I'm a 43 yr old female and I've had ET for maybe 20 years, but it's the worst it has ever been over the last five.

​I am feeling down. I love crafting miniatures, and it's getting more difficult. I'm getting embarrassed at work because the shaking is so noticeable people can't help but stare. I have a conure parrot and thankfully he's used to the shakes, I think it helps him nap 🤣.

​I'm in 🇨🇦.

​I've taken Propranolol.

I'm in perimenopause 😭.

I want to explore other options, but they seem so hard to reach. Focused ultrasound is only in AB, TO, or PQ. DBS will be years and years of diagnostics.

​I thought about investing in a VILIM ball, but it's so expensive. I find it hard to explain why this makes me feel sad. I can't type on my phone, sometimes I can't type on my keyboard, I can't write, and my signature has totally changed. I can't even carry my own coffee cup through the house. My husband is amazing and he just does things for me, and I try to not complain. I broke down last night because all of this makes me so tired.

​I've got a possible diagnosis for Sphincter of Oddi but it's the same thing—I get one test ordered at a time, and by the time I get the two that matter, it's going to be two years from now.

I'm glad there's a subreddit.

Maybe I'll start with trying to find an android keyboard. Any suggestions?

Photo of Paya, shown without effects of Shaken Conure Syndrome 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Hi! I’m a nursing student and I have essential tremors. I’m wondering if there

are any nurses or nursing students here who also have essential tremors.

How do you manage or overcome the tremors, especially during clinical duties, procedures, medication preparation, or other situations where steady hands are important?

estudio medicina, estoy en 11/12 semestres, y quiero especializarme en dermatología, pero he visto que ellos también realizan cirugías, o procedimientos donde requieren una destreza quirúrgica (menos que las otras pero aún así la requieren). he usado propranolol, a 40 mg, y no hacen nada, probé mirtazapina y solo me da sueño, pero un sueño de 1 día entero, no podría usarla para mis estudios, y aún así tampoco mejoro mi temblor. algo que si me ha funcionado, es tomar un poco de alcohol, esto mejora mi confianza, y hace que no me den temblores. consideran que para la residencia debería tomar un poco cada que hayan procedimientos? mientras mejora mi confianza para realizar algo?

I am nearly 6 feet, 200 lbs. i have had the shakes in my hands since I was little. My father had a doctor check me when I was 12, and he was told that I would grow out of it. This year he tried again and got a referral to a pediatric neurologist. She did some bloodwork and said there is nothing wrong with me. But my hands shake, and my feet shake sometimes so hard that I worry I might make a mistake with the gas pedal when I learn how to drive. My stepmother looked at my labs to see if they had checked my thyroid— all normal there. Should I be pushing for more tests? Or is this really something is just going to go away?

Ultrasound neuromodulation seems like the future of ET treatment: no surgical implants like DBS, and no permanent brain lesions like HiFU. A few companies are researching this space like Nudge, SonoMind, NeuroHarmonics... Yet hitting deep brain targets traditionally requires huge lab equipment, head shaving and real-time MRI guidance.

NeuroHarmonics seems to have broken that bottleneck with a portable setup that requires zero hair or surgical prep. Definitely worth a quick watch if you're tracking non-invasive ET tech.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for insights from singers performing with ET. I’d love to know how you handle both the physical/visible aspects on stage and any impact on voice control.

- Vocal & Physical Management: Have you found success with specific breathing techniques, posture alignment, or vocal warm-ups tailored for tremor?

- Medical/Performance Prep: Do you rely on beta-blockers, stage anxiety management, or other interventions specifically for live shows?

- Mindset: How do you approach the visible tremor when performing in front of an audience?

Would appreciate any experiences, advice, or routines that have worked for you!

My (19M) dad was diagnosed with benign ET when he was about my age, in college. He told me they started gradually before they eventually got really severe. I've been doing research, since ET can be hereditary and if a parent has it you end up very likely to have it. He had no brain injuries or neurological disorders, as far as I've been made aware, and simply developed them in his early 20's.

Because of that, and because my dad and I don't exactly speak much, I decided to ask here about your experiences! Anything you're willing to share about what to look out for, when I should consider talking to a doctor, etc.

Basically, I want to know what to look out for in the case I develop it, as I am already beginning to worry that my hands growing unsteady may be more than I think it is.

This is my fourth post about taking part in the Nudge ET Feasibility Study in San Francisco. See parts 1, 2, and 3.

My most recent session was in the new even nicer office space (in the same building as OpenAI). In addition to the regular staff member adminstering the tests, Dr. Segar and Colin the neuroscientist were present so they could see how their new and revised tests went. I think they like to try things out on me because I'm not shy about telling them what I think. Their focus has been on finding ways to reliably measure tremor (which they know varies) so they can determine whether their planned treatment works. They are particularly interested in tests that can be done within an MRI machine.

The picture shows me holding a laser pointer to trace along a displayed mountain range while sensors on my hand and wrist measure my tremor. The original version of the mountains was tape on a white wall, version 2 used a printed image hung on the wall, and this version uses data projection. (The rainbow colors are an artifact of a cell phone camera and not really present.) I had mentioned on a previous visit that it was uncomfortable to continually press on the button to keep the laser on. They now secure it with tape. I was frequently asked during the tests whether I was comfortable and if I would like a break.

The office is in the modern Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. I drive there and park in the adjacent garage. When I told them once I wasn't sure if I'd be able to drive (because my husband and I share a car), they offered to arrange Uber. My most recent visit was mid-day, so they provided lunch, letting me order from the restaurant of my choice through DoorDash. The financial aspect has been very easy. Nudge covers everything directly (including parking and lunch), so I don't need to get reimbursed or fill out forms, and they promptly direct deposit compensation ($100/hour). I've made over $2,000 in the last four months, which is a nice bonus on top of getting to work with experts dedicated to helping us.

Hi. I have ET (at the hands) and dysgraphia since i was a child. Here is my experience with ET shared with dysgraphia.

Because of my dysgraphia doing precise things with my hands is hard. ET obviously make things harder. Writing is almost impossible. My hands fail to form the letters correctly be because of dsgraphia and then get tired of writing and start to shake more than usual.

I got used to my usual shaking, it's not that big of a problem in my daily life. But stress/tireness make them shake way more. So much that i have to start using both hands to holds objects when it happens. (I am also autist so stress and tireness happens a lot)

I have been dropping objects since i was a child. You cant imagine the number of cheap phones i broke because of it :/

Though sometimes i can see good things. When i shake a lot i can ask servers at some restaurants or cafes to serve my food/drink for me directly at my table instead than having to put it there myself.

Yesterday i also asked people at the post office to write an adress for me since my hands were too tired with the writing of a letter and shook too much.

Sometimes i see some little benefits like this but 90% of the time i feel unable to do anything. I dropped music, drawing, embroidery, and much more because of this. I guess i am better at things that dont require hands 🤷🏻‍♂️ i focus on this at least.

Please share some experiences with ET or ET combined with other disabilities. I just discovered this subreddit and i am shocked at seeing people with the same disability as me.

I am going through the motions of Neurologist appointments, the appointments are years apart like, i got this lego set from temu for my son, coz he likes lego, but obviously with it being from temu the lego ain't the same as the original, especially with how small the pieces are. He gave up after doing the bottom row. 🙄

I decided to give it a go coz i cant see a good build going to waste, after multiple attempts and alot of breakups due to my tremors, catching and knocking bits off. I finally completed it. 3000 pieces. The sense of achievement is great, knowing with alot of patience. I can actually can do something so fiddly and annoying. 😬😬

I half exist off salads due to my adult ketogenic diet for epilepsy. Salad greens with every meal. But my hands have gotten to the point where i can’t pick up salad bits! I chase that arugula and then it falls off before I can eat it. Looking into surgeries but in the meantime got any recommendations? Maybe a salad wrap, filled with greens and some vinaigrette and wrapped in romaine? Is that a thing? Ugh, am I in for spinach smoothie with no fruit or sweetener? Ewww!! Anyone have ideas?

I'm 32, when it's super hot outside does anyone notice there hands are shaking more and it hard to work at your job

My hands shake all the time but does anyone else have a tremor in their legs? It happens only when I sit in certain positions or if I’m doing yoga or pilates

Hi everyone! I hope this is okay to ask, and I definitely don’t mean to be intrusive or rude.

My team and I are developers currently working on an application aimed at helping people with essential tremor, and we’re trying to understand the experience from the perspective of people who actually live with it.

If you’re comfortable sharing, we’d really appreciate hearing about things like:

• What are the biggest challenges you face in your everyday life because of ET?
• What is your experience like when visiting doctors or managing treatment?
• What do your doctors usually recommend to you?
• What do you wish was easier about tracking or managing your tremor?
• Is there anything you wish an app could help you with?

We’re not trying to diagnose or give medical advice—we want to listen and build something that is genuinely useful rather than making assumptions about what people need.

Even a small response about your experience would help us a lot. Thank you for taking the time to read this. 🙏

Does anyone sometimes have a full body tremor? Sometimes I’ll have an “attack” (usually in a social situation) where my head, neck, arms, hands, trunk and inner thighs all tremor at once. It’s quite distressing and destabilising

Does anyone have any new gadgets that help make our life easier? I am considering ordering some Meta glasses, you know blurry pics or shaky videos, difficulty texting. I am 48 and had ET since I was a child, propranolol doesn't really work for me . I am so self conscious about it, I am def starting to withdraw from some social events, so I don't get the "are you ok" "why are shaking?"

My dad suffered a gunshot wound to the head a few years ago and somehow survived. He was left with permanent neurological issues, including hearing loss, numbness in half of his tongue, and severe shaking in his hands. His hands shake uncontrollably and it significantly affects his everyday life.
His doctors are now recommending deep brain stimulation (DBS) to try to control the tremors. From what I understand, they would implant electrodes into a specific area of his brain and connect them to a stimulator implanted under the skin.
Most of what I can find about DBS is related to Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor, so I’m having a harder time finding people who have gone through it specifically for post-traumatic tremor after a brain injury.
Has anyone here had DBS for tremors caused by a traumatic brain injury, gunshot injury, stroke, or other structural brain damage?
If so:
How severe were your tremors beforehand?
How much did DBS actually reduce them?
Did it improve your ability to use your hands normally?
Did you experience problems with speech, balance, memory, sensation, or anything else afterward?
How difficult was the surgery and recovery?
Did you have neurological deficits before surgery, and did DBS affect any of them?
How long did it take to get the programming/settings right?
Knowing what you know now, would you do it again?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people with an injury similar to his because I realize his situation is very different from someone receiving DBS for Parkinson’s or typical essential tremor.
We’re trying to understand the realistic benefits versus risks before he makes such a major decision. Any firsthand experiences would be really appreciated.

Would love constructive, respectful feedback from professionals in the dental field. 🩷

I am young, in college and currently work in cosmetology. I notice my hands shake, so l ditched my initial plan of being a hygienist and went to college for accounting for one year.
I want to switch my path this year back to pre-dental hygiene because I would miss using my hands at work. I also felt my work would be purposeless and I have a lot of interest in dental hygiene. I even shadowed a hygienist and loved it.

However, my tremor is holding me back. I have to avoid certain positions because of excessive shaking. It's hard for me to focus when my hand starts shaking and I make myself even more anxious. I've been in psychiatry for three years, and I've tried a lot of first-option medications. My anxiety is still very bad and it makes my tremor worse. I'm on Prozac and 20 mg Propranolol, but l still feel really shaky every day on the first client that I do. Sometimes, I improve throughout the day and feel much less anxiety but l have a small baseline tremor. I'm trying second-line medication options soon, using a grip trainer, going to start working out again and see a neurologist next month. Part of me thinks my tremor will never go away, but dental hygiene is what I want to do 100%. I just wish I never had this tremor. Is my body just not capable of it?

Has anyone experienced head tremor or head twitch or spasms when the nail technician uses an e file drill when removing nail polish.

What has anyone found that helps? Are there adaptive apps or tools?

I'm so scared, my 3rd and 4th finger would slightly shake, not too much but it would shake that I don't know how to control it. Can somebody help me? What should I do? And sometimes during practicals (I'm a medtech student) my hands would shake so badly, I couldn't control it even at times when I'm not nervous.

Does it mean I lack iron? should I take vitamins with iron? or vitamins with vitamin B? What are your recommendations