Have you seen this article?
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/9/1932.full
http://asweetlife.org/feature/what-you-should-know-about-flying-with-an-insulin-pump/
What are your experiences with flying with an insulin pump and also with going through security?
Do you disconnect your pump while flying?
Could be. I always attributed it to increased activity of getting luggage into and out of car and walking to the gates. I do not disconnect.
Interesting and good information to have if you use a pump and are going to fly. As with all things diabetes, though, how the predictable changes in pump dosing with changes in atmospheric pressure translates to predictable changes in BG for the individual pump user is a bit more tricky. As a pod user, of course, disconnecting or trying to manipulate insulin volume in the chamber prior to take off and landing is out of the question.
I fly a couple of times a year from the west coast to the east coast and have managed my BG without going into hypoglycemic shock at least.
I almost always go high when traveling unless I walk a lot and pull luggage. I never disconnect while flying. Going through security has never been a problem except when I refuse to send it into an X-ray or the scanner. So I have to ask myself do I want an argument or do I want to chance a pump failure.
I fly frequently and always disconnect pump and put it in my computer bag to go through the xray. I replace it immediately after passing through security and then proceed as normal. I've had no issues with pump operation or BG levels that are not directly related to food intake or activity level. Frequent testing is the key, allowing you to manage the basal and bolus deliveries in the manner which works best for you and your metabolism. Everybody's different and unique. Frequent BG testing will teach you what works best for you~!
I always go high when I travel. Mostly because I think I eat more junk. Airport food. Test often and drink water. I have an Omnipod, never take it off and have never had TSA pay the least attention to it. Also, get a “travel letter” from your doctor saying that you are diabetic and must have supplies etc. I’ve never had to use it but I keep it handy.
Not being a pumper, I carry a ton of stuff in my carry-on (syringes, etc.). No one has yet even asked about it. (Of course, now that I said that, they will next time.
)
David, you can control the actions of TSA agents. I can control the weather: If I wear light clothing (even in the summer), it will be cold and rainy outside. And if I bundle up, it will be unseasonably hot. Between the two of us, we can control the universe! Mwa-ha-ha…
“The economy depends on economists to the same degree that the weather depends on meteorologists.”
Now if it would only stop raining long enough for them to finish our roof . . .
whenever i have to go through the Xray machines, i refuse and ask for a security pat-down. i always keep my pump attached as well as my sensor. i read somewhere that you are not supposed to allow sensors to go through the Xray but i haven’t tried it yet. my BGs always go high when i am flying, probably due to the anxiety level i experience. i just do an increased temporary basal for the flight.
i tend to get into heated arguments with the security officers b/c i refuse to take my shoes off going through the entire procedure. but eventually i win out. i think they just get sick of my protests.
I got into an argument with TSA at only one airport over requesting a pat-down instead of the full body scanner. I did not win and filed a complaint – which we promptly answered with an apology.
I never get into arguments about taking OFF my shoes! I’d take 'em off and leave off ALL the time, given the choice!
[quote]wenever i have to go through the Xray machines, i refuse and ask for a
security pat-down. i always keep my pump attached as well as my sensor.[/quote]
Do you mean the x-ray that luggage gores through? Or are you talking about the metal detector that you walk through? Pumps and sensors can go through the metal detector just fine, though you’re right, they can’t go through x-rays. I always walk through the metal detector and then set it off, and then get a pat-down. I’ve only once been asked to go through that crazy x-ray full-body scanner thing, and I just told them that my pump couldn’t go through it (at the time I didn’t have a CGM) and got the pat-down instead.
Also, I travel with backup pump supplies, insulin pens, EpiPens, and other medications in my bag and, although I have a note from my doctor saying that I need to keep them in my carry-on luggage, I’ve never had any problems going through security. My braille “tablet” device, on the other hand, always requires a swab thingy on it, because the electronic braille cells look weird under the x-ray and none of them have ever seen such a device.
