TSA problems on my vacation

bonjour wrote:Sorry, I was bit by the borderline diabetic myth. You can only be as borderline diabetic as you can be borderline pregnant.
Aorry, soapbox mode off.

Seems that you've taken a pot shot at a comment I made, and are trying to hijack this thread away from topic of travel with CPAP.

If you want to argue about the definition of diabetes, perhaps you'd like to do so at the diabetes support forum.

BleepingBeauty wrote:Hey! I resemble that remark!

Nah. TSA isn't pretty! Mind, I will reiterate that I do think there's a need for security... but there's no reason why the TSA can't be polite about it. (As was demonstrated by Security that I encountered in 2002.) I hate bullies.

Kiralynx wrote:

BleepingBeauty wrote:Hey! I resemble that remark!

Nah. TSA isn't pretty! Mind, I will reiterate that I do think there's a need for security... but there's no reason why the TSA can't be polite about it. (As was demonstrated by Security that I encountered in 2002.) I hate bullies.

Agreed. I haven't encountered any TSA personnel since late 2002 but, hearing the stories from people who travel more extensively than I do these days, I don't look forward to flying anywhere anytime soon. It was a drag going through security back then, and it's obviously become a much more tedious process (with much more irritable security people) since then.

I flew in early may out of Dulles and back from Atlanta. At both places I told the guy who checked id's at the end of the first line I had a cpap. He said no problem just tell the x-ray person so they know and to put it into its own bin. they did the swab thing at IAD but not at Atlanta. Maybe I was just lucky, but the people I encountered were professional and courteous.

TM

BlackSpinner wrote:Yes that is the bummer. Can you have dry food? They seem most concerned with liquids. I have had no problems with 6 granola bars and a bag of nuts & dried fruit. Ok I work for an airline but that is no reason to eat the food they serve unless I end up in first class and it doesn't help me through the screening either. The attendants will give you hot water to add to anything you might want to eat.

Well, I've done nuts and fruit, but I don't have a safe soup mix I could carry. SCDers have been forced to throw out yogurt, peanut butter, hamburger patties, cheese, and other items that are not liquids or gels.

I'm frankly afraid to carry, say, a chicken salad sandwich, and risk having them tell me it's a gel and I can't have it.

While I drink water readily, sometimes, you'd like something besides water. The fruit juices most airlines carry are so laced with sugar it's not funny. I used to solve that my bringing my own. But that's not allowed anymore.

BlackSpinner wrote:Last trip I horribly embarrassed my daughter because I had forgotten to take my embroidery scissors out of my knitting bag, she was mortified I was pulled aside to have my bag inspected.

I gave up doing embroidery or needlepoint while traveling after a security guard wanted to confiscate not only the needle and the scissors, but the embroidery piece as well.

araminta wrote:I fly often, and have always brought my own food. Now that i am borderline diabetic, I carry even more food in the side pocket of my wheely bag: whole wheat pita, pop-up cans of tuna, almonds, aged cheese, etc.

Pre-TSA, I had no problem with bringing my own food. In fact, pre-liquid paranoia, I didn't have much trouble bringing safe food.

Most small cans of tuna, which are supposedly water-pack, have "vegetable broth" added, to "improve" the flavor. Same thing for the very convenient envelopes of tuna. The vegetable broth is heavy duty soy crap and I can't have it unless I want to stop breathing.

I must look suspicious, or something, 'cause I've been questioned about seasoning mixes, cheese, and even my pecans. Other SCDers have been forced to throw out yogurt (which apparently qualifies as a dangerous gel), homemade nut butters (ditto, clearly dangerous gels), and hamburger patties (huh?).

I used to carry homemade quiches, chicken salad sandwiches, tacos al carbon roll ups and other tasty fare. But I'm afraid to carry anything like that now.

Combining getting my food, my BiPap, my computer, my camera, my cane and me through a TSA line... it's hell. Add in the virtual strip searches, and no, I really don't want to fly today.

BleepingBeauty wrote:Agreed. I haven't encountered any TSA personnel since late 2002 but, hearing the stories from people who travel more extensively than I do these days, I don't look forward to flying anywhere anytime soon. It was a drag going through security back then, and it's obviously become a much more tedious process (with much more irritable security people) since then.

Very tedious. As I said, I really don't have much desire to fly these days. Or, more correctly, I have no problem with flying. I have a real problem with getting through the TSA's security theater.

If they want to run their chem-checks over my food, fine. But they can recognize that it is my FOOD, and they are required to follow state health code requirements in dealing with my food.

Same token, they can recognize that I require assistance in getting shoes off, in putting stuff in bins, and collecting all my stuff after being run through their gauntlet, instead of acting as if I have a problem just to cause them issues. (And frankly, my handicap is WAY less than many people have!)

IF they can manage to be professional, I have no problem with them doing their job. But I've encountered very few who were.

I'm not looking forward to traveling by air with Bipap.

I must be one of the lucky ones. I haven't yet run into attitude problems with TSA. It's a pain to have to go through security with xPAP, a laptop, carry on bag and removing shoes too but I refuse to put my machine in checked luggage. The xPAP has only been swabbed about 50% of the time and the TSA person almost always asks politely before taking it.

I too take snacks in my carry on but never liquids. I've considered doing what one of the other posters on this site has done and that is to get a few prescription bottles of distilled water but haven't gone through the trouble yet.

Sorry to hear about your experience, OP. TSA states that "upon request, TSOs will change their gloves prior to performing the visual and physical inspection, and ETD sampling of your CPAP machine." I guess they don't say they'll do it graciously.

Last summer was the first time I flew out of Vegas once since getting my CPAP, and going through TSA was so uneventful that I can't even recall it. I usually fly at least once (round trip) every year, and so far I haven't had any unpleasant experiences with TSA. In my experience, their behaviour has ranged professionally neutral to professionally friendly. The stress I experience is usually when they walk my CPAP over to the other table and I try to hurry to follow with my belt half off, my pants sagging dangerously low, a hand full of change, my watch, and whatever metallic objects I didn't think of leaving in my carry on, trying to shove my laptop back into it's bag which I keep inside my carry one, and my coat hanging over an arm or should or wherever else. I probably look like I'd just had an unfortunately timed afternoon quickie.

I figure eventually I'll run into an unprofessional grouch of a TSA agent, but if and when I do I hope I'll be able to remember not to let that one individual tarnish my opinion too much. I still remember my first time flying with my CPAP out of PHL. I was ready with my Rx and print outs of the airline's and TSA's policy on medical devices. I studied up so I could argue without looking at my notes, and arrived a little earlier just in case I was held up. Nothing happened. They were friendly and knew a lot more about CPAP machines than I did at that time. I did see a man with the same CPAP machine I have go through a not too smooth security screening a minute before me, but it wasn't because of his CPAP. He had been grumbling and cranky throughout the entire wait in line (wonder what he was like before CPAP!)

As for food, I always bring food with me. Not prepared meals, but stuff like trail mix, candy bars, energy bars, slim jims. I think as long as it's not liquid/gel and is kept wrapped it's okay. At least that's what I get from the TSA website. They even specifically mention you can bring pies and cakes.

I was horribly roughed up by TSA at the Seattle airport in March. Not only did I have the CPAP, but the computer and an artificial knee. The TSA in Amarillo had been quite friendly, even comforting. But, in Seattle, the gal that dragged me to a private room for the very private pat down, had me in tears. I hope I never fly again.

Sorry to hear about your trouble with the TSA. Did you happen to get the agents badge number? If so ...

http://www.osc.gov/tsa-info.htm

I always bring homemade food: roasted chicken, cut veggies, hard eggs.
I travel often. And I've never had a problem -- except envy from my fellow travelers.

One time the flight was short on meals. I let the guy next to me have the last tray of food (back a few years ago when they still served meals... which was a MacDonald's burger, by the way -- ugh) while I enjoyed my organic chicken with homegrown lemon and rosemary. To show their gratitude, the attendant gave me a bottle of champagne from the 1st class section, plus a $50 coupon towards my next flight.

it was well worth roasting that bird!

I am the original poster. I reported the incident on the TSA website, and the supervisor sent me an email wanting to know who, when, where, what time, etc. so that they could do an investigation. I really felt like she was going to look into the situation and see that this individual didn't act like that again. I hope there is follow through. I understand the need for screening, and the extra scanning they need to do on the cpap. However, taking my other bag from under the table and moving it back to the screening table so I couldn't find it was completely unacceptable. I work in a middle school and we wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior from them, let alone from a TSA employee.