guest blogger: briley

summer is upon us, and for many people that means it's time for a vacation! to get everyone ready for this vacation season, i have some awesome guest posts about traveling to share with you from some of the amazing members of the DOC. today's post is written by one of my favorite DOC friends, but also my REAL LIFE FRIEND! ... briley, from indpendence. thanks briley!




I am really excited that Mer asked me to guest post for her today. Not only do I feel honored when people ask me if I'd like to guest post, but she's my real life friend! I hope that you enjoy my airport experience and understand that I'm not always this peppy or willing to talk to people.

As I got out of the car, grabbed my suitcase and said thank you to my father for bringing me to the airport, I was preparing myself for the worst. Except I was so excited that I didn't look like I was preparing for the worst. And by worst, I don't mean what waited at the other end of the plane. I mean the experience before even getting on the plane. I was the peppy traveler that day. As as I went through security, I got everything set up to go through the scanner, I told the woman directing "traffic" that I had an insulin pump so I couldn't go through. "So you're opting out? Honey, you can do whatever you want." She called another female TSA agent over, but not before the first woman told me I looked excited to fly. I think I just shook my head in agreement. 


The other agent got there and I stepped through. That's when they started the pat down. And of course all the other passengers look at you, and I wanted to grab a sign that said "I have done nothing wrong, I decided to opt out!" I think the best way to describe the pat down is choosing whether or not you want a new girlfriend. At least that's how it felt for me. I think every part of my body except my face and the bottom of my feet was touched. And yea, that's a little intimidating/awkward, but I'm of the feeling that there are things I'd rather suffer through than letting crazy people on the plane with me. I think that I made sure my sight was in my stomach, so that I wouldn't have to drop my pants when they felt it. When the woman came across my site, she asked me what it was. I told her it was my pump site, picked up my shirt and showed her. We kept going and then she asked me if she could ask me a few questions. First of all being, "Is opting out because of the pump annoying?" Yes! Except I tried not to sound so enthusiastic. And I explained how one day of opting out to get on an airplane is better than many many many days of shots. (For those of you who don't agree, when I went on the pump I was still on Lente and Regular, so when I refer to daily shots, that is where my mind goes.) And then she pushed a little on the site and asked me if it hurt. I told her that no it doesn't, but some people may think that it does. She then thanked me for allowing her to ask the questions. "I see so many people with these, but I've never thought to ask the questions before." So I told her that I'd rather have her ask the questions to find out from the source than just go on with just guesses and assumptions. She swabbed my pump and then I was on my way.

On the way home, the man sad, you know you don't have to opt out as long as we can still swab your hands. So I walked through with (before) the rest of the crowd, got swabbed, and was on my way.  And no more airport girlfriends!