Wednesday, 13. May 2026
Stirling and Edinburgh
Today, the main reason I’ve come to Scotland this week in particular: An Essential Tremor Awareness Day at the University of Stirling (Stirling Court Hotel).
I woke up early having slept really well in my suite. The sun was shining and I had fantastic views from the hotel room.
Breakfast booked for 8. I had bread and jam, and apple juice. Then a full Scottish breakfast. Very tasty and that filled me up for the day.
The drive from there in to the conference venue was just 10 minutes – nice and easy. The day itself was really informative, lots of interesting speakers. We were seated on tables of up to about 8 – 7 tables in total. A good opportunity to talk to other people about their experiences with Essential Tremor.
Like me, some have had it since childhood. For others, they developed it in later life. We all agreed there is a bit of a stigma surrounding it, and often people haven’t heard of it (despite it being more common than Parkinson’s).
I did like that, at the end of the day, they did a ‘carousel discussion session’. All the speakers who had been on during the day, spent 10 minutes with each table so we could all chat to them; They’d sound a buzzer after 10 minutes to signal to the speakers to move on to the next table. I liked that. Not everyone likes asking questions to a whole conference of people, this is a nice way to get around that.
Takeaways for the day (from our table at least):
“I’m not shaking, I’m purring” – like a cat.
“Adapt, or perish”.
I was interested to hear about the different treatment options there are for it. The trouble with Essential Tremor is that it is a degenerative neurological condition. It won’t get better. There is no known cure for it. The medication people are given for it, is primarily used for other conditions (Parkinson’s, Angina, Anxiety, etc). The research that these medications is effective in Essential Tremor patients is very poor, and dates back to the 1980s. There is no medication specifically for Essential Tremor.
Brain surgery is available – either through DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) – which involves electrodes being put in to the brain. Or, less invasive, focussed ultrasound. Either way, both are quite significant procedures. My tremor is nowhere near severe enough (yet) to justify it – but for the most severe cases, the results are remarkable.
After the conference finished I go in the car and drove down to Edinburgh. In the past, Edinburgh as been a bit of a rest-stop – driving from A to B, stopping in Edinburgh on the way for some sight seeing before leaving later the same day. I’ve never really stopped for terribly long. I’m in Edinburgh for 2 nights, so this is a good chance to see the city properly.
I drove in to the City Centre this evening for dinner, went to a Greek restaurant and had a massive souvlaki! It was very tasty but there was so much of it, I struggled to eat it all.
Tomorrow, I’m thinking of visiting the National Museum of Scotland in the morning. Then in the afternoon heading out of the city to Selkirk, for a tour of the Lochcarron mill.
Oidhche mhath,
FH
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On the Car Stereo Today…
Radio Scotland Breakfast – BBC Radio Scotland
Simon Mayo Drivetime – Greatest Hits Radio (Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife, & Falkirk)
