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Travelling with a pump to Moscow

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DanielleS

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi there,

I am new to pump therapy and am travelling from London Heathrow to Moscow on Tuesday.

I'm a bit nervous about this and am wondering:
Will Russian customs know what the pump is?
Will taking it off and putting it through the x-ray detecter damage the pump? Is this a better option?
Has anyone else made this journey and how did they get on?

I'm travelling for business with a work colleague and am hoping this won't be embarrassing...
:?

Thank you for any advice,
Danielle
 
There is another member here that went to Russia often....I wish I could remember her sign on name...I know her email address...I will ask her to look at website.........

She will be able to help you, just a shame I cannot think remember her sign on name, otherwise I would suggest you PM her......and then a message would be sent to her email box......

I will email her...and aske her to look at website and give you some help...
 
Email sent. If she not on hol and she is logging on she will be along this weekend to help.....
 
Just wish I could remember logg in name!!!!! and you could PM her yourself!!!!!
 
It's me!! Thanks for the heads up Donellysdogs :)

Danielle we adopted our son from Russia so I had to travel there 4 times. We flew into remote Russia and also via St Petersburg. Remote Russia was more of an issue for me as I knew they were unlikely to have ever seen a pump. I wear the pump on my bra and luckily it never even set their old scanners off so I never had to remove or mention it.

St Petersburg however is another kettle of fish and I suspect Moscow is the same. They are very hot on security and so you should wear your pump in an easy to reach place. You can't put the pump through an xray machine so you must wear it. I used to clip it on my jeans belt and as soon as it set the scanner off I calmly said "insulin pump, diabetic" and showed them the machine. It wasn't a problem, although they may swab it to test it isn't drugs.

You MUST have a doctors letter detailing all your supplies and that you need to carry them for medical reasons. It doesn't need to be translated but I know of an american couple that were stopped from entering without a medical letter. Don't forget to include blood test kit and your spare needles etc on the letter.

I was also warned that Russia are very anti disability and to be very discreet about my pump. This might have been more in remote areas but I would be careful anyway. Also in Moscow there are lots of pickpockets so you need to wear the pump hidden and securely. If it looks expensive it will get stolen!

If there is anything else I can help with please just ask! Moscow is a busy, modern airport and I have no doubt you will be absolutely fine :D
 
Have just realised you might not be able to get a GP letter due to bank holiday. The only other alternative is to take your repeat prescripton, unless you have an old letter from a previous trip abroad.
 
Mushy!!!!! So used to normal name-just couldn't remember username......sorry a real lapse in brain function!!!!!

Mushy. What did you do about time zones and the pump.....??

Thanks for the help......and apologies Mush I couldn't remember...lots going on at the moment, and brain in overload!!!!! Thanks though Sha x
 
lol no problems :lol:

With regards to time zones I didn't change anything until got there. Russia is 3 or 4 hours ahead so I tended to change the clock on my pump that evening. This did effect my BG the next day but I just corrected as needed and by the day after everything had settled.

On the way home I changed my pump clock back as soon as I hit the UK.

This seemed to work well for me but my DSN said that some people don't even change at all for a 4 hours or less time difference so I guess it's personal choice and maybe how long your stay is :)
 
Thanks Mushy! Loads of really helpful information :-)

I also normally wear the pump clipped to my bra but I think I will take your advice and clip it to my belt to go through security. I also have a letter from my specialist, it doesn't detail my items so will take a previous prescription as well.

Really appreciate your advice and feel reassured now that it won't be a bad experience. I'll report back once I'm home again :)

Thank you both :D
 
Hi,
Hope the trip goes well. Back in 1999 I was living in Moscow and was taken ill. I spent 3 weeks in the main hospital there (where Boris Yeltsin had his heart attacks) before being flown home.
You do need ALL your own supplies as they might not have the same.
You also need to learn to specify 'byez sakhara' whenever you order a tea/coffee - since it's customary for them to put sugar in the pot they serve it from (Russians love their sugar... I recall asking my host's husband one day if he would like some more tea with his sugar - after he almost filled his teacup with sugar lumps before drenching it all in tea!) If you use sweetners, take your own but in the original packaging!
And if ever you do need medical help, make sure you have CASH. I had a valid insurance policy, but it still cost me about $1200 US before they agreed to admit me to hospital. I claimed it back once in the UK, but it was a bit of a shock.
I take it they still hide their disabled people away from public view then? On one trip there (by landrover) we had a disabled boy in our convoy (his dad thought it'd be a better education than sat behind a desk). In Belarus we took him out in his wheelchair - at which point one of our Russian friends told us 'We don't have these problems here'! She honestly believed that too.
Do svidanya,
Rose
 
Reporting back on my travelling experience...

At Heathrow on the way out I mentioned to the person at the carry-on baggage xray that i had a insulin pump - she said to carry on through as normal and only mention it to anyone if it set off the metal detecter...which it didn't. First part of my journey unscathed. I had my pump attached to my belt at this point.

At Moscow I learnt from my work colleague that our company had booked us a VIP meet and greet service through our hotel. They literally met us as we walked down the airplane steps, drove us in a car to our own customs officials and didn't bother x-raying me or my carry on items. Certainly a different experience and another part of my journey safely through.

Homeward bound and no VIP.
I was approaching the scanners with my carry on items freaking out as I noticed they had the full body x-ray scanners -the ones where you stand in the middle with your arms raised and it kind of spins around you. (Am I right in thinking that these scanners would damage the pump?) Panicking now I beckoned one of the officials over and asked if they spoke any English - as my Russian is non-existent. He said he spoke a little(!) Speaking slowly I said I was a diabetic and had an insulin pump and indicated to my chest area (as the pump was hanging off my bra). He seemed to understand and then went over and spoke to the people running the full body xray scanner who then turned it off so i could walk through! Result!

Just writing that now makes me wonder if they thought I had some kind of pace maker (as I was pointing to my chest), but either way it was a positive experience for me and helped me feel reassured that more people in different countries are being educated about our condition -especially in countries like Russia where the use of insulin pumps is rare.

:D :D

I carried a letter from my doctor and a recent prescription just in case
 
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