airport scanners

Beware when traveling from the Provincetown,Mass. airport.(very small airport, only Cape Air flies there).  They only have a metal scanner. Because of my pacemaker was not allowed to walk though. Am pretty sure my shoulder, elbow and other marker i had would cause the machine to beep, madly. I  had to have a full body scan.  Pat down from head to shoes.  Was told i had to take off my shoes, told the gal i did not want to.  Said if she found something i would.  

I heard others as they went though the scanner beep, but the TSA person said that was ok.

A side note they let my head of letuce i was bringing home pass. Did have to take it out of my suitcase first.  An could not put it back into my carrying on bag until i passed the pat down.

new to pace

8 Comments

🎈

by Lavender - 2024-08-17 15:10:20

Traveling is interesting isn't it? Lol at you bringing home a head of lettuce to Florida from New England!  Lol once I brought home a coconut from the Caribbean. 

lettuce

by new to pace.... - 2024-08-17 15:17:08

I had purchased the lettuce when i first got to Truro thinking i would eat it.  Instead we kept going out to eat lobster 3 days.  Now this vegan is done with the lobster.

new to pace

Yum

by Lavender - 2024-08-17 16:17:44

I'm one who eats mostly vegetables and fruit with a touch of seafood or chicken. I love lobster! You were certainly in the right place to enjoy it!

Don't tell them you have a PM unless they want to use a hand-held wand

by crustyg - 2024-08-17 19:06:21

No modern PM/ICD is going to trigger a metal-detector arch.  They are sensitive to ferro-magnetic material and there's nothing ferro-magnetic in these devices, otherwise they couldn't be conditionally MRI-safe.

There's a fairly high random positive sample rate at most airports - if the metal detector arch beeps, always ask them if you are a test positive.  In my experience they always say if this is the case (it usually is).  If they only alarmed on true positives then the staff wouldn't do anything for days on end...

Recently returned from NA, lots of flights: only issue was not tight enough trousers for a millimetric scanner (the sort that looks under your clothes) and the software suggested a void at my trouser seat => one very intimate pat-down as a result.

Always warn them about your device if they want to use a hand-held wand over you - these can stop your device from pacing you correctly.

Scanners

by skigrl3 - 2024-08-17 21:48:17

I always tell them upfront. In the US I can go through the scanner but no hand scanner. Manual search. In Europe they do not allow scanner once I tell them. Manual search only. Travelling is a learning curve for sure! But worth it! Happy travels!

I agree with crustyg

by USMC-Pacer - 2024-08-18 23:17:26

I travel quite a bit and in the last 13 years of an installed device I have never said a word and have never had a problem.. always just walk on through. YMMV

airport scanner

by new to pace.... - 2024-08-19 07:44:11

thanks to all for your comments.  It was the word "metal" scanner above the walk through that had me concerned. This was a small airport without the upgraded scanner the one that you put your feet in a certain position and raise your arms up.

new to pace

wont affect your device

by dwelch - 2024-09-02 22:30:41

the metal scanners wont do anything to you nor the device.  as with cell phones on planes they lean to the side of caution, so will let you go around and get wanded or patted down.  I tend to not try to upste the TSA, what is the point.   Back when I could skip the line and go through with the pilots and wheelchairs, but that has gone at my local airport, the same line.   

device number five, 37 years paced, been through metal detectors for decades around the world.  cant cause an issue and has not.

 

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As for my pacemaker (almost 7 years old) I like to think of it in the terms of the old Timex commercial - takes a licking and keeps on ticking.