Anyone else had difficulties with Merlin Theme parks and fast passes? My son is going with school to Thorpe Park and the 'evidence' required (Blue Badge, Higher DLA for mobility or letter from hospital specifically stating why he can't queue) is not evidence we possess. He needs to take his insulin pump off for 7 rides but they won't accept that the hospital says they don't give letters for theme parks. I've sent Thorpe Park the bit on hospital website about insulin pumps and theme parks, the bit from Medtronic saying take your pump off and the hospital appointment letter saying he goes to that hospital for diabetes. But computer says no! After tweeting they caved because it was not good publicity. Anyone else had this problem?
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Theme Parks, fast passes and insulin pumps!
- Thread starter JacF
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Pumper_Sue
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- Type 1
I can not understand the problem, if you are in a queue waiting to go on the ride then pump stays connected. Once on the ride disconnect the pump. Obviously the pump must stay with the user because if the ride breaks down and user is stuck on the ride for a couple of hours they will need to reconnect the pump.
So no excuse for jumping the queue what so ever.
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That’s a good point about the ride breaking down - what is the Medtronic guidance specifically. Is it that the pump itself should not be subjected to the G-forces of some rollercoasters as it could be damaged? Or is it that the changes in pressure might cause unintended insulin delivery? (as can happen when descending in a plane)
If he is able to keep the pump on him at all times, just not connected, that might help. Plus he’d be able to stick with his mates and go on the rides together with them.
Though it does sound like they were being a bit jobs-worthy about it and not making ‘reasonable adjustments’.
Glad you got them to cave in the end. I wonder if Diabetes UK might want to have a quiet word - perhaps you’d like to call the Helpline (number above) and explain what you’ve been through with them?
If he is able to keep the pump on him at all times, just not connected, that might help. Plus he’d be able to stick with his mates and go on the rides together with them.
Though it does sound like they were being a bit jobs-worthy about it and not making ‘reasonable adjustments’.
Glad you got them to cave in the end. I wonder if Diabetes UK might want to have a quiet word - perhaps you’d like to call the Helpline (number above) and explain what you’ve been through with them?
Sally71
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It's not the G forces, it's the electromagnetics which power the fastest roller coasters. Which means you are told not to even get near the thing with a pump on because the electromagnetics will kill it completely, so you have to remove it before you even join the queue. There's much debate about whether that's correct advice though, I think someone once wore a pump on all the rides at Alton Towers and it came to no harm at all! And if you can leave phones etc at the end of the ride then why not pumps. Fortunately my daughter has decided she hates theme parks so I don’t have to worry about it any more.
Pumper_Sue
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You have a very sensible daughter 🙂
D
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The emp (electromagnetic pulse) may do anything to the pump.
It may not kill it, it may crash any part of it, it may switch the pump to empty itself, it may fry any other part of it.
It may have no effect at all.
A phone isn't a safety critical device, if that goes wrong, it would be annoying, but not much more.
All they can do is ban them going on the ride, and if anyone ignores the ban, at lease they won't be seen as negligent.
Where does he leave £4000 worth of pump when he gets on the ride? He's with a school party so no-one to leave it with except leaving it with a teacher in the centre of the park. He can't queue without it for any length of time. I doubt insurance would pay up if he left it on the floor or someone thought it was a phone and took it. The pump cannot stay with the user because the magnetic rides destroy it and the pump handbook clearly states it has to be removed and not taken on rides. Actually the park said they were aware of the problem of the ride breaking down and were looking at how to manage that for people with Type 1 and insulin pumps.
Diabetes UK have been great and supported me. It's the magnetic brakes on the big rides- he can't take the pump anywhere near. I had a conversation with Thorpe Park today and they are thinking about the issue and are wondering if they could create a safe place to put pumps. That would also help if it was a family so everyone could get on the ide and no-one have to remain holding the pump.
Unlike a phone, it is worth £4000. I doubt insurance would pay up if you had just left it somewhere. I saw someone on Facebook who did not know about this issue and had ruined her pump. Personally I do not want to try out this experiment as it is going against pump guidance and that would be another reason for insurance not to pay up.
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I always feel this when airport security personnel confidently say that my pump ‘will be fine’ to go through the full body scanner that Medtronic suggested they shouldn’t. And I know that they will probably have seen many devices go through unscathed… but if I‘m leaving the country I don’t want to be the one whose pump gets fried!
SB2015
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Ooo errr. I had not heard of that Mike.
I had read that it is good to turn off Bluetooth during take off and landing but I had not read about incorrect delivery as a possibility.
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I had a horrendous hypo once, and wondered if it might have happened. was very bleary going through passport control. Late night flight and I was tired anyways so it kinda caught me out!
There seem to be some people who say the same thing online... having said that this is diabetes we are talking about and it has only happened once to me.
There seem to be some people who say the same thing online... having said that this is diabetes we are talking about and it has only happened once to me.
Yes- we had a big argument in Greece because they wanted my son to take the pump off and put it through the bag scanner and we refused and they argued. We have found the best way to make them understand is to say it is like a pacemaker which also cannot go through scanners.
I'd not heard of that one either. So many things to watch out for!
D
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This is a link to CAA recommendations
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There’s an old study on it here
Changes in Altitude Cause Unintended Insulin Delivery From Insulin Pumps: Mechanisms and implications - PMC
Children and adults with type 1 diabetes who receive insulin pump therapy have reported hypoglycemia during air travel. We studied the effects of atmospheric pressure on insulin pump delivery. Ten insulin pumps were connected to capillary tubes. The ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Not sure if newer pumps have attempted to design ways around the issue?
And more discussion around the issue of pressure, insulin,
pumps, pens and vials here
Everything to Know About Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes high blood sugar levels because the body cannot make the hormone insulin.
www.healthline.com
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