TSA Confiscates Pregnant Woman's Insulin, Ice Packs
Aug 9, 2011, 7:11 pm
#183
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If Bob said that water was wet, I would turn on the tap and determine that for myself.
Aug 9, 2011, 7:32 pm
#184
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Aug 10, 2011, 4:51 am
#186
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Or -- perhaps the clerk really wanted to steal the syringes?
Regardless, I have zero confidence that the TSA actually reviewed the tapes and interview the "officers" involved. And, they made no attempt to interview the passenger.
Aug 10, 2011, 6:22 am
#187
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Not that I want to divert this important discussion, but I wanted to point out that type 2 diabetes (which can be controlled by diet/pills) is a different disease than type 1, and I am willing to bet this woman had gestational diabetes, which is a 3rd kind. In type 1, the body, through no fault of the person, does not make ANY insulin and is required to put it in their body, or die. I could lose 20 pounds and I would still need insulin!
A gestational diabetic's organs are working for two and the pancreas can not sometimes meet the need/demand, so the mother must inject or she and/or her fetus will suffer greatly. AND in fact many type 2s are not just lazy and incompetent, but their pancreas has just worn out....it is sometimes a chicken/egg question...as the pancreas begins to wear out, blood sugar rises, but very little gets converted to energy...so you feel hungry and tired, so you eat more, which makes your blood sugar go higher, and yet, you are still hungry, and that soaring blood sugar makes it impossible to get up and walk around, let alone "work out." Endocrine and metabolic meltdown.....
Yes, we are debating TSA, and I am sorry for jumping in, but I do follow these conversations as they are important to me, but let's not cavalierly discuss diabetes and whose "fault" the disease is, if we don't know what it really is (and "most" people don't.....).
thanks
A gestational diabetic's organs are working for two and the pancreas can not sometimes meet the need/demand, so the mother must inject or she and/or her fetus will suffer greatly. AND in fact many type 2s are not just lazy and incompetent, but their pancreas has just worn out....it is sometimes a chicken/egg question...as the pancreas begins to wear out, blood sugar rises, but very little gets converted to energy...so you feel hungry and tired, so you eat more, which makes your blood sugar go higher, and yet, you are still hungry, and that soaring blood sugar makes it impossible to get up and walk around, let alone "work out." Endocrine and metabolic meltdown.....
Yes, we are debating TSA, and I am sorry for jumping in, but I do follow these conversations as they are important to me, but let's not cavalierly discuss diabetes and whose "fault" the disease is, if we don't know what it really is (and "most" people don't.....).
thanks
Aug 10, 2011, 6:26 am
#188
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 616
I read the TSA Blog and I'm confused why her insulin wasn't there. That would be one of the first things I would pack and double check to make sure I had it.
There are a couple of things the Bob posted that interested me regarding the sprots drink and the ice pack. The first one is in the original post:
"Because the passenger stated that she was a diabetic, she was permitted to take the sports drink through the checkpoint."
The next one is in the comments:
"If there was medication in the bag, the ice could have been partially melted and been permitted.
With no medication, it would have to be frozen solid in order to be permitted."
I'm going to print that out and take it with me the next time I fly. How much hassle do you think I will get for having an ice pack and a bottle of juice, soda, or sports drink? I predict it won't go smoothly even with the printout from the website.
There are a couple of things the Bob posted that interested me regarding the sprots drink and the ice pack. The first one is in the original post:
"Because the passenger stated that she was a diabetic, she was permitted to take the sports drink through the checkpoint."
The next one is in the comments:
"If there was medication in the bag, the ice could have been partially melted and been permitted.
With no medication, it would have to be frozen solid in order to be permitted."
I'm going to print that out and take it with me the next time I fly. How much hassle do you think I will get for having an ice pack and a bottle of juice, soda, or sports drink? I predict it won't go smoothly even with the printout from the website.
Aug 10, 2011, 6:36 am
#189
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I predict the response from the TSA clerk will be "The website is out of date, and I'm going to have to confisca... er, 'accept the voluntary surrender' of your drink and ice pack."
Aug 10, 2011, 6:48 am
#190
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Aug 10, 2011, 6:53 am
#191
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
There are several possibilities that present themselves that would look more favorably on TSA than the initial reports.
Possibility one: the passenger was mistaken about how many vials she had originally packed. After a stressful encounter at a TSA checkpoint, she gets to her destination, discovers she doesn't have the insulin she thought she had packed, and erroneously concludes that it had been taken by TSA.
Possibility two: in the process of inspecting the passenger's bags, one or more vials of insulin were removed but never returned to her bags (either by the passenger or the TSOs involved). The items were then accidentally abandoned at the checkpoint ... and, being probably unlabeled, there was no way for TSA to return them to her in a timely fashion.
What actually happened? Who knows ...
Aug 10, 2011, 6:59 am
#192
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Warning: completely uninformed speculation follows.
There are several possibilities that present themselves that would look more favorably on TSA than the initial reports.
Possibility one: the passenger was mistaken about how many vials she had originally packed. After a stressful encounter at a TSA checkpoint, she gets to her destination, discovers she doesn't have the insulin she thought she had packed, and erroneously concludes that it had been taken by TSA.
Possibility two: in the process of inspecting the passenger's bags, one or more vials of insulin were removed but never returned to her bags (either by the passenger or the TSOs involved). The items were then accidentally abandoned at the checkpoint ... and, being probably unlabeled, there was no way for TSA to return them to her in a timely fashion.
What actually happened? Who knows ...
There are several possibilities that present themselves that would look more favorably on TSA than the initial reports.
Possibility one: the passenger was mistaken about how many vials she had originally packed. After a stressful encounter at a TSA checkpoint, she gets to her destination, discovers she doesn't have the insulin she thought she had packed, and erroneously concludes that it had been taken by TSA.
Possibility two: in the process of inspecting the passenger's bags, one or more vials of insulin were removed but never returned to her bags (either by the passenger or the TSOs involved). The items were then accidentally abandoned at the checkpoint ... and, being probably unlabeled, there was no way for TSA to return them to her in a timely fashion.
What actually happened? Who knows ...
edit to add: BB indicates in his TSA Blog post that had medicine been in the carrier partially melted ice packs would have been allowed. From my reading of the TSA.GOV website that is not the case.
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...eds/index.shtm
[QUOTE]Additionally, we are continuing to permit prescription liquid medications and other liquids needed by persons with disabilities and medical conditions. This includes:
All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including petroleum jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes;
Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition;
Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs;
Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids; and,
Frozen items are allowed as long as they are frozen solid when presented for screening. If frozen items are partially melted, slushy, or have any liquid at the bottom of the container, they must meet 3-1-1 requirements.[/QUOTE]
Bob may be correct in his assessment of what is permitted but the TSA guidance seems to allow various interpretations which will be a problem for travelers.
Last edited by Boggie Dog; Aug 10, 2011 at 7:57 am Reason: removed extraneous text
Aug 10, 2011, 7:16 am
#193
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Partially melted ice keeping a drink cold is a security threat
Partially melted ice keeping medication cold is safe
Aug 10, 2011, 7:26 am
#194
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 616
Depending on the checkpoint, the partially melted ice for keeping the medicine cold will also be a security threat. You just never know what is going to be a threat that day, whether photography is permitted, whether your shoes need to be on the belt it in the bin. That's one of my problems with the TSA. I just never know what is the proper procedure is going to be and the TSA won't tell me. The unpredictablility layer of security they talk about is just a cover for letting them do whatever they want.
Aug 10, 2011, 7:31 am
#195
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,145
I read the TSA Blog and I'm confused why her insulin wasn't there. That would be one of the first things I would pack and double check to make sure I had it.
There are a couple of things the Bob posted that interested me regarding the sprots drink and the ice pack. The first one is in the original post:
"Because the passenger stated that she was a diabetic, she was permitted to take the sports drink through the checkpoint."
The next one is in the comments:
"If there was medication in the bag, the ice could have been partially melted and been permitted.
With no medication, it would have to be frozen solid in order to be permitted."
I'm going to print that out and take it with me the next time I fly. How much hassle do you think I will get for having an ice pack and a bottle of juice, soda, or sports drink? I predict it won't go smoothly even with the printout from the website.
There are a couple of things the Bob posted that interested me regarding the sprots drink and the ice pack. The first one is in the original post:
"Because the passenger stated that she was a diabetic, she was permitted to take the sports drink through the checkpoint."
The next one is in the comments:
"If there was medication in the bag, the ice could have been partially melted and been permitted.
With no medication, it would have to be frozen solid in order to be permitted."
I'm going to print that out and take it with me the next time I fly. How much hassle do you think I will get for having an ice pack and a bottle of juice, soda, or sports drink? I predict it won't go smoothly even with the printout from the website.