I am a survivor of Crohn's Disease and have to wear a prosthetic device (colostomy appliances). Going through the body scanner will set it off (but the filter has been known to set off the metal detector too). I actually prefer the body scanner to the metal detector because there is no huge alarm at it. Just an agent talking into their arms via an ear piece. I feel it does a much better job at protecting my privacy.

I have been through the body scanner three times and opted out once. I was treated professionally all 4 times during the pat down. On one of them, I was automatically hauled off into the private room and given a "resolution pat down" due to a failure in my groin area. They patted down that area extensively through the pants and pulled down on my colostomy (majorily bad).

The next time, I had to request a private screening and I was given the option of exposing my device, touching it per agent instructions, and then having my hands swabbed. This was much preferable to the pulling down because I know how much force my bag can take and I will not cause a leak. The time they focuses on it through my pants was extremely uncomfortable, especially when the clip got stuck in the fly of my underwear. I was worrying about a leak the whole time.

I understand why they need to test my bag. It could easily conceal
very dangerous explosives. But I much prefer having it exposed where the agent can see it rather than them blindly grabbing at it through clothing--which is, I believe, what caused the leak in the urostomy case.

I imagine they have a right to see and swab prosthetic breasts as well. How this would work I am not sure. I do know I would raise hell if they ever required me to remove my bag or compromised the functionality of my prosthetic device during the screening. Perhaps they could adapt a similar procedure where you expose your bra and then touch the device yourself like they do with us ostomy patients.

They absolutely have no right to make disparging comments. If that happens, take their name and badge number, ask for a supervisor, then ask for the supervisor's supervisor. It is inexcusable for intolerant remarks about persons with disabilities to be made at airport checkpoints.

You also have a right to a private screening and a right to a witness of your choice. If you are traveling alone, your airline will provide a witness for you if you request it at check in. I suggest a witness for the private screening if you feel that you may be exposed to hurtful words by TSA agents. If you do not have one, it's she said, she said.

Finally, be polite. You may need to draw a line and say "that was inappropriate and hurtful for you to say. I feel I was treated unprofessionally, I am requesting your name and badge number and to speak to your supervisor," but yelling gets you no where and ulimately distracts from you case.

That said, being 31 and having had a colostomy since I was 26, I have been treated professionally on all but one occassion--and that was years ago before the new rules. Unfortunately, patients talk to each other about the horror stories and not when everything goes normally. I suspect the hurtful comments did happen, but I also believe they are the exception and not the rule.

PS-I also prefer the scanner to opting out because they tend to yell opt out, whereas if you fail the scanner they just quietly talk through their ear pieces. Failing the scanner is much less noticeable than the metal detector or opting out.