Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jla on February 21, 2012 at 10:17pm

I don't tell'em until they ask and then I explain. There are always prescriptions and supplies including juice in my carry on as well as extra pods so I can illustrate. I got a similar treatment in the Madison, WI airport as you experienced and nearly missed my plane out (I was on a "mercy" flight ticket and wouldn't have been able to catch another flight out for 48 hours. I had tears of frustration running down my face -- maybe that helped!) I've been through the full body scanner at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport with absolutely no problem or questions asked. The treatment doesn't seem to be consistent. Even my small local Montana airport doesn't have much of a problem with the pod. I've only been patted down once there. I've been wearing pods since October of 2008. Complain to ADA.

Permalink Reply by elaine peterson on February 22, 2012 at 4:59am

I have only been through the full body scanner twice. Both times the pod was on my upper abdomen...maybe that is a less scary site to them?...and both times I was pulled aside and had my hands swabbed and sent on my way very quickly. Maybe lucky or maybe the thigh is a red flag for some reason?

Sorry you had to go through those frustrating experiences.

Permalink Reply by Jaybear on February 22, 2012 at 4:59am

I agree that the airports are wildly inconsistent in the wake of the naked body scanner. I have had scans without incident, too. But my experience in Salt Lake last week sucked. In addition to receiving the fifth degree about my OmniPod, they even accused me of carrying razor blades in my carryon, which turned out to be my test strips. I have been on a pump for 21 years, and airport security had almost never been an issue, including in Europe and Asia, until now.

Permalink Reply by HPNpilot on February 22, 2012 at 6:13am

I usually try to avoid the nudie scanner...which is surprisingly easy to do in many airports (and shows how the whole thing is more theatre than real security). If it is just the metal detector, the pod goes through with no problem. The times I have gone through the nudie scanner, of course they see the pod and I am asked to touch it with my hands and then have them swabbed for explosives.

Permalink Reply by Lorraine on February 22, 2012 at 6:30am

Caleb uses OmniPod and DexCom and he goes through the regular scan and all the stuff goes through the conveyer belt and we've never, ever been stopped, nor has his equipment ever had an issue as a result. I have offered up that he is diabetic and that we have supplies but no one wants to hear it. They all look at me and respond something like, "if they ask about it, then tell them, but otherwise we don't care." So I've stopped offering it up.

Permalink Reply by Kimberly on February 22, 2012 at 8:48am

I always tell them before I step into the scanner that I have an insulin pump on - most of the time they'll tell the hidden screener that I'm wearing a pump. After the scan I get a pat down where the "anomaly" was (which I totally don't understand b/c they know it's there, so why pat it down?) and then I'm asked to touch the pod so they can swipe my hands for explosives. Every. Single. Time. I also plan pod placement accordingly when I know I"m going to fly. I usually place it near my waist so that I can easily touch it for the swipe.

I've found that quite a few of the TSA agents actually know of the pod and get a little excited to see one. Granted, I've only traveled through large airports since the scanners started being used.

Permalink Reply by Jaybear on February 22, 2012 at 8:56am

Totally. I got the (useless) pat down after emerging from the scanner in SLC, and I was then taken to the secret strip search suite during which I had a hand swipe for explosives.

Another joy I recently experienced with a TSA agent in the strip search suite: "Well, I've only seen that type of pump [i.e., an OmniPod] on someone's arm. What's it doing on your LEG?!" Stay classy, TSA.

Permalink Reply by Steve D on February 22, 2012 at 8:55am

I used to travel every week (Sales job), and I still travel at least monthly. I just keep a note from my endo that explains that I am type 1, (this is really to justify my having a juice in my carry on, more than anything else), and I just make sure I am wearing my pod on my arm whenever I travel. I proactively tell the TSA agent that I am wearing a tubeless pump before I even go through the scanner, and although they clearly have no idea what I am talking about, the very worst they have ever put me through is a demontration to a team of 3 of them, showing how the PDM communicates with the pod, and how I deliver insulin, test my blood, etc..

Permalink Reply by CN22 on February 22, 2012 at 9:51am

I'm not sure except maybe to change the location of the pod as others have mentioned below. I had a similar experience where I was wearing it on my thigh and got taken into a private room with one TSA agent who had no idea what it was and kept trying to take it off my leg after numerous times of me telling her that wasn't an option. Thankfully the other agent came from a family of diabetics that was familar with insulin pumps and omnipod because if not I'm not sure what the other agent would have done. Now i try and make sure to wear it on my arm when traveling but haven't been through a full body scanner since.

Permalink Reply by Jaybear on February 22, 2012 at 3:02pm

I have also had TSA agents demand that I remove it, too. I really like pods on my thigh, though. It ticks me off to have to put it on my arm or abdomen (neither of which I like to do) just to accommodate their lack of training.

Permalink Reply by HPNpilot on February 22, 2012 at 3:03pm

What happens when you tell them it has a cannula or needle going into your body and it cannot be removed ?

Permalink Reply by Jaybear on February 22, 2012 at 6:29pm

That explanation is the ticket to the strip search suite.

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