• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Flying with a pump..

J

JessicaCM

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey everyone,

I’m hoping to get an insulin pump at some point in the near future, and as I fly regularly, I just wondered on people’s experiences with flying with an insulin pump?

Have people had problems with airport security? Any tips or advice you could give me on things I should/shouldn’t do?

Thanks in advance,
Jess
 
Hi @JessicaCM

Please try a search on flying as you will find lots of posts, some by me. I fly lots and never had any issues plus lots of posts on how to fly and how to manage pumps when changing time zones too :-)
 
Hi not too many problems when travelling. Have a note from your Doctor stating you must wear the pump at all times and must not be removed, also that it must not go through X-ray or full body scanners as this will damage unit. You will need a spare pump and Novo-pens Lantus or your medication etc. in case yours breaks down, you can usually get a loan pump if on holidays etc. Going through security just let them know and they check visually and do a swab. UK airports can be a bit over officious and quite blunt but smile and keep them happy! If you Google flying with Insulin pumps it comes up with lots of advice and Chas above has lots as well. One important one is to make sure it is covered on insurance for travel.
 
Hi @JessicaCM Flown with pump no issues, I tend to take it off as I go through security, x-ray machines can damage pumps, so hand it over to a security guard for a visual inspection, never been asked for a letter.
 
I travel by air regularly and have never had an issue with it, I make sure to have a letter from my diabetic doctor every time I fly, make sure it's on headed paper and has your name and the clinic's contact details on it. You will end up being swabbed but they've never insisted that I put my pump through the scanner. Most of the time they don't even read the letter and just waved me through to be swabbed.
 
I've also flown with no problems. I think I took t off before going through security.
Funnily enough the only time my bag has been searched was on the way back from jersey and I was on injections!
 
I've flown a lot but the variation in approach to pumps does surprise me. Sometimes there's no issue, I just get to walk through the side of the x ray scanner and that's it, other times I've been swabbed in a private room and most recently the guy told me I had to walk through it like everyone else.. which I challenged and didn't!
 
tiredoftrying2017 said:
I've flown a lot but the variation in approach to pumps does surprise me. Sometimes there's no issue, I just get to walk through the side of the x ray scanner and that's it, other times I've been swabbed in a private room and most recently the guy told me I had to walk through it like everyone else.. which I challenged and didn't!
Click to expand...

Re: x-rays

I don't believe x-rays harm pumps. Certainly the OmniPod is ok according to their information (can't remember offhand whether that's in the manual i.e. something I read on their website). But follow manufacturer's guidance on this.
 
There are walk through metal detectors (not to be confused with xray machines), walk through body scanners and bag Xray machines.

Most manufacturers recommend that pumps are not put through the bag Xray or body scanners, where as walk through metal detectors are fine.

The bag xray machines have been fine for handsets and dexcom receivers (for me).

I wear my pump and walk through metal detectors but have refused to go into body scanners - each time I'm allowed to walk around and be manually searched/swabbed. You do have to ask, and get challenged, just be firm and say the manufacturer has told you that it cannot enter the scanner and all should be ok.
 
Chas C said:
There are walk through metal detectors (not to be confused with xray machines), walk through body scanners and bag Xray machines.

Most manufacturers recommend that pumps are not put through the bag Xray or body scanners, where as walk through metal detectors are fine.

The bag xray machines have been fine for handsets and dexcom receivers (for me).

I wear my pump and walk through metal detectors but have refused to go into body scanners - each time I'm allowed to walk around and be manually searched/swabbed. You do have to ask, and get challenged, just be firm and say the manufacturer has told you that it cannot enter the scanner and all should be ok.
Click to expand...
My experience of politely declining the opportunity to put my pump through a body scanner is they either take it as a refusal to put my body through the scanner and I am manually scanned/patted down (sometimes in the public area sometimes taken off to a private room) or I am offered the chance to go through without the pump. In this latter scenario, the pump is kept within my sight at all times and swabbed which I am being scanned.

In both scenarios, someone who knows what they are doing and, in the case of the pat down, someone of the same gender as I is needed. Therefore, I have found myself waiting for five or ten minutes at times. Hence, I recommend giving yourself extra time to get through security if you have a pump.

If you have a spare pump from the manufacturer for your trip, don't forget to keep the spare pump in your hand (rather than hand luggage).

And one thing that has caught me out is my over confidence that the pump does not set off the metal detector has led me to forget that the metal clip will set it off : remember to only take the pump through the metal detector/arch.
 
I would not remove my pump, having accidentally pulled off a cannula in the past I always refuse to remove it.
 
cumbria-pumper said:
Re: x-rays

I don't believe x-rays harm pumps. Certainly the OmniPod is ok according to their information (can't remember offhand whether that's in the manual i.e. something I read on their website). But follow manufacturer's guidance on this.
Click to expand...

As you say the manufacturers guidelines say not to do it.

The reason why is I suspect because x-ray can scramble computer memories. I have a colleague who didn't realise his laptop was on when going through a scanner and the computer wiped everything. If you consider a pump is a mini computer would you want to risk that?
 
Back
Top