Diabetes Scout Mode: Spontaneous Road Trip Edition ~

Living with diabetes makes me/us feel like a perpetual girl/boy/whatever scout  - we always have to get in scout mode and be prepared!
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I was away for a good portion of the holiday weekend - spending time with family - both the two legged and four-legged variety. 

It was a spontaneous road trip and I’m so glad I went for it! 

I laughed until my stomach hurt and I spent a lot of time outdoors - it was just what I needed to recharge my internal batteries. 

Packing for a last minute weekend trip meant bringing extra of everything… including diabetes supplies.

I need my diabetes shit and I need backup…. because you never know - and it’s my responsibility to be prepared - that’s part of being a PWD - and it’s part of being a grownup. 

That means packing extra pump supplies (including batteries); meter supplies, cgm supplies, four days worth of oral meds instead of two… and of course insulin + needles, because correction injections happen. 

It also means bringing my own beach cooler and ice packs, snacks (because it’s up to me to make sure I always have snacks on my person, not my host,) and a large bottle of Cran-Apple juice…. Because middle of the night lows.

Also: Sometimes I feel like having a vodka and club with lots of extra lime and a splash of juice!  

Of course being a grownup house gift means bringing a hostess a gift - an amazing and truly bolus worthy fruit tart, club soda and said big old bottle of Cran-Apple juice. 

I had everything I needed so I could enjoy my weekend…. And diabetes behaved most of the time. 

And when it didn’t - as in first thing Monday morning (which also happened to be site/pod change day,) when I was greeted with a pre-breakfast blood sugar of 320 - I didn't get upset and I didn't make a big deal out of it - I knew the high was due to the site needing to be changed. So I got my diabetes scout mode in gear and did what I had to do. 

I filled and put in a new Omnipod, did a big fat correction injection, and drank two big glasses of water before switching to my morning coffee. By the time I hopped in my car mid morning to battle holiday traffic - my bg was 170, post coffee! 

Diabetes didn't disrupt or take center stage this weekend - the people I love and were thankful for, did. 

Life With Diabetes Means Never Packing Light :)

Life with diabetes means never packing light - even when it’s a 24-hour trip. 

And that’s OK - I’ve made my peace with being high maintenance in all dimensions. 

I love and am grateful for my family/family time; any and all opportunities to travel, and having extra diabetes supplies… just incase. I am blessed and I know it! 

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Last night I made a list of what I need to pack for my 24-hour trip to my sister’s for Thanksgiving and some much needed family time. 

24-hours away from my house - I leave tomorrow and comeback Friday afternoon. 

I’ll be wearing my Thanksgiving Day outfit (including my most comfy dress jeans,) and my medical ID bracelet on my drive to the festivities. 

My overnight bag will include: 

1. Toiletries, because this chick needs help to look this good
2. Pajamas 
3. An extra sweater
4. Underwear
5. Socks
6. Sheepskin slippers because my feet get cold and I need my slippies.

And then course there’s ALL the diabetes stuff. 

1. Insulin (and even though I’ll be putting in a freshly filled pod tonight,) 
2. 2 extra Omnipods and skin-tac
3. 1 vial of glucose test strips - 50 in total 
4. Back-up lancets because Murphy's Law, diabetes style says there's a good chance you will misplace your one and only if you don't pack extra
5. 1 Needle that may or may not be required for ginormous injection correction(s) that may or may not happen
6. Juice boxes - just in case I have a middle of the night low and because I want to avoid stumbling around, waking up the house, and setting off the doggo alarms at all costs
7. Glucose tabs - see juice box explanation. 

And just as important, the 3 bottles of Red and 1 bottle of Prosecco that represent my contribution to our Thanksgiving meal. 

Whatever your plans are for the 4 day weekend - I hope it's filled with laughter, love, blessings, yummy food and good times! 

Happy Turkey Day, turkeys! 

Spring Travel; Diabetes, High Ketones, Normal Blood Sugars, And The Stomach Bug From Hell

OK-first and foremost  — spring has finally sprung. YAY!

Secondly, sorry for the being MIA the last couple weeks. 

I came home from a work trip on the night of Tuesday, April 24th, with a 101.2 fever, Moderate to Large keynotes, and the stomach virus that has been the plague of spring 2018 for many — and it was horrible. 

It was the longest car ride home of my life and an hour after I walked in the door and 55 minutes I found out I did indeed have Moderate/Large ketones, (literally the color was somewhere between the two on the chart,) I Linda Blaired it, a'la "The Exorcist." 

I immediately felt slightly better and made a deal with myself. 

If my ketones went down to moderate in 80 minutes and I didn’t vomit again, 

I wouldn't call 911.

If either of those things happened, I would. 

I filled up my 24 once water bottle and immediately drank 1/2. 

15 minutes later I finished the other 1/2 and filled up the bottle again. 

I was scared but I was calm  — weirdly and mythodically so. 

I knew what goasl I needed to meet and had made peace with my plan B option. 

Yes, I was scared, but knowing that I had a plan helped me stay calm.

Luckily, 80 minutes later I checked my ketones and they were indeed  moderate, I didn’t vomit again and I downing drinking water. My blood sugars were normal with insulin on board. I drank a little juice and went to bed. 

I woke up in the middle of the night, checked my blood sugar and  keytones ( 109 bg and small to moderate Keytones on the color chart), downed 10 ounces of water and went back to sleep. 

I woke up Wednesday with small ketones, that quickly and thankfully moved Trace, and finally edged to Normal by Wednesday afternoon. My fever kept shrinking until it left me for good on Friday.

Which would be the exact day the whole, not being able to be too far away from the bathroom, thing kicked in with a vengeance. 

I continued surviving on Mixed Fruit flavored gatorade, saltines, and weak black tea because those were literally all I could stomach. 

After 5.5 days,I was finally was able to drink coffee (and leave my house,) Sunday, April 29th. 

The last day of April and the first day of May meant working on deadlines and I flew to Boston on May 2nd. 

Dealing with all of the above reminded me of some important things that I'm going to share with you. 

1. We ALWAYS need to bring Keytone Strips/Keytone Meter and thermometer when we  travel — and even if we're only going away overnight 
2. Why? because you can have normal-ish blood sugars and still have nasty keytones — even if you drink lots of water. And if those sneaky keytones get the upper hand, no good will come of it.

3. You can feel “off,” but because diabetes can be a tricky bitch, your blood sugars might not reflect that. I felt tired and in need of a nap early Monday afternoon - but my blood sugars were stellar and I wrote it off as  travel day fatigue. 

But it was an easy travel day by car. Looking back, feeling that tired was a sign of things to come.

Also: You can feel hot and blame the traveling and hotel air conditioning, but it might actually be a fever. I was walking around with a fever that alternated to the chills for a good part of Tuesday - and I blamed the forced air heating and air conditioning system. 

Here are my stats from Tuesday, April 24th. 

For the most part, everything looked "OK," numbers wise. 

Insulin total breakdown for 24 hours on 4/24 

Bolus history 4/25

4/24 bg from early in the morning.
Elevated morning bgs thanks to a low bg
in the middle of the night. 

4. ALWAYS make sure that you not only have regular ginger-ale in your pantry, but 3 or 4 bottles of your favorite flavored Gatorade and saltines, because if you end up with the stomach virus from hell, regular Gatorade is your best friend. It helps keep your hydration levels and electrolytes where they need to be, gives you drinkable carbs, and is the only thing (besides maybe a few saltines), that won’t add to the destruction of your gastrointestinal system.

5. Also, stomach viruses can be f^cking tricky, not to mention confusing. 

I had damn near normal blood sugars ( Bgs were constantly running on the low side of normal), for 5 days — it was like I was like my pancreas was messing with my head and I was this close to thinking that I was making insulin. But I was still “real people sick," and barely eating anything. 

6. Sleep is your friend and hydrate like your life depends on it — because it does.

7. Stomach viruses NEVER come at the right time and playing catch up is not easy — but you do it because you must. 

I’ve had trips scheduled the last two weeks and I travel again on Thursday. 

Sharing all of the above because it’s diabetes and life related and I think we need to be reminded that everything can look good on the surface, but there can be a literal shit storm (sorry I couldn't resist,) brewing - So check your blood sugars and your keytones!   

New blog posts re: what I learned on my travels soon!

***FTR, when I was down for the count being real people sick, I made sure to let a couple close friends and family know what was going. I live by myself and like to think I can handle it all - but when I'm under the weather, I let a few of my "go-to," friends know.... just in case I need help. It makes me feel better - and it makes them feel better. 

Diabetes, Weekend Trips - And Playing The Role of House Guest ~

You know those "perfectly put together" women you see at airports or on the train? 

You know the ones - matching everything; hair coiffed so perfectly that they most have gone for a blowout before they went to the airport/train station, strutting around in 4 inch high heels like they were comfy slippers, while pulling an a perfect little compact travel bag with wheels behind them. 

These women normally top off their look by wearing sunglasses, a ridiculously small handbag slung over their shoulder, and a smug expression.

Of course you do. 

For the record, that's not me and 20 bucks says they don't have diabetes - and if they do, someone else is in charge of carrying their D-Stash.

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I attended The March for Health - NYC,  over the weekend (post to follow very soon,) and arrived at Penn Station on Friday night with my "it's time to get a new carry-on suitcase with wheels," and my fuchsia pink knapsack containing not only my phone, wallet, and phone charger because diabetes, but my personal D pharmacy to boot.

Yep, my fuchsia  knapsack was filled with with extra infusions sets; needles, insulin, my meter, test strips/ backup test strips, a spare pump battery, 2 juice-boxes, 3 Kind bars, and 1 bottle of Tropical Fruit flavored glucose tabs. 

Not to mention a wind-up ticking clock to help my friends train their new puppy.

But.... I digress. 

I love visiting friends around the globe and in my own backyard, so when my travel involves staying over, I come prepared. 

When playing the role of house guest, I never want to impose or for my busted pancreas status to be the cause of worry for my hosts - I make sure that I have everything I need, including juice-boxes and glucose tabs on my person/next to my guest bed stand.

Bottom Line: I don’t want my diabetes to be a burden to others, nor do I don’t want to feel like one. 

Since I was diagnosed back in “77,” I’ve been cognizant of how others perceived my diabetes. I remember my mom discussing snack options and the likes there of, for after school play dates and sleepovers with my friends parents.

Some parents were great, some parents, not so much, and some, not at all - and those reactions stick with you as kid with diabetes - and as an adult. 

And it’s those reactions (and being my mother’s daughter,) that have turned me into a self sufficient house guest re: my diabetes... and an over-zealous packer. 

Sidebar: Kunik women require shoe options. 

And as much as l long to be one of those stylish weekend travellers who look like they've stepped off the pages of Town & Country and who can fit EVERYTHING, (diabetes and shoe option wise,) into one smart little travel bag with wheels - and with Audrey Hepburn flare, it’s never going to happen - and that's OK. 

Because not having those things will will never stop me from traveling -and neither will my busted pancreas!

Holiday Travel: The Time I forgot My Medical ID 300 Miles Into A 700Mile Road Trip.

I started writing this article about 10 days ago, then I had surgery.

Most of my stitches were removed to day - more on that later.

Anyway, here’s what happened to me on my Thanksgiving road trip and some disclosure. 

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On the drive home and wearing my Lauren's Hope bracelet the Saturday after Thankgiving, somewhere
in North Carolina - I-40 

I love to travel. 

I’ve been to a boatload of countries and an “OK” number of states. 

I fly a lot and as much as I hate airports, I can navigate them - for the most part. 

Trains? I’m cool with trains - I love taking trains. 

I’ve gone on lots of road trips in my life. Some good; some great, some neither, all memorable. 

But I’ve never actually done a solo -beyond my local tri-state area, road trip. 

Maybe it has something to do with my irrational fear of reading maps, maybe in a past life I became lost on a journey and never made it to my destination, maybe it’s because I’ve gotten lost and ended up in some gnarly parts of cities and states where I thought no one would ever find me. 

Or maybe it’s because I’m a big effing baby, but whatever.

Drop me in the middle of an unknown city on foot, and I can figure it out no problem. 

Tell me I have to drive to and around a city I’ve never been to and I start to get anxiety. 

Needless to say, GPS navigational systems have been a game changer for me - I don't worry about getting lost anymore.

In September I was invited to my cousins in South Carolina for Thanksgiving and I decided I was going to drive instead of fly. 

I was going to bypass the mess that is Philadelphia International Airport at Thanksgiving, and get out of my comfort zone re: driving long distances by myself.

Yep, I was going to drive the between 600 and 700 miles each way solo because I'm a big, brave, grownup lady.

I mapped out my route (thank you talking Google Maps,) for the more than 600, but less than 700 mile journey each way, booked my hotel, (could not deal with doing it all in one day,) had my car checked over, and marked the departure date on my calendar. 

The night before the trip I finished packing everything. Clothes; extra diabetes supplies, gifts for my cousins children and a special bread from a local bakery that shall remain nameless. 

Then I put my laptop/charger in my work bag, placed my Lauren’s Hope medical ID bracelet next to my charging phone and went to bed.

The next morning I loaded my car up with my luggage, computer bag, bread, and a cooler packed with apples, water, kind bars, and baby carrots. 

And after several false starts, I pulled out of my driveway at 10 a.m.
Cut to 4:30 pm and me checking into my Richmond, VA hotel and settling in my room. 
That would be when I noticed I wasn’t wearing my ID bracelet. 

No big deal, I figured it was in my makeup bag... except when I checked it wasn’t. 

And I got nervous. 

Did I lose it or was it still at home? 

What if something happened while I was driving to The Carolinas ?

I remembered a time when I hated wearing medical IDs and would only wear one when I traveled. But things change and we live and learn. 

I tried not to think about it and went down to the lobby to meet a friend for dinner.

The next morning I was on the road by 11 a.m. and all was going well - Thank you talking google maps! 

FYI: When you're drive long ass distances by yourself you have a lot of time to think. 

You think about the beautiful scenery, and you think about your life and the roads not traveled, blah, blah, blah. 

And you keep thinking about traveling the day before the busiest travel day of the year and the "what if’s" of not having your medical ID bracelet on your wrist. 

Basically you become hyper focused on all the horrible things that can happen on the road, at a rest stop, anywhere and not being able to let anyone know about your diabetes, etc. 

FTR: I have D and non D medical info noted on my Lauren's Hope Medical ID bracelets. 

When I reached I-40 I had a 140 miles to think about all of the above before I needed to consult with Google maps - and the more I thought about not having my bracelet, the more uncomfortable I got.

BOTTOM LINE: I FREAKED. 

My somewhat irrational fear of driving almost 700 miles by myself was replaced by the very real fear of not having my medical ID on my person.

I was mad at myself for forgetting my bracelet.

And I was scared.

60 miles into the uninterrupted 140, I stopped for gas. 

Then I went through my email contact list and called my contact at Lauren’s Hope and left her a message. It was my “hope” that she could overnight a bracelet to my cousins house - if that was even a possibility on their end. 

120 miles into the 140, my contact called me back and I pulled over to the side of the road and told her my dilemma. 

She listened, calmed me down, and told me that they overnight jewelry all the time. 

I gave her my cousins address and she told me that she’d send me a gold colored steel cuff. 

I felt better and I felt safe. 

After getting stuck in crazy traffic the last 40 miles of my journey, I made it to my cousins house, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving at dinner time. 

The next day, at 1pm, EST my Lauren’s Hope bracelet arrived via FedEx - which impressed me on many levels because hello, it was the day before Thanksgiving and who the hell wants to drive in that mess.

Also, I wish I could have given the FedEx person a hug, but they didn’t ring the doorbell - which I understand, because THANKSGIVING WEDNESDAY.

Anyway, I wore my bracelet on my wrist for the rest of the trip.

My Thanksgiving was wonderful and happy and my family made me laugh like crazy . 

The trip back home stretched out over two days and except for the crazy traffic on 95 once I hit Baltimore - everything went off without a hitch. 

I’m confident that I can drive anywhere now - as long I have a talking GPS at my fingertips. 

And I’ve decided to leave one of my LH medical ID bracelets ( I own 4,) in my locked glove compartment because I never want to worry like that again. 

I don’t want worrying about the what-ifs (diabetes or otherwise,) to hold me back from traveling and exploring life.   

Disclosure1: Lauren's Hope didn't charge me for my bracelet. 
I told them I was going to write about what happened because I was so damn grateful and felt/still feel that if it could happen to me, it could happen to you and knowing that there's a solution is key.
 I didn't expect anything in return, but it was nice gesture and greatly appreciated.  

Disclosure 2: I own four LH bracelets (3 before Thanksgiving,) and after my road trip, I decided to become a LH affiliate.

That means I will get a very small percentage if you place an order with LH, via clicking on their here.

Any money earned will go towards domain renewals for both diabetesaliciousness and IwishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes.Org .

You can learn about LH affiliates program, HERE. 
You can read disclosure policies of this blog, HERE. 

I never want you to think I'm not being honest, so I'm telling you upfront. 

Lastly, it doesn't matter to me where you or your loved ones get your medical IDs. 

What matters most to me is that you and your loved ones actually WEAR your medical IDs - and if you forget to bring yours on a trip or lose it while traveling, you're able to have a replacement sent to you within 24 hours. 

Because Sometimes I Don't.

I sat in the airport last night, sighed and whispered the word “fuck” as I gingerly dug through my knapsack, looking for my wrist brace.

I still have to wear the thing in public for the next few weeks - both as protection to the ligament and the incisions, and as a reminder not to lift anything over 12 ounces or bear any weight on my left wrist.while the ligament and tunnel in my wrist heal.

I’d worn my brace on Friday’s flight and I was glad I did.
My left arm had been jostled and bumped a few times via airplane dimensions and via the isle seat and a “too close for comfort,” encounter with the woman (Who I shall refer to  as Einstein,) in the seat in front of me. 

1. Einstein came THIS close to dropping her overhead luggage on my head as we were getting ready to de-board - and completely ignored the fact that it had happened
2. Einstein then decided to come to a quick/complete stop whilst dragging her carry-on behind her, talking on the phone, completely ignoring what was going. Thus causing a domino reaction involving everyone behind her who was trying to get off the plane, and resulting in me slamming my braced wrist and shoulder against the wall partition and the Captain asking me if I was OK 
3. I was and Einstein was completely clueless to the mayhem she'd caused
4. BUT I DIGRESS.

Anyway, last night I’d taken my brace off during the most ridiculously easy airport security check in the history of TSA Security checks and had forgot to put it back on. 

Four days with my family had been great and reinforced how much I loved and miss them. 
I was sad to be leaving, which only added to my annoyance as I continued to dig through my bag and whispered “fuck,” a second time. 
The woman sitting in the seat next to my knapsack looked up from her book, smiled and said: Are you OK? 
Me: Yes and I’m sorry for the colorful phrasing - I had surgery on my wrist and hand a few weeks ago and I forgot to put my brace on after the security check - now it’s at the bottom of my bag and I’m annoyed with myself... and I’m sad to leave my family. 

Turns out, she’d been visiting her twin brother and they’d celebrated their birthdays together for the first time in decades  - I’m thinking it was a milestone birthday - but I know better than to ask any woman her age. 
Anyway, we were both were pretty bummed to be leaving.
As we continued talking, she put her book in her bag, put her phone away and grabbed her boarding pass. 
And while she was doing that, I took out my glucose meter/lipstick bag, checked my blood sugar and wiped my hand with a napkin from my bag in under 10 seconds and what I thought was on the sly. 

Book Lady: Everything OK, with your blood sugar? Do you need me to get you anything? 
Me: Thanks, but I’m good. We’re going to board in a few and I wanted to check before we got on the plane. 
Book Lady: If you need me to get you anything or help you with your knapsack - let me know. 
Me: Thanks I really do appreciate it, and I absolutely will. 

And I know I could have used that moment as a springboard to talk more about diabetes - and I probably should have asked her if she had a connection to diabetes. 

But I didn’t. 

Maybe she had diabetes or a loved one with diabetes. 
Maybe she was a medical professional
Maybe she wanted to talk about diabetes or had a question about diabetes. 

Maybe she was just being kind. 

No matter the reason, I appreciated her kindness, but at that moment I didn’t want to talk about diabetes - which is weird, because like 98% of the time, that never happens. 
But sometimes I don't. 
A rare occasion for sure and I wasn’t quite sure as to why.

Instead, I smiled and started our conversation exactly where we’d left it, and I listened as she vividly described her and her brother’s birthday celebration.

 And I was happy that she was happy.
I still feel a little guilty, though. 

A Crazy April & Playing Catch-Up

Sorry for being MIA as of late guys, but April was a whirlwind for me and playing catch-up with life is taking longer than I thought. 
I travelled to and attended 3 inspiring conferences in April - and whose posts are finally being written now.  

FTR: I tried following American Airlines advice re: seat exercises during my April flights,
but the exercises above actually required leg room, and there was none.
Things got awkward quick. 

#IwishPeopleKnewThatDiabetes Day occurred two days after I returned from my last conference and it was AMAZING.
I've had slew of writing assignments and you bet your funky pancreas I’m grateful for the work and the deadlines! 

Speaking of writing assignments and traveling, I wrote this piece about diabetes and traveling for MangoHealth.com, and I’d be ever so grateful if you’d click HERE and give it a read! 

I’ve also been trying to prepare myself for wrist and hand surgery that’s scheduled for May 17th. 
Getting pre-surgery clearance from my Doctors, trying to organize and clean my house so 
I don’t have to worry about that kind of stuff when my flipper’s stitched and bandaged. Completing deadlines so they won’t be hanging over my head while I’m recovering, practicing making and eating dinner with on one hand - that kind of stuff. 

Then there’s the whole “I’ve never had surgery,” thing. 
Yep, I’m slightly freaked and for several reasons.

1. Did I mention that I’ve never had surgery before? 
2. It’s my dominant hand
3. I have some concerns re: with infusion site changes. 

But I’ve put the surgery off long enough and I can’t wait to be done with it. 

And even though I'm scared - BRING. IT. ON.

A short update for sure, but more meaty blog posts to follow in the next few days~ 

TSA: My Insulin Pump And A Game Of 'He Said, She Said, And She Agreed.'

"YES, of course I want you to feel me up and or put my expensive electronic pancreas through the Xray/body scanner"... said no one ever.
When it comes to TSA and my insulin pump I feel like a broken record. 
A broken record who has become very good at not taking no for an answer. 
With that being said - it's ridiculously exhausting, not to mention frustrating. 
######
I stood in line at Philadelphia International last Thursday, waiting to go through security. 
I was on my way to the Novo Nordisk’s Summit in Phoenix and I wanted to the TSA airport portion of my journey to be over. 
Sidebar: I’m writing a post re: my experience at the Novo Nordisk Summit, so stay tuned.

The line moved at a good pace and soon I was close enough to take off my shoes, put them in a tray along with my coat and placed my handbag in another tray. 
I looked at the young (and by young I mean I wasn’t sure if he was actually old enough to buy beer legally,) TSA Agent, standing in front of the body scanner “don’t cross THIS YELLOW LINE,”, area. I smiled at him and said: 

Me: Hi! I’m going to need a visual inspection for my insulin pump, please.
TSA Guy: No you don’t.
Me: Yes I do.
TSA Guy: No, you don’t. 
Me: Yes, I do.

TSA Guy: The body scanner isn’t an X-ray, it’s not going to hurt it.
Me: X-ray or not, I need a visual inspection for my insulin pump.
I can go through the body scanner no problem, but my insulin pump can’t - and it can't go through the Xray. It needs to be visually inspected. 
I need to speak with your boss, please.

TSA GUY shouted across to the other side of the body scanner to no one in particular and said: HEY, she needs a full pat body pat down because she’s wearing an insulin pump.
Me: Noooo, I don’t need or require full body pat down - I can unplug my insulin pump, no problem. I need a visual inspection for my insulin pump, not a full body pat down because I’m wearing an insulin pump. BIG DIFFERENCE.

Then a woman TSA Agent walked over and said: What’s up? 
TSA Guy: She needs a full body pat down because she doesn’t want to take her insulin pump through the scanner.
Me: I don’t need or want a full body pat down  - I can go through the body scanner, but my insulin pump can’t. I need a visual inspection for my insulin pump.
And for the record, it was just as tired and annoying continually saying it, as is to continue writing/reading said same phrase. 

TSA Woman to TSA Guy: She’s right, she doesn’t need a pat down. 
And inside my head, my inner monologue was all: I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU! 
And then she turned to me and said: But I do need to test and swab your insulin pump and your hands. Are you OK with that?

Me: YEPPER. 

So while my body was being scanned, TSA Agent Lady and my insulin pump waited for me on the “other side,” and then escorted me to the row of machines; where she swabbed my insulin pump and the front and back my hands, put the test swaps in some sort of mass spectrometer thing and waited for the all the clear. 
The whole experience took less than two minutes from escort to mass spec and then I was good to go. 
And then I thanked her and went on my way. 

And once again the confusion as to why some TSA agents are so quick to refuse and argue when it comes to a visual/hands on inspection of an insulin pump and or cgms, while other agents have no problem and seem to be in the know, was frustrating. 
It wasn't rocket surgery and I wasn’t arguing about having my pump or my hands swiped.

I wasn't trying to make someones job harder, nor did I want to be felt up by stranger because it was easier for them.
It’s not easier for me. Being felt up by someone I don’t know isn’t my idea of a good time - and I know for a fact that there are other options available.  
And putting a very expensive, precarious, precious electronic pancreas through an X-ray or body scanner will be never be an option for me - so please stop trying to make it one.

I was at the very same airport where a most excellent TS Agent told me to always insist for a visual inspection of my insulin pump and never to take no for an answer. 

It was also the very same airport where my insulin pump once tested positive for explosives and I was carted off to the little gray room for a more ‘intimate’ search. 

But no matter what airport I'm at, it's always an issue  - and it shouldn't be.

It shouldn’t have to be a “he said, she , said,” when it comes to visual inspections of insulin pumps, cgms, or any other durable medical equipment for that matter. 

It shouldn’t cause a hold up in tline and it shouldn’t involve a three, sometimes four way conversation, every single time - no matter airport. 

But it always does.