Has this happened to anyone? Lumpectomy and airport security

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr sorry but that is my reaction whenever i read that the new security protects us from events like 9-11.

what would protect us from things like 9-11 is actually following the procedures that were in place pre9-11.

TRUE STORY:

Pre-marriage, I flew to Europe every year for holiday.  And while there, I would buy knives to add to my kitchen as well as for presents for cooking/foodie friends.  So I'm flying back with a change of planes in Boston and my luggage--with the knives---is all carry-on.  I get to Boston, my next flight is delayed.  I am bored.  Bad girl that I was, I decided to go out for a cigarette.  To go out, I wander past security.

I smoke my cig and I come back--me, myself and my carry-on luggage, complete with knives and go through the security.

Where the agent is going blah blah blah and then he said to a girl friend security agent.

I check the board, still no flight, have drink at the bar, decide to get another cig, go out with my carry-on bag, smoke cig, go through security, same security guards are still going blah blah blah.

Hang out another hour, flight goes on the board, bored out of my wits, I wander out for one last smoke and come through same security line with same bag, same complement of knives, etc.

And finally--on the third time through the scanner--the talky guard goes "whats that?" to which I reply "the same thing it was the last two times I went through your line.  Cooking utensils and kitchen knives."  They made me check the suitcase.

3 times I went through the line.  It took three times for her to notice what was there in the beginning.

windlass is 100% correct.  We are NOT any safer.  We are just more humiliated and dehumanized.

Just flew back from West Palm Beach (PBI) - lucky me got tagged for the full body scanner - I refused to go in it, told them I am a BC survivor.  The TSA lady they called over was very nice, told me there is no radiation in the scanner.  ( I also do not believe this). I requested to have the pat down exam done in private.  There was no way I was going to have this done in public - I don't think anyone should.  So she took me into a private room and called another female TSA officer to "witness" - she explained where and how she would touch me, asked if I had any recent surgeries, if there was anywhere she should be careful etc.  I showed her my prosthesis and told her I was sensitive along my scar line.  She then tells me I did not have to tell her my reasons for requesting a private scan, or show her my scar line!

She was pretty nice about it, but I felt a bit humiliated, and quite frankly, a bit pissed off.  I realize we need this kind of security, but I also feel that once I told them I am a BC survivor wearing a prosthesis, they could have let me go through the regular scanner.  We've been through enough. 

JMHO.

BTW - a solution to this problem has been circulating through emails - why don't they have a body scanner that just detonates people wearing explosives - no problem for the 99.9% of us who are clean - only the terrorists would get what's coming to them.

Hi, all...

I'm just stopping by to mention a thread dealing with airport security (TSA screening) that's over on the "Breast Prostheses and Reconstruction Alternatives" forum.  The original focus of that thread was whether a breast form would trigger an invasive search by TSA; but the discussion ranged much farther than that. Most of the posts there are from last year, and some things pertaining to TSA searches have changed since then.

Some of you have been talking about radiation exposure with whole-body scans.  There are two types of whole-body scanners being used at airports in the U.S., and one of them -- the millimeter wave scanner -- does not use X-rays so there is no radiation involved.  The millimeter wave scanner beams high-frequency radio waves at the passenger's body, and collects and analyzes the waves in a computer.  One of the recent updates in millimeter wave scanning is that those machines no longer show a true image of each passenger's unclothed body.  The only image displayed on the TSA agent's screen is a generic "cartoon" figure.  Anything the scanner detected as an anomaly is marked with a symbol on that cartoon image. If there were no anomalies detected, there is no image at all -- just a blank screen with the word, "OK".  That's according to the TSA's own website:  http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/how_it_works.shtm

I also saw a press release on the TSA website that said the TSA had recently purchased 300 more millimeter wave scanners for installation at airport security checkpoints (http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2011/1006.shtm).  There was no mention of more backscatter X-ray scanners in that article, which makes me wonder if they're switching over to the millimeter wave devices entirely.  There's no evidence of such a switch in the U.S. at this time.

OTOH, the European Union (via the European Commission) recently banned the use of backscatter X-ray scanners and other security devices that use X-rays, "in order not to risk jeopardizing citizens' health and safety" (e.g., http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=europe-bans-x-ray-body-scanners). 

otter

So now they are going to try to convince everyone that the millimeter wave scanners are safe because there is no radiation involved? I also got that same lecture at West Palm Beach airport when I opted out. While there may be no radiation being beamed at you by those machines, who says they are any safer? Anything I have read about them by scientists and doctors is that not enough is known about them or what harm they may cause in the long term. That sure doesn't make me feel any safer.

Lucky for the government that so many people are willing to subject themselves to such invasive measures in the name of "security" - when in fact none of the "window dressing" (and profit generating) methods used at airport security checkpoints have ever stopped a terrorist.  There just isn't as much money to be made by using real "intelligence" to thwart terrorists. Let's remember that the 9/11 terrorists were able to do what they did by getting into the cockpit. That has become much harder to do now with the doors locked. Very low-tech and low-cost. And as far as smuggling knives onbaord, does anyone really think that the patdown is going to find something that someone is determined to hide? There are places on the body that no patdown is going to get to. And if people who opt out of the scanners are bypassing the metal detector for the patdown, that's not all too reassuring either.

At the time of my biopsy, a titanium tag was placed on the breast cancer spot. I was told then that the tag would be removed during surgery, if it turned out that I would have to have the lump removed. Sure enough, my surgeon told me that he removed it during my lumpectomy. Aren't all tags removed with the cancerous spots?

I have had the same issue, but just one time, with the new machines. I assumed it was from the tag that is permanent The tech at my last mammogram mentioned that it was there

This recently happened to me going through the body scanners at LAX. It really freaked me out, because a large male security guard stepped in front of me with his arms folded and blocked my path so I couldn't exit, but then a female guard came over to do the "pat down" of the suspicious area near my breast, but more near the shoulder area. I wasn't wearing a bra with metal or clips of any type, and was wearing a simple sweater with no embellishments, so didn't know what showed up. It really worried me what they saw on that scan. I mentioned it to my MO, and he said maybe it was my surgical clips or markers, (although I have them in both breasts, and they only patted down the one area.) But he said maybe there is a clip where they removed the lymph node. I'm guessing that must be it. Maybe it's closer to the surface? Anyway, glad to hear I'm not the only one who had this experience.

I travel a LOT for business, both domestically and (more) internationally. I flew between biopsies and surgery, I've flown since surgery and radiation and have NEVER had any delays or pat downs. I raised the issue of airport security from the beginning with my doctors and was told it would not be an issue. So far they have been 100% correct on that.

My surgeon left the clip in my breast after my lumpectomy because with DCIS, there is no lump and it designates the area they did the surgery on easily if they need to recheck it due to mammo results of some type that raise an issue. My husband usually gets the wand due to his knee replacement even with the card from the doctor. I have set it off once due to the clip but never after the first time. It is a PIA but not that bad.

Just got the flight data for my upcoming trip--KLM from Chicago O'Hare to Schipol (Amsterdam) to Rome; the return will be KLM Barcelona to Schipol to Detroit, then Delta to Chicago (didn't say whether O'Hare or Midway--Delta flies to both, though Midway is int'l only for flights w/in N. America). IIRC, the last time I flew more than one European leg per day I had to go through security a second time. Oh, joy. At least I won't have to go through security again in Detroit, just Customs & Immigration. (En route from Puerto Vallarta to Chicago, I had to change planes in DFW and go through Customs & Immigration but not go through security a second time).

I guess I'll find out soon enough. Flying to Minneapolis on Saturday-the first time I've flown since DX. I know they left the titanium marker in my breast, but I used to wear underwire bras and never set off any scanners-ditto for zippers on jeans, so I don't know how a tiny titanium marker in my breast will cause trouble. We shall see.