I have lurked much since diagnosis, so I hope a short intro with longer question is ok.

I've been diagnosed with PD since December 13, 2013 at the age of 49. I am the breadwinner in the family & so far am managing. My question today is about tools to help in my working day.

I'm right handed & of course my tremor started there :-) Doc is working with me on modifying meds to help with some right-sided dyskinesia, which has impacted my right hand with tight, flexed, painful positions plus I have a ganglion cyst and old damage from a broken wrist.

So, I'm looking for suggestions for tech that could help with note taking, as that is the task that is mainly affected right now (and I constantly need to take notes, oh, recorders are not a possibility.)


I've been looking at the Bamboo Folio - if I can get my chicken scratch to a digital platform, without having to retype it I'd be way ahead, because I can review and clean up more easily. For those days where I would inevitably be without my magic writing pad, I would love my magic writing pad to let me read my notes to it, so they could still be transcribed for upload, using something like Dragon Natural Speak.

Bamboo actually uses paper & a special pen, haven't spent enough time on their site to see if I could even load an app to it.

So, are there tablets where I could take notes even without paper & they have microphones (probably?) & I could load Dragon to it?

I expect that I probably need to consider something like a Surface, not a somewhat limited-purpose tool like the Bamboo might be.

(I know I can probably train myself to use my left hand, too & that even might be good for my brain...but some cool tech might be fun & employer is good about accommodations, but they don't have an unlimited budget either.)


I would really appreciate any suggestions for gear or other forums that could help me with this search! I apologize for the length of this and let me know if this should have been on another board.

Thanks! Anne (whose tech dream is to have her Nokia flip-phone back so she can make d@#% phone calls!)