I had a horrible experiance at the Edmonton Airport yesterday. Going thru security my port set of the system. I was prepared, I had my lapband card ready with my ID. Of course it was a man checking me with the wand. I handed him my card and he just stared at me. He wanted me to tell him what kind of surgery and details of what kind of device it is. THEN HE YELLED OUT I NEED A FEMALE OFFICER SOME KIND OF GASTRIC WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY DEVICE>>>

It felt like a minute of silence people just stopped and stared at me. Got some really funny looks.

I was escorted to a private room with 2 security officers as they carried my purse and magazine. I felt like a criminal. I had to unzip my jeans and allow the female gaurd to touch where the port was so she can rule out the device being a knife.. WHAT THE HAY!!!!! I was mortified , truly ashamed, embarrased and I felt so violated. I didn't want to argue as i needed to get on the plane.

IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN ALL THE TIME? WHAT CAN I DO WHEN I FLY NEXT TIME?

I have a midband placed by Dr. Yau and didn't experience that though. Perhaps like someone else mentioned it's because you've lost weight?

Wow, I have to fly back and forth to see our surgeon and have never had the alarm go off. But I do work for an Orthopedic surgeon and after they have knee implants done we do give them a card stating that they have the implants, but all of our patients have said that it doesn't really do any good. They have to get the full treatment anyway. Sorry that you had that happen. I didn't know the port had any metal in it???? But better luck next time.

OMFG!! I am former TSA, worked with them 18 months total and the treatment you got was WAY out of line. I'm looking for a consumer complaint number or website or email for you. They stress over and over and over customer service, so what happened to you is SO WRONG. I have worked in 4 different airports (Salt Lake Int'l, Grand Junction, Telluride and Aspen), so it's not like my airport was just weird.

In the future, do not even bring up the band if you beep. It may have been something else that caused you to beep, but because you drew attention to it, that's what they focused on. And, NOOOOOO, a male is to NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER wand a female. If one starts to wand you, you tell them you want a FEMALE screener, or that you need to see a screening manager NOW. There are only RARE exceptions for opposite sex wanding and those are in airports out in the boonies of Alaska, for instance where there may only BE two male screeners working the whole lane.

If the wand beeps on the port, then all they have to do is pat that area. Then just say, "I have a port under my skin for medical injections." That's all they need to know. They'll be able to tell by patting OVER THE CLOTHING that it's not a knife. They do NOT need to see bare skin. OMG, who the hell trained these people?

And I do want to give one more note about those medical cards that people carry. Something that you get to understand from reading SSI documents that are passed down from the CIA, FBI, whatever, is that terrorists will use whatever they can to conceal what they need to get the job done. All they would have to do then, is get a severe break to the leg (you think they wouldn't go that far? THINK AGAIN...I've seen pure craziness in security briefs that you wouldn't even imagine!), get some pins/screws/plates in there. Let it get all healed up, then strap a gun down there. Wala! "Oh, I have a card. I don't have a weapon and you don't need to search me." You gotta think like a criminal, I guess. It's a sad, scary world we live in.

Here: TSA | Transportation Security Administration PLEASE complain away. I am not kidding. You may think this gets nowhere, but when it's about a specific airport, they generally get slapped on the hand. If you ever have a problem with a particular screener, then you need to get that screener's name so that you can put it in the complaint. Make sure when you do the complaint that you put in the time and date that you were there so they can pinpoint what shift it was. Somebody needs some major retraining. This kind of stuff makes me SO angry because it shone a really bad light on the GOOD people in TSA (who I happened to be one of).

Oh, whoops. Select "complaints" in the drop-down menu.

The ACLU has sued for less.

Thanks Steph, I actually am going to complain as well. I got the fulo rub down in the middle of the room. Much fun, I did get a bit pissed off and told her to "At least buy me a drink first". Didn't go over so well, but I was upset and embarassed.

Gosh! that's awful!

Maybe it wasn't the port that set the alarm off. I've travelled several times since I've had my band and it never happened. Last month i was going through a german airport, it beeped, a lady with the wand took me aside and she came to the conclusion it was my bra. I didn't even mentioned I had a band or a body implant or that would have been a long story that i didn't want to tell right then and there. Honestly, I don't think our cards make much of a difference (just imagine how easy that would have been for terrorists to fake that sort of medical cards if they would get away with it).

But yes, you should file a complaint.

I would deffinately file a complaint!!! Also, are you sure it was the band that set it off? I know this is gonna sound scary but maybe something metal was left in your body from the surgery. It doesn't happen alot and doctors and nurse have a counting system to account for all supplies used during surgery but it has happened. That could be a possibility, but I really doubt it. Plus if you have had a fill under fluro you would be able to see if anything was left in there. I had a fluro right after the surgery so my doc could see the placement and make sure everything was good so I could leave, he showed me my band and port and gave me the xray pics to take home, so if anything was left in they would probably be able to tell right away if they did the fluro on you.

Wow, some story. I don't even have a card.

As far as the community is concerned, I'm the same as everyone else. (everyone being Botoxed, lifted, sucked, implanted, etc...it's so common nowadays)

I've been thru LAX, SLC, BWI, and SBY...security screens... not once did I beep or anything.

steph thanks for that info,,. i had no idea a man was not allowed to even wand a female

I fly home next sunday and i am gonna take the advice not to mention the band until questioned...

I am sorry you had a bad experiance too, I ma going to complain bigtime.... i just didnt want any trouble before my flight so i kept quiet.

I am in shock. Follow us up on your complaint. I am hoping to go to Edmonton in the next year.

I just flew to Vancouver last weekend, my new BOOTS beeped the wand, my band was fine even at 6 pounds from goal.

I guess I was just lucky not to get tasered.

OMFG!! I am former TSA, worked with them 18 months total and the treatment you got was WAY out of line. I'm looking for a consumer complaint number or website or email for you. They stress over and over and over customer service, so what happened to you is SO WRONG. I have worked in 4 different airports (Salt Lake Int'l, Grand Junction, Telluride and Aspen), so it's not like my airport was just weird.

In the future, do not even bring up the band if you beep. It may have been something else that caused you to beep, but because you drew attention to it, that's what they focused on. And, NOOOOOO, a male is to NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER wand a female. If one starts to wand you, you tell them you want a FEMALE screener, or that you need to see a screening manager NOW. There are only RARE exceptions for opposite sex wanding and those are in airports out in the boonies of Alaska, for instance where there may only BE two male screeners working the whole lane.

If the wand beeps on the port, then all they have to do is pat that area. Then just say, "I have a port under my skin for medical injections." That's all they need to know. They'll be able to tell by patting OVER THE CLOTHING that it's not a knife. They do NOT need to see bare skin. OMG, who the hell trained these people?

And I do want to give one more note about those medical cards that people carry. Something that you get to understand from reading SSI documents that are passed down from the CIA, FBI, whatever, is that terrorists will use whatever they can to conceal what they need to get the job done. All they would have to do then, is get a severe break to the leg (you think they wouldn't go that far? THINK AGAIN...I've seen pure craziness in security briefs that you wouldn't even imagine!), get some pins/screws/plates in there. Let it get all healed up, then strap a gun down there. Wala! "Oh, I have a card. I don't have a weapon and you don't need to search me." You gotta think like a criminal, I guess. It's a sad, scary world we live in.

Here: TSA | Transportation Security Administration PLEASE complain away. I am not kidding. You may think this gets nowhere, but when it's about a specific airport, they generally get slapped on the hand. If you ever have a problem with a particular screener, then you need to get that screener's name so that you can put it in the complaint. Make sure when you do the complaint that you put in the time and date that you were there so they can pinpoint what shift it was. Somebody needs some major retraining. This kind of stuff makes me SO angry because it shone a really bad light on the GOOD people in TSA (who I happened to be one of).

And BTW, thanks for that information. Good to know our rights while travelling.

I was banded by Dr. Yau back in Sept 2006. I flew from Toronto to Mexico and back again in April 2007 without setting off any alarms at the airports. I was worried that I would.

Your story sure is a scary one. Before I was banded I did a lot of travelling in exotic places and I am hoping to do more of this now that I am at goal. But now I have visions of being unable to fly home because my body sets off alarms. Yipes!

I am in shock. Follow us up on your complaint. I am hoping to go to Edmonton in the next year.

I just flew to Vancouver last weekend, my new BOOTS beeped the wand, my band was fine even at 6 pounds from goal.

I guess I was just lucky not to get tasered.

Haha! Yah, come visit us in Canada. :heh: It's an electrifying experience!

I am sorry you had a bad experiance too, I ma going to complain bigtime.... i just didnt want any trouble before my flight so i kept quiet.

I felt the same way Cindy. Isn't it sad we can feel so violated and humiliated but scared to speak up at the time? All I wanted was to get out of the middle of the damn airport where everyone could see me being 'felt up'. Why do they have that power over us?