Here's a letter I sent to the Transportation Security Administration (tsa-contactcenter@dhs.gov) today:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I write this note with hope that you can help clear my confusion about travelers with Type I diabetes.
I was screened today (Monday, June 22, 2009) by TSA Ford (and others) at Terminal 4, D Concourse at Phoenix Sky Harbor.
As a Type I diabetic, I wear an insulin pump, which generally does not alarm as I walk through security.
As per usual, I walked through security, and my insulin pump did not set off the alarm.
The agent saw the infusion set on my arm and asked me what was on my arm.
I explained to the agent that it was my infusion set for my insulin pump.
The agent asked to see my insulin pump, and I showed her.
She then advised me that I needed an "additional screening."
Screening agent Ford came to retrieve me and my belongings for my additional screening.
Confused, I asked the screening agent (Ford) why I was selected.
The screening agent (Ford) advised me that there is now a new law that requires all diabetics with insulin pumps to endure additional screening at all gates at all airports.
As I travel almost every week, I can see that this is going to present a problem for me.
Is this new law actually true, or was agent Ford mistaken? I cannot seem to find this new law online. In fact, the TSA website indicates that "TSA's checkpoint security screening procedures for persons with disabilities and medical conditions have not changed as a result of the current threat situation." This is from the following site: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... index.shtm
I appreciate any assistance you can provide, if only to direct me to the full text version of this new law!
Thanks,
Kara Stiles
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, October 20, 2008
On Norton AntiVirus
I am not a fan of Norton Anti-Virus. It makes even the simplest task (opening a browser window, for example) incredibly slow.
The only thing worse than having Norton Anti-Virus on your machine is experiencing the process by which you *remove* the malicious beast.
I wish to thank Dave Taylor for providing the instructions on Norton's removal.
Next time someone wants me to fix their computer, I'll flatly refuse if it's been infiltrated by that fiendish Symantec devil.
The only thing worse than having Norton Anti-Virus on your machine is experiencing the process by which you *remove* the malicious beast.
I wish to thank Dave Taylor for providing the instructions on Norton's removal.
Next time someone wants me to fix their computer, I'll flatly refuse if it's been infiltrated by that fiendish Symantec devil.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
On Privacy...
I'm a member of many groups and organizations in my community. In one or more of these organizations, I am responsible for hiring a number of individuals on a regular basis.
Most members of these communities use online social networking sites to stay in touch.
Social networking sites can be fun and productive - I use Twitter to post what I'm "up to" which merges into my Facebook status so all of my friends, colleagues and other organization members can find my location at a conference, see what I'm working on, know when I've posted new photos on Flickr or Picasa or if I'm just having a really interesting travel day. Those who read my blog enjoy run-on sentences with hyperlinks, too.
These sites are also pretty cool for locating long-lost high school friends and neighbors who have moved away.
Having just watched a "friend's" rather violent and trashy video post on one of these sites, I wonder whether it is my responsibility to act as a responsible employer and do something about it, especially because this individual is directly responsible for small children in a medical setting.
Let me be clear: This is not just a silly drinking video of individuals acting stupid (somehow, those can actually be funny). This is also not a video I was actively seeking - it was posted as a bulletin. Three times.
In the posted video, this individual (my "friend") is brutalizing another individual for "Talking Shit." At first I thought it was a nasty Jerry Springer clip, until I recognized the individual and realized that the video is quite a proud moment for this "friend," as it's been broadcast to me three times.
Do privacy laws apply? Some research indicates not. More research indicates so.
Two conflicting articles is enough for one night, plus, they're old, and so probably no longer good (I'm really missing my LexisNexis ID right now).
So, what if an individual invites me into his or her personal social networking space? Not just that, but broadcasts disturbing footage of clearly despicable behavior and actively encourages me to watch it...three times?
I suppose it would've been best to just not accept the "friend" invitation had I known how wretchedly this individual was likely to behave. Tonight, my immediate action was to delete this "friend" from the list of individuals who claim to know me. And I'll probably leave it at that, until the next hiring round, when I'll start lamenting again about this.
So, do I have a duty to address this in the employment arena? Would the law back me up if I tried? Is it ethical, even?
I suppose all I can do at this point is post a blog, and hope that others who are thinking about posting trashy videos of themselves think twice before broadcasting indecent material on these sites.
My real wish is that people cease engaging in disreputable activities, but truly, what you do in your personal life is your own private business. Kindly keep it that way, please, and out of my face.
Most members of these communities use online social networking sites to stay in touch.
Social networking sites can be fun and productive - I use Twitter to post what I'm "up to" which merges into my Facebook status so all of my friends, colleagues and other organization members can find my location at a conference, see what I'm working on, know when I've posted new photos on Flickr or Picasa or if I'm just having a really interesting travel day. Those who read my blog enjoy run-on sentences with hyperlinks, too.
These sites are also pretty cool for locating long-lost high school friends and neighbors who have moved away.
Having just watched a "friend's" rather violent and trashy video post on one of these sites, I wonder whether it is my responsibility to act as a responsible employer and do something about it, especially because this individual is directly responsible for small children in a medical setting.
Let me be clear: This is not just a silly drinking video of individuals acting stupid (somehow, those can actually be funny). This is also not a video I was actively seeking - it was posted as a bulletin. Three times.
In the posted video, this individual (my "friend") is brutalizing another individual for "Talking Shit." At first I thought it was a nasty Jerry Springer clip, until I recognized the individual and realized that the video is quite a proud moment for this "friend," as it's been broadcast to me three times.
Do privacy laws apply? Some research indicates not. More research indicates so.
Two conflicting articles is enough for one night, plus, they're old, and so probably no longer good (I'm really missing my LexisNexis ID right now).
So, what if an individual invites me into his or her personal social networking space? Not just that, but broadcasts disturbing footage of clearly despicable behavior and actively encourages me to watch it...three times?
I suppose it would've been best to just not accept the "friend" invitation had I known how wretchedly this individual was likely to behave. Tonight, my immediate action was to delete this "friend" from the list of individuals who claim to know me. And I'll probably leave it at that, until the next hiring round, when I'll start lamenting again about this.
So, do I have a duty to address this in the employment arena? Would the law back me up if I tried? Is it ethical, even?
I suppose all I can do at this point is post a blog, and hope that others who are thinking about posting trashy videos of themselves think twice before broadcasting indecent material on these sites.
My real wish is that people cease engaging in disreputable activities, but truly, what you do in your personal life is your own private business. Kindly keep it that way, please, and out of my face.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Another note to US Airways Customer Support
I completed the US Airways online customer service form with the following text. We will see how they respond.
August 7, 2008
I just wanted to let you know about something I witnessed on this flight. I was in seat 2D. The flight attendant in first class seemed rather unfriendly and at times, downright angry. While I will not inundate you with the details of her unpleasantness in-flight, I will share with you something she did that absolutely broke my heart.
I watched her verbally abuse a deaf man while he was boarding. The US Airways first-class flight attendant on flight 232 from DTW to PHX on August 6, 2008 became angry with this deaf man because he was carrying his small child's carry-on in addition to the his own two carry-on bags. The first class flight attendant berated this poor man for having too many carry-ons, even though he tried to explain to her that one of the bags belonged to the child behind him (I could see the child directly behind the man). Despite the fact that the man was deaf, the flight attendant continued to point at, yell at and further demean the man until he finally understood and gave the third bag to his small child. The child had some difficulty carrying the bag, but according to the first class flight attendant, the child had to carry the bag as per flight regulations.
I will continue to report such incidents as I continue to see the staff members on US Airways treat passengers poorly. I sincerely hope you escalate this issue to someone who can address this problem that is clearly beginning to surface more and more frequently.
August 7, 2008
I just wanted to let you know about something I witnessed on this flight. I was in seat 2D. The flight attendant in first class seemed rather unfriendly and at times, downright angry. While I will not inundate you with the details of her unpleasantness in-flight, I will share with you something she did that absolutely broke my heart.
I watched her verbally abuse a deaf man while he was boarding. The US Airways first-class flight attendant on flight 232 from DTW to PHX on August 6, 2008 became angry with this deaf man because he was carrying his small child's carry-on in addition to the his own two carry-on bags. The first class flight attendant berated this poor man for having too many carry-ons, even though he tried to explain to her that one of the bags belonged to the child behind him (I could see the child directly behind the man). Despite the fact that the man was deaf, the flight attendant continued to point at, yell at and further demean the man until he finally understood and gave the third bag to his small child. The child had some difficulty carrying the bag, but according to the first class flight attendant, the child had to carry the bag as per flight regulations.
I will continue to report such incidents as I continue to see the staff members on US Airways treat passengers poorly. I sincerely hope you escalate this issue to someone who can address this problem that is clearly beginning to surface more and more frequently.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Suave's response to the Symlin Pain...
Here's what Suave has to say, and I have to agree:
Yes Symlin does burn like none other. You can feel it going into your skin and its like little globs of lava that are pretty painful.
Yes Symlin does burn like none other. You can feel it going into your skin and its like little globs of lava that are pretty painful.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Symlin Week 1
This is an email response to inquiries about my Symlin experience. I sent it to the Camp AZDA DC Google group:
I like how we can use this list as a forum for Symlin and other drug experimentation. Let us continue to do this!
If you're not interested in taking Symlin, feel free to delete this email. It's lengthy and probably boring for you. Here is my week 1 report.
I have taken a more conservative approach than Suave has with the Symlin experimentation. I've been on it for almost a week now. I have been really scared to go low (and I don't want to experience an hour of lows like Suave) and so I was purposely keeping my blood sugar high while trying it (and by "high" I mean 140 to 170).
For the first three days, I tried doses between three and six units. I almost barfed at six units.
I experience a mild bout of nausea at 5 units, which lasts about two hours, but that is also the dose that keeps my blood sugar completely stable within 2-3 hours after eating.
So I'm going to stick with 5 units per meal for the next few days. I've also discovered that if I take insulin 20 minutes AFTER eating, the blood sugar ride is really really smooth. I do not need to square or dual wave as long as I wait 20 minutes after eating before taking insulin.
The nausea should soon subside, and my near perfect blood sugar control after only 6 days of using Symlin has really impressed me thus far.
Symlin BURNS at the injection site. Worse than Lantus. Suave, do you experience the same?
Here are my reports. You can assume the following conditions:
1. I have decreased my basal rates by about 10%
2. I take 5 units of Symlin exactly TEN MINUTES before a meal
3. A meal is defined by as at least 30 carbs or 250 calories
4. I start feeling nausea 5 minutes after injecting Symlin. Nausea persists for 2 hours.
5. I eat the meal.That takes about fifteen minutes.
6. 20 minutes AFTER I eat, I take insulin. I do not decrease my meal bolus.
The results for the last two meals are as follows:
Meal #1
starting bs: 110
ATE PASTA with spaghetti sauce
post meal bs: 124
1 hour later: 117
1.5 hours later: 94
2 hours later: 84
(I completely freaked out at this point and took three tabs because I thought I was going to go low. My sugar went up to 200. Turns out, I did not need the tabs. 1 tab raises my blood sugar 35 points, so by taking 105 points worth of glucose and going up to 200, I did something really dumb. If I'd waited another 30 minutes, my bs probably would have gone back up to 95 according to my calculations)
Meal #2
starting bs 84 (ate one tab)
30 minutes later I was 110
I temp basaled at 75% for one hour because I was scared to go low
2 hours later I was 134
Took symlin and ate carb-rich soup
post meal bs: 144
I was between 144 and 154 for the next 2 hours
After two hours, I got up to 174
Then I came back down to 114 after 1.5 hours
I drank a bunch on Saturday night. I did not take Symlin that evening because I knew I was going to be drinking. I was mildly hungover on Sunday, and I was low all day long. I would take glucose or juice and my blood sugar would immediately rise, but it would go low again within the hour. Seems like there was some residual Symlin in my body interacting with the residual alcohol and it made me low all day. I will not take Symlin again if I am going to be drinking, and I will remember to lower my basal rates for the alcohol, which I've never really had to do before.
I'm just really really scared of going low and not coming back up again, so I'm going to try and stay safe.
I like how we can use this list as a forum for Symlin and other drug experimentation. Let us continue to do this!
If you're not interested in taking Symlin, feel free to delete this email. It's lengthy and probably boring for you. Here is my week 1 report.
I have taken a more conservative approach than Suave has with the Symlin experimentation. I've been on it for almost a week now. I have been really scared to go low (and I don't want to experience an hour of lows like Suave) and so I was purposely keeping my blood sugar high while trying it (and by "high" I mean 140 to 170).
For the first three days, I tried doses between three and six units. I almost barfed at six units.
I experience a mild bout of nausea at 5 units, which lasts about two hours, but that is also the dose that keeps my blood sugar completely stable within 2-3 hours after eating.
So I'm going to stick with 5 units per meal for the next few days. I've also discovered that if I take insulin 20 minutes AFTER eating, the blood sugar ride is really really smooth. I do not need to square or dual wave as long as I wait 20 minutes after eating before taking insulin.
The nausea should soon subside, and my near perfect blood sugar control after only 6 days of using Symlin has really impressed me thus far.
Symlin BURNS at the injection site. Worse than Lantus. Suave, do you experience the same?
Here are my reports. You can assume the following conditions:
1. I have decreased my basal rates by about 10%
2. I take 5 units of Symlin exactly TEN MINUTES before a meal
3. A meal is defined by as at least 30 carbs or 250 calories
4. I start feeling nausea 5 minutes after injecting Symlin. Nausea persists for 2 hours.
5. I eat the meal.That takes about fifteen minutes.
6. 20 minutes AFTER I eat, I take insulin. I do not decrease my meal bolus.
The results for the last two meals are as follows:
Meal #1
starting bs: 110
ATE PASTA with spaghetti sauce
post meal bs: 124
1 hour later: 117
1.5 hours later: 94
2 hours later: 84
(I completely freaked out at this point and took three tabs because I thought I was going to go low. My sugar went up to 200. Turns out, I did not need the tabs. 1 tab raises my blood sugar 35 points, so by taking 105 points worth of glucose and going up to 200, I did something really dumb. If I'd waited another 30 minutes, my bs probably would have gone back up to 95 according to my calculations)
Meal #2
starting bs 84 (ate one tab)
30 minutes later I was 110
I temp basaled at 75% for one hour because I was scared to go low
2 hours later I was 134
Took symlin and ate carb-rich soup
post meal bs: 144
I was between 144 and 154 for the next 2 hours
After two hours, I got up to 174
Then I came back down to 114 after 1.5 hours
I drank a bunch on Saturday night. I did not take Symlin that evening because I knew I was going to be drinking. I was mildly hungover on Sunday, and I was low all day long. I would take glucose or juice and my blood sugar would immediately rise, but it would go low again within the hour. Seems like there was some residual Symlin in my body interacting with the residual alcohol and it made me low all day. I will not take Symlin again if I am going to be drinking, and I will remember to lower my basal rates for the alcohol, which I've never really had to do before.
I'm just really really scared of going low and not coming back up again, so I'm going to try and stay safe.
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