We Will Never Forget

oldandslow

As in, "I woke up in my hotel room and there was a big sign saying 'Call 911', and when I looked, my kidneys and my knees had been stolen?"

vassilipan

The WTMD operator deduced this (a female) and made sure the male assist TSO and everyone in line was aware of her "discovery."

SpaceCoastBill

My right ankle is full of hardware. Think of twisting your toe clockwise, and dont stop until your toes are pointing directly behind you.

I didnt do that for fun, but that was the end effect. I also tore that small triangular point bone off as well. Yes, it hurt... but thats where the miracles of morphine came in.

I now have 7 1/2 screws (one broke and they only got half out) and a plate thats about 7 inches long just above my right ankle.

Ive never mentioned it to the TSA until I got unlucky and got SSSS'd and they hand wanded me, the wand did trigger at the ankle, but Ive never tipped the WTMD over the limit at any airport.

Federal Courts seem to have their WTMD settings lower. Ive set those off.

But hey, at least I have a fairly reliable barometric detection ankle now.

mikeon

deleted

essxjay

Bump for update.

Saw the post-op X-rays for my ankle today, so I have a coupla more questions:

1) I've got heavy hardware going on in there: one plate, about 6-7" long, two 2-inch screws and eight or nine smaller screws. I asked the surgeon if these were titanium and he said no, they're steel. Am I more likely now to set of the WTMD? I know billinaz have said not, but I'm just skeptical ...

2) The surgeon also said that "they" don't give out those medical alert cards for their patients with metal implants because, "they're too easy to fake and they're useless. The 'company' doesn't even make them anymore." I didn't press the issue too much, because he said he'd just write an Rx for it. Whatever that means. Is he correct that "they" don't make such ID cards anymore?

Paging meducate ...

meducate

Hey there. Most people that I know simply write a note on a prescription pad (the easy way out), or have a letter prepared on their letterhead (more work, but more "official" indicating what hardware is present. As for medical alert cards/bracelets I am fairly certain that you can have whatever you want on them. The list implanted medical devices as something their members have on their identification device on their website http://www.medicalert.org/home/Homegradient.aspx.

There is, of course, a fee involved with the MedicAlert program! And then it is up to the kind and courteous TSA folks to handle the situation appropriately when presented with the information.

As for setting off the WTMD, it depends what the hardware is made of, but always assume that there is enough metal to set it off, this way you are prepared...I don't have much more information on this...

KosraeTV

Sorry to hear about your situation, but I don't set off the alarms. Some systems are more sensitive to others I know that but I still don't set them off. You'll find out when you travel how your items react.

As far as medical alert cards go, I can't help you there as I'm overseas but I do have a medical letter from my doctors on the hospital letter head noting my prescriptions and metal implants, with a co-signature by the director of health services, a political leader here, and co-signed by our medical insurance group and all notorized. That's bailed me out of some issues with the med's (our med's aren't really issued in what US would call standard prescription forms or packaged like the US does) but never have had to really use it for the implants.

Get well and stay well.

swei0009

Just had the ACL repaired. My surgeon says the titanium screws won't alarm.

I guess I'll find out in March :-)

essxjay

Yes, seems a few here have reported no problem with titanium hardware, per se.

But my most recent question upthread specifically concerns surgical steel, namely, about 11 screws and a 7"x1/2" plate worth of the stuff. I'm not trying to dismiss your post, swei0009 or be overly dramatic. I'm just wanting to be prepared for the most likely scenario.

If I my set of metal ends up not being an issue, great. But if something I've got for a lifetime is going to make consistent hassles for me I'd like to know in advance and do whatever I can to mitigate them.

Additionally, the follow up surgeon seems to think that an alert card won't do any good, and that that lets him off the hook from writing a letter. He implied as much. But I'm going to insist, whether he does it or I get the original surgeon to. If I'm in any situation -- checkpoint or whatever -- where I'm unnecessarily hassled because of a documented, permanent medical condition I want proof of documentation on me.

I'm cool with that. As I said earlier, I'm not asking to be let off the hook from all extra screening, only to be left alone from unnecessary screening. For example, if after the SOP full-body pat down someone decides for no valid reason to detain me further I will be talking to a LEO about it straightaway, regardless of my flight situation.

baglady

I've done some research on the hardware as the new dr. I'm seeing believes part of my post op problems may be that I am allergic to the hardware (I have a nickel allergy which the surgeon knew but he told me I'd be fine - but I digress). The good news is I will be hardware free and after recovering from my next surgery will get to skip the pat downs. I have read that the stainless steel hardware in the plates are anywhere from 3 to 15% nickel. So perhaps that may be the reason some people are fine going through and others set the alarm off.

I have had exceptionally good luck dealing with my TSA friends during screening and I hope that you will have the same.

bosconet

After flying through FLL last weekend I got to thinking. Prior to the new 'enhanced' pat downs when they used the metal wands I always informed the TSO at the metal detector that I would alarm because I have a metal implant in my body.

No I'm wondering why should I bother. Obviously the TSA has decided that if the metal detector alarms now they don't need to resolve what caused it rather just do an 'enhanced' pat down. For all thy know I could have some metal object (e.g. a pocket knife) hidden in a body cavity.

So why not just walk through the metal detector, alarm and let the TSO wonder why....when they pat me down and find nothing. Of course it wasn't like alerting them ever benefited me with a quicker pat down in the past.

TheRoadie

You shouldn't bother to tell them anything. If they were rational and reasonable (....I know...I know....) it wouldn't matter.

If you alarm, and they ask if you know any reason why, and you answered "because of a metal hip", what should they do, accept that as an explanation? The bad guys could just as easily say that, knowing its a lie (for them) and they do have a knife in their butt. Not that you can take down a plane with a knife anymore.....

Any utterance by a passenger should be disregarded by true security folks, since good guys would always tell the truth but bad guys would always lie. So why even bother to ask the question? Wastes everybody's time.

If you tell them you have a metal hip and they say: "OK, then - go on your way" then you've been profiled as a truth-teller, which makes them amateur security actors.

eyecue

If you dont offer a reason for an alarm then you are asked to step back out through the WTMD to divest more items. If you say that you have a medical implant then the need to divest outside is void

bosconet

Except that isn't always true. I have been directed back through the WTMD on several occasions at BWI (my home airport).