A new start after 60: de-diagnosed after eight years with Parkinson’s

Mike Bell had spent eight years living with a Parkinson’s diagnosis when, at 61, he saw a new consultant. Though he still had pains, tingling, tremors and skin problems, he had stopped taking his prescribed medication and his symptoms had not worsened. Further brain scans — "everything, in every possible position" — were arranged, and he was "de-diagnosed".

He still felt unwell with unexplained pains, but he no longer had Parkinson’s; in that moment he says he "lost his roadmap", along with his sense of community and his campaigning work. Bell was 53 and a freelance show designer for corporate clients when he was first diagnosed.

"All those things we worry about now with working from home were hitting me. The loneliness," he says of the long hours, seven days a week, from his shed. The diagnosis initially brought relief: "OK, it’s got a name. Therefore, I can take drugs.

parkinson's disease, de-diagnosed, brain scans, tremors, tingling, skin problems, medication, unexplained pain, loneliness, show designer