Originally Posted by
chrisl137
I'm bumping this again to see if you got any updated information or can provide any from your experiences.
I have a relative in her early 20s who is Type 1 and has a pump. She normally flies one round trip per year at the holidays, and she's always had to request pat-down because the manufacturer says not to take it through the scanner and has had some bad experiences with the excessive groping from TSA. Her pump can go through the magnetometer, and from the few posts that come up in a search it sounds like it may or may not set off the magnetometer, but if it does she'll likely just get a wanding rather than full grope. I offered to cover her pre-check fee, and will get her signed up this summer, but it would also be helpful to know what experienced fliers' experiences are, and if there are keywords/phrases to use to minimize the amount of hassle she gets.
I would just tell the TSA agent that she is wearing an insulin pump and hope for the best. Maybe see if you can get a medical card from a doctor specifying what it is and where it is. My mom has an implant over her heart that monitors rhythm. At LAX it set off the magnetometer and she had a card from a doctor and no further questions were asked. At another airport (maybe EDI), she set off the alarm at the magnetometer, but the agent seemed to know what was going on and just waved her through. At Heathrow and Schipol, no alarm at all.
My dad is a Type 2 diabetic and carries insulin. He is stubborn and refuses to run his supplies through separately. Surprisingly he was not stopped at LAX, LHR, EDI or AMS. His continuous glucose monitor stopped working though. We've read mixed things about x-rays and these readers.
This is just my opinion, but it really feels like enforcement has changed. It seems profiling is being used more and not every alarm is being investigated, especially with medical devices and liquids.