Bandages and airline security

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Suzybelle
Suzybelle Member Posts: 920
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

I know we've talked about this and cannot find specific conversations -

 Do you fly with bandages, and if so, do you have issues getting through security with them? 

I've got to fly tomorrow and am curious as to what is the best way to do this - I know I will need to bandage for the flight.

Thanks, ladies!

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  • mamamiaow
    mamamiaow Member Posts: 7
    edited September 2011

    i flew w/a sleeve back in june. i did go thru the whole body scanner (after all the radiation i had, i may have ruined it :) for the next person!)  on the way out, no one even looked twice at my arm, but on the trip home, the agent stopped me and "swiped " my arm w/a white strip, which she then checked on a machine, and gave me the ok. it took 2-3 minutes at most!

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  • cindy2
    cindy2 Member Posts: 32
    edited September 2011

    I have flown several times recently with my arm wrapped--no problems at all.  I went thru the regular metal detectors fine and the new fangled kind as well.  The did do a wipe test of my bandage which took an additional minute--but no problem what so ever.

    Happy traveling!

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  • YramAL
    YramAL Member Posts: 1,651
    edited September 2011

    I flew several times this summer with my sleeve on. No problems at all. A couple of times I went through the full body scanner, and the other times I just walked through the metal detector. They were more interested in my watch than my sleeve.

    Mary 

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  • kcshreve
    kcshreve Member Posts: 1,148
    edited September 2011

    Have a great flight!!  Probably nobody will ask you what happened, but I'll bet you'll have a spicy story at the ready, just in case.  :)

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  • scuttlers
    scuttlers Member Posts: 1,658
    edited September 2011

    Try going through with drains! The sleeve, they felt it up, swabbed it, etc. But the drains, first they wanted me to "take them out", then a supervisor felt since there was "liquid" in them that they had to be removed. It took almost a half hour before I was cleared, and that did not include the line. UGH!

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  • Suzybelle
    Suzybelle Member Posts: 920
    edited September 2011

    ARGH!  Okay, scuttlers, you win, hands down.  You had to fly with drains?????  I cannot imagine.  It was hard enough just going home with 3 - nevermind flying with them.  You are obviously a force to be reckoned with!

    Although I did snort over the supervisor who wanted to remove them.  What a rocket scientist.

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  • LtotheK
    LtotheK Member Posts: 2,095
    edited September 2011

    I always do a pat down, despite the fact they often make me wait by the scanner and I probably get a ton more radiation that way than if I went thorough!  I do one of two things:  if I have at least an hour before the flight, I put it on after security.  If I don't, I go through with it, and have had mixed response.  During the patdown, they want to know what it is usually.  And...I actually don't always know what to say.  One time I blurted out, "Breast Cancer!"  It got me through faster. : )

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited September 2011

    Suzy, I flew in April with my arm wrapped--I wrapped at home and they were very solitious to me during the screening, and I did tell them it was due to breast cancer. They kept asking if it hurt. (I thought back to my broken hand, and acted like it was broken..)

    I used one set of bandages on the plane, and brought a second set to use while I was on vacation.

    The flight back was no problem either, and being entirely shameless, I boarded with them who need extra assistance. These days, everyone brings carry on bags, and they take the last people on and check them. Those of us who need assistance get to hang on to our carry on's--and as it had all my other LE supplies, I wasn't letting that stuff go.

    I was traveling to see Binney, and when I got there, there was this amazing welcome basket--just amazing. And Binney, equally amazing.

    I'll be flying on a 2 hour trip next weekend, and I've tried out my Solaris, and it's working okay now, so I plan on using it, but bringing bandages on the carry on. I may still board in the needs assistance line...I put the Solaris on after screening.

    Ironically, I'm flying to that LE board meeting, and other than one researcher who has LE, I'll bet we're the only two members who have to deal with this....

    Kira

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  • AmyIsStrong
    AmyIsStrong Member Posts: 1,755
    edited September 2011

    I fly with a sleeve and was told to put it on an hour ahead. So I just put it on after going through security. Not sure about a bandage.

    The whole thing is so frustrating and unnecessary (from a security perspective) and difficult. I'm sorry you have to even think about this. 

    The drains comment amazed me. I would have been shocked speechless (and for me, that NEVER happens).  

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited September 2011
    Bob Weiss, an activist with the National Lymphedema Network, has a wife with LE. She always flies bandaged. They got stopped one time at security and told she'd have to remove the bandages for inspection. He calmly told them that would be fine, but they'd need to call a lymphedema specialist to meet them there to rewrap her arm. Didn't take them long to decide maybe she didn't need to unwrap after all. Laughing
    Binney
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  • Lowrider54
    Lowrider54 Member Posts: 2,721
    edited September 2011

    I haven't encountered any issues in flying.  Sometimes, I have had to get a pat down but so far, ended up with pretty clear sailing.  I think I had more issues when I was going through the adventure for the first time back in 1999-2000 due to the external prothesis.

    Wish you a great flight!

    LowRider

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  • Suzybelle
    Suzybelle Member Posts: 920
    edited September 2011

    Well, I made it through security in Memphis and in Chicago with no issues - they swabbed my bandages, and I had to do the full body scanner at O'Hare, but everyone was very nice - no worries.

     I will have to remember Bob Weiss' comment regarding the LE specialist if I ever do get hassled...

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  • otter
    otter Member Posts: 6,099
    edited September 2011

    Sheesh.  If the "serosanguinous" fluid in the drains bothers them, I wonder what they think about a full bladder?

    otter

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