Flying with MC and a letter?

[jlbattin]

I'm headed back to my GI in a couple of weeks for what I'm guessing will be my last visit for awhile, and was wondering if any of you that have flown took a letter with you from your doctor so you could carry your food in.....I've done quite a bit of reading and most that I've read said they took a letter because otherwise, you can't carry your food through security.....I'm not flying anytime soon, but hope to be able to by next year.......thoughts? Anyone have an example of a letter? Thanks.

[tex]

Jari,

I haven't flown in many years, but here is a post from 9 years ago about a letter used to obtain advantageous seating:

Free bulkhead seating because of colitis...

And here's a post by Gabes from 5 years ago about a letter used for the purpose that you asked about:

International Travel with MC

This thread should also be helpful:

Traveling with food on airplanes, PLEASE HELP!!

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

the restrictions on carrying foods and drinks has improved greatly over the past 2 years.
When I flew internationally 5 years, there were strict limits on quantities etc. especially liquids

I got a letter from my doctor stating that I had multiple health issues and severe food intolerance's and had to follow a strict eating plan.

Further, when booking flights, request special meals and get the travel agent to get every leg of the journey marked with the following wording ' Special meal requests can not be guaranteed'

having the combo of these two items I had no issues getting my food and apple juice etc through various security checkpoints. for that trip i departed Australia transited hong kong airport, paris airport, regional airport in France, and on the way home Paris airport again and singapore airport.
So long as you only carry reasonable amounts, ie just enough for the duration of the journey.

Prior to MC days, when travelling to Papua New Guinea for 3 week work trip, I had letter from my Naturopath with similar wording so I could take lactose free milk and supplements with me.

[Martha]

I've flown to Thailand twice since getting MC. Both times I took some food, but no drinks. The first time I took a plastic container of fried rice, boiled eggs, and energy bars. The second time I took boiled eggs, energy bars, carrot muffins, and rice-millet swirls (a homemade sf bread sort of thing.)

I didn't have any trouble either time (2012, 2014). Nobody questioned my food on any leg of the trip. I didn't have a letter from a doctor.

I did request gluten free meals, and they did a good job with that. I didn't specify no dairy, no soy or legumes, so my meals did have beans in them, and that caused some achiness and fatigue. But that wasn't the fault of the airline--they didn't give me anything with gluten, which is what I requested. They also checked at the beginning of the flight to make sure that the person in the seat was indeed the allergy order, and they served my food first. The airlines involved were American, China Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines.

Airport security did not question my food. I didn't try to take liquids, but I'm sure that they wouldn't let that through without some kind of special authorization.

Martha

[Chemgirl]

I bring food on the airplane and I haven't had any issues. The only time I don't is flying out of Toronto airport to a US destination because I have to clear US customs in Toronto. Otherwise food is fair game. Just have it finished before landing if it's an international flight. If you're flying domestically it really doesn't matter at all.

As far as I know, you're not allowed much liquid so I stick to solid foods and bring an empty glass water bottle that I fill after passing through security.

A letter might help for extra liquids if you need them. I find airport security to be fairly inconsistent so hard to know if a letter would be successful or not.

Gabes, did you declare the food at your layover points? Or I suppose you didn't have to clear customs because you never left the airports?

[brandy]

Hi Jari,

Since you are going to your GI doc anyways get a letter from him/her.

That being said I've had no problem traveling with food for domestic US flights. I have a letter but I've never used it. It is in my house somewhere at present. I just sail right through security with my foods in my knapsack. I've probably flown 30 or 40 times since diagnosis. I've successfully taken the following: rice bowl with chicken, Lindts chocolate, salmon sleeves, tuna sleeves, Gluten free sandwich with chicken and soaked nuts and also the paleo muffins from our recipe thread.

Liquids are the problem. If you plan to bring liquids you will need a letter.

In my experience about 1/2 of travelers bring there own food due to the extremely high prices of airport food.

My only experience international was bringing food from cruise into Quebec City airport. I can't remember what I brought but I know I had some food getting off of the cruise ship and through security at Quebec City and had no problem with security at Quebec for my flight to Florida.

Have fun on your trip.

Suggest you have GI make your letter kind of non specific to flying. i.e. it would be helpful to have a letter to get foods into NFL football games, college football games and movie theatres. My letter template came from our forum site here.

Brandy

[brandy]

Jari,

I found a letter template somewhere on our forum (not sure where) and I printed it out and gave it to gI doc. GI doc duplicated letter I gave them (from forum) and signed it.

Brandy

[HappyBird]

I'm headed back to my GI in a couple of weeks for what I'm guessing will be my last visit for awhile, and was wondering if any of you that have flown took a letter with you from your doctor.

I haven't had any experience of travel yet but it's best to cover all bases including taking a small amount of home cooked food. I simply don't take chances anymore, especially on aero planes on long journeys. It would be so unpleasant to have a flare, even a small four hour episode in such a public place.

A bag of nappies, wet wipes, extra undies, would all be in my cabin bag.

I haven't purchased adult nappies before, but if needs must, I'd get acquainted with them for a flight somewhere. Not that I'd want to!

[jlbattin]

Thanks all for the replies and help. I wonder, those of you that carried meat like turkey or chicken, did you also carry ice? Because I would need to do that. I'm pretty sure that I read that you can't take the ice paks through security so it would have to be ice to keep it cold. I have a cooler that can be used as a carry on that I would be taking.

[Gabes-Apg]

Jari
I froze the small tetra packs of apple juice and used them as the way to keep things cold.

I also had huge protein meal just before leaving house. The transit time for Aus to France was 36hrs... I did ok.

[brandy]

Hi Jari,

Yes, ice packs are a problem. I would go in person to your nearest airport and clarify the rules with TSA so that you alleviate the stress. A lot of my foods are frozen when I depart and thaw out en route. I've taken frozen GF meatloaf and frozen chicken and it is thawed out in 6 hours. I've never attempted gel packs. Once you get thru security and are in general airport you can have a bar/restaurant put ice in a ziplock bag for you. I've never done this but my mother does this a lot due to aches and pains when traveling. i.e. If you decide not to do gel packs you can talk your way into free ice in the concourse.

I bring enough food for two days in case my flight is diverted or delayed, i.e. miss the last flight and have to overnight somewhere. This has happened to me twice. I've had to overnight at BWI airport hotel and also Newark airport hotel but no stress since I had extra food.

I also REALLY TRY TO get early morning flights. This increases odds of me getting to destination same day.

Brandy

[brandy]

Jari,

Like Gabes I generally eat a huge meal in the airport parking lot b/f I go thru security. I find most airports glacially cold and most planes very cold. I probably should use a gel pack but there is a limit to what I can carry. Most of my flights are to the midwest or eastcoast, i.e. short hops. If I was going on flights of 10 hours or more I'd do the gel pack thing.

Brandy

[Gabes-Apg]

that is where i like the rice protein powder i have, should i need to I could mix it with bottled water. So always carry a serving with me.
and it does not need to be refrigerated

If i was doing long haul flights again, this is what I would use.

The other aspect is, if you have eaten good protein rich meals for the days before travel, to have a slight interuption to the eating plan for a day, all going well it should not have a huge impact.

the other way to keep meats/meals in good eating quality for travelling is vacuum sealing them
http://www.vacuumpackaging.com.au/The-B ... hines.html

When travelling to be away for a few days domestically, I take a small cooler bag/esky bag as checked in luggage. Frozen bone broth, frozen stew, savoury muffin thing. That way I have my safe meals for when i first arrive. That also means that if there are hold ups/delays I do have safe items with me

[brandy]

Hi Jari,

To clarify, usually I take a food that is frozen that acts like a gel pack, i.e. frozen meat loaf, frozen pieces of chicken in a zip lock and/or frozen paleo muffins. I find this works really well. I try to keep what I carry to a minimum. On US domestic flights I typically don't eat on the plane. I find I am so wedged into the plane that I can't get to my food. Unless I am sitting in business class I eat my food in terminals during flight changes.

[jlbattin]

I did a search for flying and letter and some other combinations of words, and I never saw where there was a copy of a letter posted anywhere. Does someone have a copy of one I could see. I'm going to see my GI Tuesday afternoon and I want to ask him to write me a letter.