Re: MRI's, now a tangent on airport alarms

[Guest guest]

I've only flown 4 times, and have set the alarms off at each airport.

The last time they were convinced (this was in Ireland) that

I had to have some metal on me, but I wasn't even wearing a bra as I

had one of those support t-shirts on specifically to avoid the

possibility it was bra clips. Interestingly, I was flying back with 2

friends who are hardly under-endowed in the hardware stakes, at least

one of them is full of steel (whereas my posterior hardware is

titanium), and both of them are very slim whereas I am distinctly fat,

but neither of them set the stupid things off!

Mind you, it was only after all of this that I came to think on the

fact that I set off theft detectors in shops periodically - not often,

but it's certainly not the first time I've had to go back in and offer

my stuff for searching, and there's only been one occasion where

something hadn't been de-tagged.

titch

> Also in my morning reading about this, I also got an answer to why

maybe sometimes I set off the metal detectors at the airport. My new

hardware is stainless steel, and I have a boat load of it, three rods,

27 screws and illiac crest bolts. In reading it said the more you have

in terms of hardware, the more the chance is you'll set it off,

especially if you get a very sensitive machine. I know when talking to

many of you, that you haven't had that experience, but I always am

prepared when flying, come really early, and have my card out that I

have surgically implanted metal in my body( I got this from my

surgeon), just in case. The joys of scoliosis!

[Guest guest]

I have set off the alarms every time at airports since I had my hip replacement

in 2005, so

I am just used to having the pat down! When they run the hand held detecter

over my

back, it goes off there as well as my hip. My surgeon gave me a card after my

hip

replacement, but they still go through the whole procedure. I'm sure anyone

could obtain

a card if they really wanted to, with the internet, etc. Now, I just tell them

that I will set off

the alarm before I even go through, set the thing off, and they call for a

female agent and

it goes pretty smoothly. I'm just used to it by now!

> > Also in my morning reading about this, I also got an answer to why

> maybe sometimes I set off the metal detectors at the airport. My new

> hardware is stainless steel, and I have a boat load of it, three rods,

> 27 screws and illiac crest bolts. In reading it said the more you have

> in terms of hardware, the more the chance is you'll set it off,

> especially if you get a very sensitive machine. I know when talking to

> many of you, that you haven't had that experience, but I always am

> prepared when flying, come really early, and have my card out that I

> have surgically implanted metal in my body( I got this from my

> surgeon), just in case. The joys of scoliosis!

>

[Guest guest]

,

So glad it's a pretty straight forward process for you, mine haven't been. The first time it happened, I had no idea I would set it off, as when I had my Harrington I never did. I wasn't even flying just escorting my youngest daughter to the gate since she was under sixteen, had a special pass to do that. I got to the machine, after my daughter had already gone through, and yup I set it off. They pulled me aside, and had me sit in a chair, wouldn't let me speak to my daughter, who of course didn't get what was going on, so she just waited at the end. This of course was just after the shoe bomber guy did what he did. So I sat for a few minutes. Then a female agent came over, and wanted to wand my feet. After revision I can no longer pick up my feet more than a couple inches when seated, and I guess they wanted them up considerally more. I explained to the agent, I have had four big spinal surgeries, and I phyically can't pick my feet up when seated, so she could either pick them up herself, or I could stand and do it for her. Well, she was very nasty then, and said "what do you mean you can't pick your feet up"? Then suddenly, two more agents appeared, and here's my daughter scared about what going on and they won't even let me speak to her. Finally they pick my feet up and wand them, then they let me stand up, and then they wanded my body, and I set it off at each level of my spine, since my fusions are T1 to the sacrum. Her comment, was" My God, what have you had done to yourself". Then another agent ran the wand over me. Then the first agent patted me down, which for me is just awful, I have profound numbness on my back, to the point you can stick a needle in it and I won't feel it, but the nerves react funny, and if my skin is touched, it's so weird it actually can make me feel sick to my stomach. I got through it, but it was just awful.( Doc Kumar said my numbness and reactive nerves are a result of being cut on so many times, but when I'm with extened family I always have to say, please don't hug me and run you hands over my back, it so repulsive to me.) So finally I was allowed to go on to the gate, but the whole process was about a half an hour, and we just made my daughters plane, as they were in the boarding process. So yes I'm leary, have my card out so I at least have it in writing that I have the surgically implanted steel, helps it go more smoothly. It's happened twice since then, easier, yes, but still difficult. The whole thing was so nasty, at least the first one, that it sure colors how I feel about flying. I've flown more this past year than I ever have since my Mom's breast cancer went to her lungs and is terminal and she is in Boise and I'm in the Denver Area, and so far, I haven't set it off, such a relief. Just another indignity that us scoli patients have to go through.

Colorado Springs

[ ] Re: MRI's, now a tangent on airport alarms

I have set off the alarms every time at airports since I had my hip replacement in 2005, so I am just used to having the pat down! When they run the hand held detecter over my back, it goes off there as well as my hip. My surgeon gave me a card after my hip replacement, but they still go through the whole procedure. I'm sure anyone could obtain a card if they really wanted to, with the internet, etc. Now, I just tell them that I will set off the alarm before I even go through, set the thing off, and they call for a female agent and it goes pretty smoothly. I'm just used to it by now! > > Also in my morning reading about this, I also got an answer to why> maybe sometimes I set off the metal detectors at the airport. My new> hardware is stainless steel, and I have a boat load of it, three rods,> 27 screws and illiac crest bolts. In reading it said the more you have> in terms of hardware, the more the chance is you'll set it off,> especially if you get a very sensitive machine. I know when talking to> many of you, that you haven't had that experience, but I always am> prepared when flying, come really early, and have my card out that I> have surgically implanted metal in my body( I got this from my> surgeon), just in case. The joys of scoliosis!>

[Guest guest]

...I'm sorry that you had such a horrible experience at the airport the

first time. That

must have been terrible for your daughter. I am also extremely numb below my

waist in a

large area. Dr. Bridwell said that was quite common in revision cases like

ours, but it does

feel very weird, I will agree. So sorry to hear about your mother. That must

be so difficult.

Take care,

> > > Also in my morning reading about this, I also got an answer to why

> > maybe sometimes I set off the metal detectors at the airport. My new

> > hardware is stainless steel, and I have a boat load of it, three rods,

> > 27 screws and illiac crest bolts. In reading it said the more you have

> > in terms of hardware, the more the chance is you'll set it off,

> > especially if you get a very sensitive machine. I know when talking to

> > many of you, that you haven't had that experience, but I always am

> > prepared when flying, come really early, and have my card out that I

> > have surgically implanted metal in my body( I got this from my

> > surgeon), just in case. The joys of scoliosis!

> >

>