It means getting up at 4 a.m., of course - and I'm not really a fan of that.
It also means having a good night sleep before the 3:47 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. alarms go off in the morning is pretty much is none existent.
I worry so much about waking up & getting to the airport on time, that I normally sleep with one eye opened - literally.
Then there's the whole rushing to get to the car service place by the airport, before the line of grumpy travelers kick-in, and then worrying about the guy that's assigned to drive my car to and from the airport.
Normally, I'm assigned the SLOWEST DRIVER, EVER - Which always puts me on edge.
In my head I'm saying DRIVE FASTER & I'm sure my face gives it away.
Then there's the whole curbside check in, and security line rigmarole.
How much do I tip the guy at curbside check in??
And then I arrive at the security line and will most likely mumble out loud,
The line is stretching all the way to here??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Do I dare to hide my pump and try to avoid the pat down in security??
Will I run into THIS experience when the security person finds out I'm a PWD?
Or will the fates be kind to me like they were last time, when The TSA rep at Philadelphia airport was incredibly sweet & kind?
For some reason I always want to mutter:
YES, that is an insulin pump in my pocket and NO, I'm not happy to see you !
And then of course, I'm always thinking about my blood sugar, As in,
Am I running high or running low?
Then I start thinking:
I need a bottle of water, NOW.
Do I have time to grab a yogurt & coffee?
I BETTER HAVE TIME TO GRAB A YOGURT & A COFFEE.
I need to go to the bathroom before I get on the plane.
Did I pack my hand sanitizer on my person?
I better grab a sandwich and a piece of fruit, there's no way the airline will have enough cheese & fruit plates to make it to row 25.
Should I change my pump settings mid flight, or wait until I arrive in San Diego?
Where are my spare batteries, glucotabs & test strips?
What the hell am I going to do on the plane for almost 6 hours.
4$ for a bottle of water, SERIOUSLY?!
Then it's time for the boarding process, which is all types of confusing and usually ends up with someone's carry-on bag bumping me in the head after I've finally taken my seat.
Yeah, traveling with diabetes is interesting..... to say the least.
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2 comments:
Kelly - Often I have to get up at 4:30 AM to travel about 2.5 hours. Now normally I get up around 7 and have fairly good morning blood sugars. But when I have to get up early my body is thrown off and I often have trouble managing my blood sugars. Throw a trans continental flight into the mix and that would be a challenge.
You may not read this until later, but the few times I've flown recently I haven't had any issue with my pump. They asked once if I had my cell phone in my pocket, but I just told them it was an insulin pump and they didn't ask any other questions. The MM pump doesn't set off the detector. No pat downs, nothing. Good luck with your trip!
This was perfect timing as my son is about to leave for Europe next week and we are in stressed out packing mode. Plus he just had one hell of an insulin reaction tonight which is totally inspiring our confidence, oh yeah. Fingers and toes crossed everything goes ok! Good luck on your trip, too!
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