Thursday, December 16, 2010

Freaking Out. A Little.

There are few things in life that get me more worked up and stressed out than flying, and I'm doing just that this weekend.  All of it - the flying, the getting worked up, and the stress.

I'm going to my Happy Place.
The actual flying isn't what gets me - I feel as safe in an airplane as I do anywhere else.  For me, the issue lies in all of the "other" parts of flying.  For instance, the part where things can get mixed up, or run late, or I can't find parking, or my flight gets delayed/cancelled and I get stuck in Detriot overnight (that's happened to me), or I only have 42 minutes between flights (that's happening tomorrow), or I realize too late that I forgot to pack something totally important.

I'm also kind of freaking out about the new TSA security procedures.  A little bit.

The last time I flew, I had some good and bad experiences.  I've read through the TSA's guidelines for people with diabetes, and I'm coming up with a gameplan to make this process as un-lame as possible - I'm planning to disconnect my pump when I'm in the security line, and will put it in the huge ziplock bag of d-stuff that I'll ask to be visually inspected/wanded/whatever.  Since my Animas pump is mostly metal, I know I can't get through the scanners with it on, so I'm not even going to try. 

I'm also fairly confident that my Dexcom sensor is going to set off the scanner, too, so I'm preparing myself mentally for that creepy full-body patdown.  (Fun!)

Add into all of this the lack of sleep I'll be getting, as we're flying out at 6:00 am, and the part about how my glucose level drops significantly in response to anxiety (I already had to start decreasing my basal rates on Tuesday, when it actually "hit me" that our trip is this weekend already), and it's sounding like a pretty eventful morning. 

But totally, totally worth it.

5 comments:

  1. Have a great trip and try to relax!!! :-)

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  2. Try to relax and have fun with it! Think of it as an adventure. It's interesting you're removing your pump. I never remove mine. I tell them that it's a life support device and it goes with me, and they've always been quite understanding, with only an occasional pat down. Besides, who doesn't like a friendly groping by a professional every once in awhile? ;-) Have fun!

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  3. You sure look at ease in the picture above. You're right behind the Pilot aren't you - cause the person in the back of the plane does look a little bit nervous.

    Like Martin said think of it as an adventure and have fun.

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  4. Just wanted to give you a hint as someone who gets patted down EVERY SINGLE TIME I fly because of the pump and CGM.... Thank them! Be pleasant! I've found that the more pleasant and thankful to them ("thank you for making this really unpleasant experience a little more pleasant") they truly make it better on you :)

    HATE HATE HATE that we have to go through this bc we choose to use devices for our disease...


    Sorry for the negativity! Enjoy your trip :) (lol)

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  5. I never disconnect and never had problems. I always have pat down bcs of cardiac pacemaker also, so that is not an issue for me. I refuse to disconnect, I also wear my glasses..... I need them, just like my pump.

    Enjoy your trip!

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