The day I booked my flight, over a month ago, is when my anxiety started. TSA is a pain in the butt when all you have to do is take off your shoes and put your electronics in a separate container than everything else so adding on a liquid, needles, and wearing an electronic device adds a few more layers.
I ALWAYS pack my diabetes supplies in a clear bag in my carry-on just I case my luggage were to get lost or damaged, then I’d always have what I need to survive. In my bag I include insulin, infusion sets, meter strips, reservoirs, CGM sensors, CGM charger, CGM inserter, usually a gatorade, a pack of peanut butter crackers, glucose tablets, and my meter, my pricker, and a doctor’s note saying I need all that was listed previously.
I used to warn the person taking bags about all of it, but eventually I got to a point where I didn’t feel like I owed anyone an explanation. So now, I only tell the TSA staff about my insulin if they ask if I have any liquids in my bags. If I only have my insulin, it usually passes through with no problem. However, if I have a gatorade packed it’s honest to God like I packed a knife. It’s always a long discussion that no, I will not throw it away. And yes, I will continue to ask you to test it because yes, I do need it, and no, AGAIN, I will NOT throw it away. Eventually, TSA breaks the seal on the gatorade and tests the liquid.. for what, I’m not sure since they broke the seal but whatever.
Now going through the metal detector… I used to take my pump off and put it in the baskets to be scanned, but I eventually decided that I had every right to keep it on and they couldn’t make me take it off. As I step in, there’s always a brief moment where I think, ‘It’s going to hurt so bad if this metal detector yanks my pump out,’ but every time it’s always okay. Okay that it doesn’t come out. Not okay that it’s a guarantee pat down, and my CGM and pump both have to be tested as well as my hands. Way to pick a girl out and feel out of place. I always apologize to the people behind me because I always take a few more minutes than the average person.
So where does the anxiety come from since everything always turn out okay long run?
It comes from the looks I get from TSA staff that I’m making them do extra work. The looks I get from everyone around me, watching me get patted down and getting tested. The fear of my pump or CGM getting yanked out. The fear of someone not allowing my supplies through. The fear that it’ll be the average person that doesn’t understand my disease and doesn’t let me through with what I need.
I make sure to get to the airport extra early to leave wiggle room for a diabetes disaster through TSA. Of course I realize that nothing has happened yet, but too many times I’ve felt close. So flying, it can happen, but it’s not fun. And this is what I do to make it as smooth as possible. Hopefully, time will bring understanding and I won’t have to feel like an outsider just because I have an insulin pump. But for now, I’ll know that each stare I get gives me strength.
See you on the flip side,
HP