Originally Posted by
chollie
Hang on, now.
It was a bit bloody - stitches leaked for several days, the doctor says that's normal. It most certainly wasn't 'infected' or I would not have been flying.
And I want to be abundantly clear here: I have read (and believe) accounts of pax who have been told to remove adult diapers, etc. This did not happen to me. I voluntarily took the dressings off in both instances as soon as I got directed to the NoS because I knew that the full grope was going to probably involve pressure in painful places. I was worried about broken stitches, and I was even more worried, in the second case, that I would lose it and throw up if the TSO pressed too hard on my throat. It was my choice to remove my dressings instead of having them painfully groped.
I understand why they have to run it through the x-ray - you're not allowed to have anything in your hands during the grope, and once I removed it, it was no different to them than if I had kept a wad of money in my hand - it all has to be x-rayed.
The alternative was to leave it in place and have the TSO press hard on it to make sure there was nothing nasty concealed in it (this was a slightly bulky dressing, not just a bandaid). I just forgot it would play out that way when I took it off. I wanted to keep it in place as long as possible; I certainly had no intentions of putting it back on -eeew. I considered myself very fortunate that in both instances the TSOs seemed kind of grossed out and didn't feel the need to physically pat my wound to clear it.
Believe me, I've had much worse experiences. Of course, it would have been really great if I'd been allowed to use the WTMD - I never alarm it - but I seem to be one of the lucky ones who always gets selected for the NoS, and no matter how much they threaten or challenge, I am still physically incapable of assuming and holding the position.
I suspect the same thing would happen if I wore an eyepatch - I'm sure if I went through the NoS or opted out (voluntarily or involuntarily), the TSO would have to see under it and it would have to be x-rayed separately to make sure there's nothing hidden inside.
I understand what you're saying, Chollie, and I agree with you, up to a point.
But the truth is that your used wound dressing still qualifies as medical waste. It should NOT have been placed on the belt or in bins where other pax place their possessions; if you were not going to re-apply it, it should have been thrown in the trash, and if you had intended to re-apply it, it should not have been placed on the belt or in bins where pax routinely place filthy shoes. Toxic lawn chemicals and animal excrement are just two of the many wonderful things that those shoes may have been in contact with...
All I'm saying is, infected or not, it's medical waste and should never be placed in any kind of contact with pax belongings. YOU may know that your blood is clean and infection-free, but the TSOs don't know that, and this is one instance where I think a true Abundance of Caution ought to win out - you don't put peoples' blood in contact with other peoples' possessions! Hello, TSO! Ever hear of blood-bourne illnesses like AIDS and hepatitis!
And if any TSOs touched the dressing, I certainly hope they changed their gloved immediately afterward. Though, that may be expecting too much from a group who sometimes uses the bathroom and doesn't change their gloves...