Just curious - Do the staples used in the sleeve surgery trigger the alarm in an airport scanner when you pass through? Just wondering if anyone was questioned by TSA or anything like that. Thx.

I’ve flown a few times since surgery and had no issues with either the walk through magnetometer or the back scatter “phone booth” thing.

no. Oddly, loose skin sometimes does (at least on those really sensitive scanners)

I don't think so but my bra sets it off all the time anyway so it wouldn't be any different.

btw - I was looking forward to not having to deal with the loose skin setting the scanners off after I had plastic surgery (because oddly, that DOES set it off for some of us), but I STILL beep, even though all the excess skin is gone. I don't know what it is. I know surgical staples don't (they're made of titanium, which MRI machines don't pick up - so maybe that's why airport scanners don't, either), but maybe the clips I have in my abdomen from plastic surgery do - I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, I still beep. Grrrr.

P.S. earlier in the weight loss phase I didn't beep - because I didn't have all the loose skin then. But I DID have the staples then - so they aren't what sets it off.

Edited May 23, 20215 yr by catwoman7

@catwoman7 You should consider TSA pre-check. It's only like $75 for 5 years and you don't have to go through the backscatter machine. Also it takes so much less time! You just go through the regular metal detector. (My brother has a 14 inch titanium rod in his spine and that doesn't set it off.)

7 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

@catwoman7 You should consider TSA pre-check. It's only like $75 for 5 years and you don't have to go through the backscatter machine. Also it takes so much less time! You just go through the regular metal detector. (My brother has a 14 inch titanium rod in his spine and that doesn't set it off.)

yea I don't think titanium does. I know titanium doesn't set off MRI machines, either (I've been in a billion research studies where I had to have MRIs - some after I had gastric bypass surgery, so I would have had the staples). I know most/all surgical staples are made of titanium, so those supposedly won't set anything off. The only thing I can think of is the surgical clips I have in my abdomen - maybe they aren't titanium? I'm not sure - but something sets it off every time (or at least those really sensitive scanners where you hold your arms up in the air). It's weird that the loose skin set it off, too - but it did - and I've heard of many others who've had the same issue.

anyway, good idea on TSA pre-check - I'll look into that for sure!!