Southwest Airlines Community

No, I do it all the time.  I have a pair of Pari Trek S nebulizers.  I've flown from LAS to PHL non-stop February 2015.  No big deal.  They are battery, AC and 12VDC (air, auto or marine) powered.  You can get them for about $150 online.   I have a Samsonite rolling backpack that has my portable pharmacy for;   Allergic asthma COPD (bronchiectasis, the same form of COPD that Cystic Fibrosis patients have only I do not have CF) Nine levels of spine fusion which resulted in failed back surgery syndrome (i.e chronic pain) Permanent weight lifting restriction of no more than 50 lbs. Carpal tunnel right hand The only adjustment I had to make is that all of my luggage has to be spinners or I'll wear myself out completely.  Pace yourself and don't make the mistake I made going to ATL and assume you can handle it.  I found out the hard way how HUGE ATL is.  Make sure that your nebulizers are fully charged.  My big pet peeve with Southwest is that they have no power jacks for passengers.  Any electronics you bring with you, charge fully.  I don't know if the flight crew has a way to power up medical equipment.     Welcome to Vegas, I've lived here going on 25 years as of this September.  Be sure to partake in gambling to keep my sales tax rate down and help support the Las Vegas Raiders Stadium project via a hotel room tax.    Good luck. ... View more

Ask when you check your baggage.  Depending on the airport they will either give it to you when you check your bags or at the gate.  When I don't have my cane with me and don't wear my carpal tunnel brace, I look like I'm not disabled unless you look at my neck scars.  I need more time to board to stow my portable pharmacy with my nebulizers and often times use the restroom frequently.  Since I know my home airport well, I can get to the baggage claim area quickly.  However, it's very easy to get lost in a large airport such as ATL which I almost did and missed my flight back.  Add the chronic pain issue of overdoing it by expecting to go through such a HUGE AIRPORT.  There you go.  When I departed LAS for ATL, the ticket agent gave me my preboard pass.  When I flew back home, I had to get one from an agent in the C concourse area.  There were no agents at the computer for my gate. ... View more

If you don't have an Epipen or two, you should.  Failure to have one can be just as deadly as being bitten by a cobra or a coral snake.  I would be surprised if assistanting a passenger with their Rx medication is probably part of their training.  Please correct me if I'm wrong, someone.    I had an unknown trigger to my allergic asthma while I was in Indianapolis three years ago.  My lungs were never right while I was there and got worse as I got home in Henderson NV; home airport is LAS.  The nebulizer meds were not working and my Sp02 was hitting the danger zone of below 80% where organs start shutting down to preserve brain function.   I called 911 and ended up in the ER at a Henderson hospital.  I've been to Indinapolis before so it was nothing new.  Fortunately Henderson Fire Department keeps the actual medication in Epipens on their rig.  My Sp02 was back to 90% by the time the ER doctor got to me.   After that episode my allergist put me on Xolair.  This suppresses the body's IgE response to allergens.  This may be something you may wish to discuss with your medical provider team with.  It may make you more tolerant to peanuts.  I have to get Xolair shots every two weeks.  My lungs are probably the healthiest they've been in years and I have COPD (bronchiectasis) on top of my allergic asthma.  There's a blood test to see if you're a candidate for Xolair.  If your doctor or specialist doesn't know what Xolair is and how to get it authorized through your health insurance carrier, IMO, time to get new medical providers.  The drawback to Xolair is the medicine has to be mixed and it has to be administered at a treatment center that administers IV medications if it can't be done at your medical provider's or specialist's office. ... View more

I'm disabled with nine levels of fusion in my neck and upper back (C3-T4).  I have better results from being put into the disabled line because I use a cane and wear a carpal tunnel brace.  When I came back from Atlanta last Monday, May 1, 2017 the machine detected something that was not there.     Does ATL have their MMW machines turned up to a higher detection level because of the volume of passengers that go through there?  This is the first time I've ever been patted down and I've been to London (LHR) and Barcelona (BCN) via British Airways.  Reno/Tahoe What causes false readings on these machines?  Obviously I'm going to test positive for GSR (gun shot residue) along with chemicals since I have to come in contact with my peacemakers to show they are unloaded.  I use chamber flags and deal with the firearm case declaration tag(s).  Does TSA Pre✓® factor in disabled travellers who have hardware in their body?   If so then it may be worth my while, if not then there's absolute no point in throwing good money into something that isn't going to significantly benefit me.  I have enough medical grade titanium in my neck to where I could have a cameo in a Terminator movie.  I had no problem with TSA checking my checked baggage that had my firearm case.  My carry on (Samsonite spinner backpack) did not trip anything and it had two weeks worth of nebulizer Rx meds in it for my asthma and COPD.  They were quite quick and efficient about it.  My home airport is LAS.  I think the TSA people in LAS probably know me.  This was my first time traveling with a cane.  Last couple of trips I forgot it.   On the behavior of travelers.  I was not prepared this last weekend for the size of ATL.  I looked like death warmed over and felt like I got a silver medal with a purple heart competing in the Special Olympics event, THE HUGE AIRPORT DASH.  I'm still in pain and my pain Rx meds are not cutting it.  I'm still sore.  If someone is on a strong pain management protocol in a large airport then it's understandable.  ATL is HUUUUGE   Acomparied to LAS.  I've been to DFW and DEN before as well.  But those were back when AmericaWest airlines still existed and long before the merger of USAirways and American.  Fortunately next year the NRA AM&E will be in Dallas (DAL) which is a tiny airport.  i assumed ATL was not that bad.  Wrong.  I think it was pretty obvious why I was being a more cranky curmudgeon than usual.  It was Murphy's trip that's for sure. ... View more