Airport full body scans

[joshw2011]

Has anyone had one of these since having a stoma? I just flew out to Florida with my parents today (yay!!!) and had my first experience with the new scanners. Wouldn't you know it, they picked up "stuff" in my belly area. The guy was nice about it, asked what I had going on there. I said something like "medical issues" or something, and he looked at me like he needed more info. So I said "I have an ileostomy" and then he looked like he understood. Still, he had me put both hands on my stomach and then he wiped my hands with some paper/cloth thing, which then went to some machine. Less than a minute later I was free to go. My parents said it's most likely to look for traces of explosives.

I looked online a little on Google to see anything about similar situations, but only saw one person who had done it (from 2010) and had nothing seen. Just curious about others' experiences.

 

[Terriernut]

Josh, I think the CCFA has a card with information for you to give to airport staff about your 'appliance'. Have you checked their website? I am pretty sure you can get it directly from them or your stoma nurse.

 

[Crohn'sFor Life]

Those TSA guys always make me touch my bag and check my hands for explosives. Whenever I ask them if they would like to see my bag, they always say,"No".

I try to wear transparent bags while travelling...just in case I need to show someone my "shit"! heh!
When travelling alone, I try to make sure my bag is visible while sleeping. This usually stops my neighbor from bothering me.

 

[sammies]

I flew four times in the last month and was stopped 3. Very easy. As I exited the scanner I was approached by a female agent who said the radio person was asking about my abdomen area. I replied I have an ostomy. I was patted by on,y one of the three but had my hands swiped with a dry soft cloth that was immediately run through a machine. I was back in line to grab my belongings from the scanner belt before they landed at the end. For me, arriving very early for my flight and at lesser busy times was key. No one felt rushed and I didn't panic--yahoo! My husband and the guy in front of me were detained longer than I bc they had some metal. . I hope it continues to be that easy.

I did print the TSA card off the UOAA site. www.ostomy.org

 

[Susan2]

I'm off to Botswana tomorrow, so will report back on my full body scan.