving to a different state and establishing care with a Movement Disorder Specialist, who conducted their own evaluation on and off PD medications, the original problem (ET) which brought me to a neurologist in 2010, was confirmed. The process of titrating off medications continues.
Naturally, I have been delving into the National Institutes of Health open access in order to learn more about what has been called “familial tremors” and “benign tremors” in the past.
One thing I have learned is the diagnosis of ET and PD can be difficult, due to many overlapping symptoms or conditions, they are linked genetically for some ET cases, and much of the material on PD doesn’t even investigate whether the two conditions are concurrent.
So another reason for me to go on living: educate and advocate for people who may or may not have a diagnosis appropriate to their condition.
We’ll start here, with a recent article on Six Myths and Misconceptions about Essential Tremor.
bob's brain: living well with a movement disorder and other comorbidities 