what happens if I wear an adult diaper in the human X-ray/nudeoscope?
 

I'm taking a medication that's causing me to have to wear adult diapers because diarreah can present itself without enough time to run to the nearest restroom.

I've been through the human X-ray machines several times and never had a problem.

However, I'm worried now that my "underwear" will look suspicious to the TSA employee looking at my naked body, and I really do not want some thug to be patting down my butt and genitals.

I find this whole thing so offensive that I would actually prefer doing a strip search instead. Is that an option?

I'm totally serious, no joke. I'll pull down my pants, bend over and spread my cheeks before I let them touch me with their disgusting hands. What would be ideal is for someone else to be videotaping it so the TSA looks like crap (even more so than they already do).

Or am I getting all worried about nothing? Thanks for any assistance. I have until Saturday before my flight.

I believe that the nudeoscope will flag an adult diaper as an anomaly, given that women have reported that sanitary napkins have registered as anomalies. I think your fears are well-founded and that you may well have a terrible experience at the hands of the TSA if you go through a body scanner.

I recommend that you try everything in your power to do a self-directed opt-out and get yourself into a walk through metal detector line. You might be able to do this by choosing your checkpoint carefully and then switching terminals past security: check tsastatus.net for details. You might also be able to self-select a walk-through metal detector line instead of the scanner line at some checkpoints. If all else fails, tell the person manning the scanner that you can't lift your arm above your head because of an injury. Some flyers report that medical involuntary opt-outs go through a metal detector (but this response doesn't seem to be consistent).

Despite our most careful efforts, any traveller at any checkpoint could be chosen for a patdown for any reason or no reason at all. I completely concur with your revulsion at the thought of being touched and pawed at by these blueshirts. I was sexually assaulted at the BWI checkpoint and I will never, ever let a screener touch me again. If a TSA screener tells you that you need a patdown, the only way to avoid it is to be willing to leave the airport and walk away from your flight. They will fight you on this, but stand firm. Say, no, I will not consent to a patdown, I no longer wish to fly, I want to leave the airport now. I've only had to set this plan into motion once, but I walked away without letting those people degrade me.

Report on how TSA deals with adult diapers during a pat down: http://www.newsherald.com/articles/m...rch-adult.html

Note that TSA denies this account and claims it did not happen. http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-27/t...e?_s=PM:TRAVEL

However such denials are standard practice for TSA. It's very likely that TSA told the woman she had the option to either remove the adult diaper or not fly, and thus TSA stupidly believes she was not "required" to remove it.

No, TSA will not give you the option of a strip search. And even if your clothes are removed, either voluntarily or due to TSA intimidation, TSA will insist on touching you. There are multiple reports of them "patting down" bare feet, legs, and arms. They have a little script to follow, and they insist on following it even when it flies in the face of common sense.

Honestly, if your goal is to avoid a butt/genital grope, your best bet is self directed opt-out to a walk-through metal-detector (WTMD) lane and being very careful not alarm the WTMD.

If self-directed opt out seems unlikely, your second best bet is to remove the adult diaper prior to the checkpoint, get through as fast as possible, and hope that you don't have an incident.

If none of that works or is an option, you need to think *before you get to the checkpoint* about how badly you want to fly that day and how far you are willing to let TSA go. If you have thought about it in advance, it is much more difficult to be intimidated into doing something unacceptable by TSA. Leaving the airport is *always* an option, in spite of what TSA may tell you. Consider what other airports are in reasonable driving distance and what your fall back plans would be.

It's very sad that in the USA we have to have these discussions. My grandfather fought the Nazis in WW II, and my father served a 23-year military career during the Cold War to protect our freedoms from exactly this sort of overreaching power-hungry government BS.

Kevin why not just tell them that due to a shoulder injury you can't raise your arms Should solve the problem,

Thanks for the replies. So my fears are not unfounded -- I am going to get hassled by the TSA. :(

Unfortunately, like most of my trips, leaving the airport is not an option. If the choice is to be sexually assaulted or leave the airport, I guess I'll go for the sex assault. It's happened to me before (not at the airport, but by a relative), so at least it wouldn't be my first time. :rolleyes:

How about this -- this idea of mine is not totally serious, I'm just throwing this out as a possibility -- (assuming metal detector is not an option) -- I go through the scanner, they complain that I'm wearing an adult diaper, so I'll go backwards to remove it in the restroom pre-security, remove the adult diaper, and then while waiting to go through again, if I so happen to s*** in my pants, oh well. Then they can pat down my s***ty pants and be thoroughly disgusted (or not, maybe they have one of those weird fetishes :rolleyes: ).

I appreciate the suggestion that I claim a medical injury and can't lift my arms, but I consider that to be "caving". I won't do that. I would rather do a strip search or poop in my pants than lie. I do have medical problems but lifting my arms is not one of them.

I am bringing an extra pair of underwear and pants in my carry-on for worst case scenario, because the last thing I want to do is contaminate the airplane seat. And of course I will arrive in plenty of time to clean up.

I was arrested one time and then released later (no record), so I do know what a strip search is like. It's quick and involves no touching. Pretty sad that TSA has less respect for the human body than the CO's at the local jail. :mad: :mad: :mad:

You might also consider finding a local news source interested in doing a story on the TSA, and tell them yours. Invite them to accompany you and watch how the TSA deals with a sensitive medical situation, of course without telling the TSA the press is there. They might be interested in that story.

There is no need to lie about a shoulder injury. Just state 'I'm physically unable to use the scanner'. Best of luck to you.

(I'm glad that so many are able to avoid the scanner by stating that they have an injury, but based on the fact that TSA reads here I am also worried that they will soon not permit that 'excuse' and state that we can still use the scanner, just as best as we can, thereby causing more issues for those of us who legitimately cannot assume the position)

I don't think that this will work. The usual TSA line is that once you enter the checkpoint, you must complete the inspection on their terms and you're not allowed to leave or start over. People who have tried have been told that they'll be fined $11,000 if they leave.

I think this may be why PHX (at least T2) is now demanding that you demonstrate your limitation. Kind of a pointless extra step the way they did it, because they still just followed up by saying "so that means you are opting out, full body grope, bag search, swab, bla-bla" (which is the same thing they said before, but without requiring a demonstration). Do they think that asking me to demonstrate my limitations and threatening me with a long wait for a groper, an intimate grope, swab and clearly punitive bag search is going to make my physical limitations suddenly disappear? If only!

Gotta love it when these front-line defenders of our freedoms do this to vets whose limitations are caused by battlefield injuries, particularly when we see TSOs post here that many TSOs are themselves ex-military (but ones fortunate enough to not have physical limitations earned on the battlefield).

We hear that 'no one' opts out, 'everyone' prefers the NoS, the number of 'opt outs' (voluntary or medically involuntary) is tiny. But TSA still feels that there are so many 'opt outs' that a punitive approach is necessary.

I think at some point all involuntary medical opt-outs who are ambulatory will be forced to use the NoS, regardless of whether or not we can assume and hold the position. Then we will receive the full-body grope, swab and bag check. I would not be surprised if eventually this approach is expanded to include wheelchair pax.

I agree. :( It's getting worse. I'm not thrilled with the UK at the moment rushing to stand side by side with the world's bully; all UK airports with flights to the US will have scanners by September, meaning that I won't be flying to Scotland any time soon, and may need to rethink my long term plans.

At least in the UK however they don't seem to select obvious or not so obviously impaired for the scanners. I can see TSA relishing it as some form of punishment. Many of their staff seem to like to prey on the weak, the elderly, the ill, and anyone else who seems unlikely to push back like single female travellers.

Wow, it really is as bad as I feared. I really don't think I can deal with this unamerican nonsense of patting down my butt and taking me into a private room for groping.

So I figured out a solution -- diarreah comes from eating, right? So this is what I'm going to do. No food for 36 hours before departure, use an enema a couple hours before I leave for the airport (to empty anything that might still be there), and then I won't need to use a diaper at all because nothing will come out. Wish me luck. :(

You REALLY shouldn't need to do that. Nor should we need to have this discussion.

This is absolutely wrong that you are flying (domestically, I believe) in your own country and have to worry about this at all, let alone take such drastic action in order to avoid what may well occur.

Is this flight absolutely necessary? Can you choose not to fly? Can you book a ticket for the next day and use the 24 hour cancellation policy to cancel it if you don't need it? It's wrong too that we have to look at those options, but this is what flying in America has become for many people.

And the biggest issue with all of this is that the public really doesn't care about you or your situation, Kevin. Your fellow countrypersons need to hear about this and they need to be angry and empathise with you and others like you. A few of us here are doing that but you need to have millions get upset before any of this will change, and I just don't see that happening, unfortunately.

:(

I suggest you just tell the TSA exactly what your situation is. If you don't want to say it out loud, write it down on a piece of paper ahead of time and hand it to the person who asks you to go through the scanner. Then, if there is any anomaly on the scanner, they know what it is. This doesn't guarantee that you won't get a pat down, but it may help. Given the bad publicity the TSA has gotten recently, I have noticed that they often do not scan or pat down kids, the elderly or disabled.

Kevin, I agree with exbayern - it is inexcusable that you should have to face this. I suggest you read this thread from last year for some background:

Elderly woman asked to remove adult diaper

I hope you can manage a SDOO.

How about:

Wear the adult diaper under a kilt.

If they want to make an issue about it, remove it. If something happens, too bad.