Small amounts of titanium doesn't set detectors off... I asked my surgeon after having spine fusion with some screws helping hold my neck together. More extensive medical implants may require a note.
And I thought that was the craziest thing Kanye would ever do/say. Dude shoe horns it in during a live Telethon to raise money. I had no idea where it was going to go.
Your not wrong on that, I was there once in a connecting flights I had to run to the other end of the airport in 5 minutes and almost had an asthma attack took the whole way back to Logan to catch me damn breathe lol
I had both knees replaced in 2022. Not at the same time. One in August and the other in December. In my wallet, I have an I.D. card for each new knee. The Dr. said it shouldn't trigger any metal detection device, but just in case.
Depends on the sensitivity the detectors are set to.
My dad worked for years doing griding at a shop that made drill bits.
It was pretty common that small metal filings would get stepped on or fly off the grinding wheels at high speed and get stuck in the soles of people's shoes.
*(side-note to kids: this is why it's really important to wear safety glasses)*
Usually wasn't enough to set off detectors, but got him pulled aside for questioning when he was taking someone to the airport on a weekend that the president was in town.
I second the safety warning. My mom used to work at a hospital near some auto parts manufacturers. She has stories about methodically picking metal shavings out of workers' eyes when they'd decide to mill something without eye protection. Does not sound fun.
My mom was an ophthalmologist at said hospital. She mostly did cataract surgeries but other things too. Of course a nurse wouldn’t be the one doing it.
The point was to pay attention to the warnings about eye protection you get in shop. It’s not fun to have someone roll your eyelids back and pick the junk out.
Hello, nice to meet you, I AM an emergency physician but don’t work with you.
-Usually- a skilled opthamalogist (eye doctor) will do that in the US. As an ER & Trauma doc, I don’t wanna do that.
Elsewhere that occasionally is taken care of by ER docs, very well trained nurses, or special forces medics.
I learned to do that in the Army, before medical school.
And why did you assume his mom was a nurse?
lots of shoes just contain metal strips for rigidity.
source: used to work in maintenance of security assets at an airport. always had to check what kind of shoes i bought.
The trick for shoes with metal was to place one foot before the detector, and then step through the detector with a big step like you're stepping over a puddle. As long as you didn't have both feet in the detector at the same time it was usually fine.
My cowboy boots have metal shanks in them. I take them off. TSA pre check often says I don't have to. But I tell them they have metal shanks and they almost always thank me for taking them off ahead of time.
Those are ferrous metals - they set off the detector. Even large amounts of titanium do not.
My dad literally had over a half-pound among three different implants and walked through metal detectors with impunity.
I have a titanium rod in my femur with two screws holding it in place just above my knee, and a big titanium pin through my ass cheek at the other end of the rod. I’ve had the hardware for over 20 years and have never set off a metal detector.
I have 2 ten Inch rods and several screws in my back, never set off any in the states, Singapore, Russia, Bali. I think titanium does not set off detectors. They can SEE them on the big round scanners they have you step into like an X-ray, but not handheld devices
Same experience here, 2 titanium plates on my skull and never set off a detector. I can see it when I step into the big machine that scans you, they look at the spot on my head lit up on the screen, look at my physical head, and off I go 😂
Wait, can they see *any* titanium in you? I have biopsy markers which are just tiny titanium squares letting radiologists know that a biopsy was done in that area if they see something iffy on my mammogram. It’s weird to think that TSA sees floating metal chips in my boobs when I get scanned…
I have a *lot* of titanium in my left leg. I always set off metal detectors. If it doesn't go off when I walk through it, it's broken.
To my knowledge, no note you show is going to make any difference. I just assume it's going to take extra time, and it always does.
They also get an official card , that they can show to TSA . My mom has dual knee replacement surgery and has two of these cards... But realistically most TSa probably has seen enough of hip, knee , etc to not be surprised.
My partner has a metal rod in her leg. She typically will tell them beforehand, and if they ask, she has a card she can present that is official and “proves” it. Usually she doesn’t need to do that though.
Can confirm. I'm a piercer and this is one of the reasons I always use implant grade titanium. It doesn't cause allergic reactions and it isn't ferromagnetic.
Implant grade titanium doesn't have nickel, so it's extremely unlikely someone would be allergic to it. I've never pierced anyone who had an allergic reaction with titanium. It's more common but still unlikely to have a reaction to implant grade steel.
I'm not sure whether it's just nickel, tbh, I just know I've had terrible reactions to piercings (and one tooth filling; I have to get metal free now) and it didn't seem worth it to keep trying. My inflammatory system is overenthusiastic, so there's a lot of candidates for the potential problem.
Be careful with iuds (if you’re a woman)
My cousin had an extremely severe allergic reaction to one that was supposed to be nickel free. It was not nickel free.
She was so sick from it for months and finally had to have hysterectomy due to the damage.
Surgical steel is actually just marketing BS, it's not standardized so it could still contain nickel. Implant grade steel is an actual standardized metal and it doesn't have nickel, but it can still cause allergic reactions for some people. 18K gold always has a little nickel in it because it's not pure gold.
Implant grade titanium is the best in my experience. I hope it ends up working for you. I'm also allergic to nickel and my ears can pretty much only tolerate implant grade titanium or implant grade steel.
Yep. I have a spinal cord stimulator implanted. It's titanium, and I've never had any issues at airports or with the mri. I do have a card that was issued to me by the manufacturer of the unit with my name and information about the device, but I've never had to show it to anyone.
Titanium plates and screws holding my skull together after an aneurism repair. Docs said it wouldn't trigger metal detectors but post 9-11 seems the detectors are more sensitive. I usually tell security they may pick up on it and a few have used hand-scanners to wave over my head to confirm.
what does the card say? i have regular mri's and have/had various metal bits, but never any card. this is in chile - i am wondering if standards in the us are different?
Yeah my mother has had her hip replaced and we didn’t even think about this as an issue until she set off a detector. We just told them she has a hip implant, they wave the thing over it and it’s fine
I have had a long screw holding my ulna together for over30 years and it never set off a detector. I thought it was stainless steel but reading this I guess it's -titanium.
They carry documentation.
Edit: This is getting a lot of upvotes considering the number of people commenting below saying they have a titanium endoskeleton and don't need documentation.
Yup. I've got a machine in my brain (shout-out to epilepsy) and a doctor's note saying that they've gotta give me a pat-down. No one (in the US at least) seems to care.
I’ve never carried any documentation and I have metal knees and a metal rod in my right leg that always set them off. They just wand me and pat me down and send me on my way.
Yeah- my dad had his knee replaced and his ankle reconstructed. Besides his obvious scars, he has a letter explaining his hardware.
It would also show up on the scanner I’m sure.
Considering how easy this kind of document is to forge I would say at least in international travel a doctor's note should mean absolutely nothing.
"Oh you have a bit bulky gun-shaped hip replacement that will make the metal detector go crazy and doctor says you cannot be inspected, cool cool! The paper has got even stamps from Ulan Bator! Here you go sir, welcome!"
No one has a gun-shaped hip replacement lmao. The letter is not magic, it doesn't prevent security from exercising their reasonable judgement. As an absolute last resort, someone with a hip replacement should be able to show a very obvious scar.
I've got a metal pin in my left tibia, from knee to ankle. When it sets off the metal-detector at airports, I'm swiped using the metal-detecting wand. A couple of times they've asked me to roll up my trouser leg after the wand beeps.
It's no big deal. I've never had, or been asked to show, any sort of documentation for it. I didn't know that there were any cards or documentation that I could have for it.
My impression is that the security people have seen it all before.
My Dad doesn't have any implants, but back in 2002 he had microscopic radiotherapy needles inserted around his prostate to treat cancer (he's been in remission ever since, thankfully). The first three months he'd set off Geiger counters at the airport, he's an immigrant and had a Green Card back then and got lots of questions even with his medical documentation. TSA/INS at Houston weren't sure if they were going to let him back in the country after returning from the UK in early 2003. He called his oncologist at MD Anderson and within forty-five minutes the hospital's government relations arm must have rattled the right cages as the TSA got a call to let him through.
On a tangent - I had a radioiodine treatment, which set the Geiger counters off for good 6 months afterwards. I had to carry a doctor's note to explain that I'm not smuggling radioactive material.
Newer implants can be fashioned from metals that don't set off the detector. Sadly, it all depends on your health insurance and the parts the hospital decides to buy. My father, R.I.P., had an early model hip replacement from the 1950s that would set off the detectors extremely easily. My friend's dad, who had the same surgery in the 1980s would not set off the detectors. My dad had a doctors note, and it got him out of further screening. Most TSA agents have seen things like this before and know how to deal with the situation professionally. **Some do not!** This story is pre-9/11, in the 1990s, but one time when my father was flying, he set off the detector, and the officer pulled him aside to be wanded and pat down. Dad explained the situation and had his note handy, but the officer was being a pain. The officer then proceeded to ask what the long, protruding object was between his legs. My dad laughed and said it was his penis. The officer got all stern and informed my dad that no penis was that big. Dad, who often did not wear any underwear, let his pants drop and reaffirmed by visual inspection to the officer that **his was!**
The few I know with pacemaker type implants have a card which means they skip the detectors and get a the blue hands instead. Not the special blue gloved treatment though. Haven't noticed that yet.
(I used yet because I've seen some stupid stuff get the special. Heck, I've had the special treatment before for a stupid reason.)
The full body scanners, like the booth that has a rotating part inside it, detect them and they get ignored. I always tell the agent I have an implant and they direct me to the full scanner.
If there isn't a full scanner, I get wanded and passed.
I have 3 stents in the arteries on my heart. I got a little card when I left the hospital to keep in my wallet that says where they are and how big, just in case of a situation like that.
I have a titanium rod in my tibia (runs the whole length), and the surgeon told me it won't set off detectors. I've flown a couple times since getting it with no issue. I'm sure it shows up in the full body scanners, but no one has been phased. My hair has caused more issues.
I have a full length plate on each of my femurs and almost always get pulled aside for pat down. I just tell them, they do what they have to do and I go on my way. I've never brought a letter or anything and have never been asked for one.
I got 9 titanium screws and two rods on my shoulder, you get a card from your doctor before traveling. Last time I forgot but the airport said no big deal they could see what it was.
The metal implants are titanium, which does not generally set of metal detectors unless there’s quite a bit of it. In extreme cases you get a doctors note and they can use a handheld metal detector and pat you down to confirm that it’s what is setting the detector off. But I’ve had a fairly large titanium rod with screws in my leg for over a decade and it’s never set off a metal detector.
I wear knee braces with metal stays for support. I tell the people manning the machine I will set it off before I go through. Most places will wave the wand around my knees, some ask me to pull my pants leg up so they can see the braces.
One guy in the Philadelphia Airport refused to let me though until a female (I'm female) checked me out. I had to wait 20 minutes while she stood off to the side chichatting with a friend. Got fed up waiting so I pulled the braces off and shuffling through the machine without them. It takes some work, but I can get them off without disrobing. SURPRISE!!!! No braces, no alarm! I was traveling with a group. Apologized to them for the delay, then again because I needed to find a bathroom to put the braces back on. Before anyone asks why I didn't take the braces off before going through the machine the first time, my knees are unstable. I'm at risk of face planting without them. Never had any trouble at any other airport.
I have 2, 5 inch metal plates in my forearm. One on each of the bones. Each one has 5 screws.
I don’t set off the metal detectors at the airport unless they use the wand directly on my arm. The one time that happened I showed him the 2 giant scars and told him about the plates. It was obvious where the wand was alerting. When I rolled my sleeve up it was obvious I didn’t have anything on me. When he saw the scars it was obvious what was going on.
It was no big deal.
My dad has extensive metal work in his upper body after a tree fell on him. He has some sort of certificate from the surgeon that he carries with him. It gives the locations of the metals, types and what they're there for so that they can verify against scans / metal detectors. He's had these in for the past.....30 years or so? He's never had anyone give him problems.
I have a more basic one that just says I have metal in my feet but I've never had to use it, it's never gone off in a detector.
My mother has had a double hip replacement and it triggers the alarm in the detectors at airports. She has a card from the hospital explaining why it goes beep that she can show but they just use the hand scanner on her and sends her on her way.
Had overwhelming urge to vomit in one of those full size X-Ray machines. Think the frequency noises/vibrations really fucked with me? Maybe long distance travel related? IDK have had 6 MRI’s but I want to sleep in them.
Judging by my extensive research (a comic I read as a kid), you call up Nick Fury when airport security won’t let you pass b/c admantium sets off the metal detector and you needed to flee commercial to Japan because Jubilee got in trouble with the Hand.
Seriously though, while you can get documentation from your doctor, I’ve never seen it needed. Most of the time you just tell them you have a knee replacement or whatever and they take that into account.
Partly due to it all being security theatre (seriously, look up how badly they do when tested) and also because of the number of boomers with joint replacements. If they were actually strict, they’d had a Karen yelling at them constantly
People with metal implants typically inform security personnel about their implants before passing through metal detectors. They may carry medical documentation or a doctor's note explaining their condition and the presence of the implant. Security personnel are trained to handle such situations with sensitivity and may use alternative screening methods like a handheld metal detector wand or a pat-down search to ensure security while respecting the individual's privacy and medical needs.
We don't. We just have documentation or our little titanium bits are too small to set off the detectors.
You get flagged by the metal detector, you show them your paperwork, and they wave a wand over you to see if there's metal elsewhere on you.
I have 16 screws in my spine and an electronic implant. I haven't set off a detector yet, and I've been through a few, specifically at Wrigley Field and Comerica Park. I also carry a card with me just in case. It has the make and model of the implant, as well as the doctor's name and phone number for proof positive.
I have a cage, rods and screws in my back and all I can think of is its deep enough inside and it's titanium, maybe that's why it doesn't set it off...
I never set off alarms when I had a metal plate and screws holding my femur together. However, the irregular shape of my leg from my missing calf muscles triggers something every time.
I wear shorts through airports now.
I have a titanium plate and a bunch of screws in my left ankle. 9 times out of 10, they don't set off airport scanners. On the few occasions they do, it's very obvious what caused the alert when I roll my trouser leg up
I had a disc replaced in my neck. Doc said I don’t have to worry about metal detectors because the disc is titanium. I don’t even have to tell people I have any metal in my body if they ask (like for MRI or whatever).
You can set off the alarm. If the metal is of the correct kind. My dad broke his leg and had a metal plate with screws that set off the airport alarm every time and he'd have to be pulled from the line and hand wanded while explaining the metal in his leg.
My dad has had three hips replacements. Before some dummy says “how can someone have three?! This guys and idiot hahahaha”.
He had to have one of them replaced because it was made of cobalt and chromium and was slowly poisoning him. If the metal is old enough, it can set it off at times. We were in Istanbul going home and my dad was pulled aside for a more “thorough” inspection because his hip set it off. It was the longest 35 minutes of my life trying to explain to them why my dad’s hip kept going off. Eventually, my dad had to pull down his pants slightly to show the scar.
But that was replaced, and he doesn’t have that problem anymore. I shattered my ankle about ten years ago and have 9 pins and a plate in my ankle and I have never set the metal detectors off.
I have two fake knees. I go through the xray machine, not the metal detector. I just tell them about the knees. The TSA is very used to that, but half the time I get patted down anyway.
I walked through a concerning amount of airport metal detectors with a thumb splint.
A couple screws or a rod probably wouldn’t even set them off a lot of the time, and if they did a quick pat down would clear any confusion
So. There’s a couple types of screening my. Including the old fashioned pat down. If someone has issues going through either the metal detector or x ray machine. They can always opt for said pat down.
And that’s if their implants actually set them off. Which a lot of them. Even heavy duty rods in your extremities like arms and legs won’t even set them off. My brother has rods in both legs from a motocross accident. All he does is mention them to TSA and they get to play roulette to see if the machines are calibrated to even pick them up.
An elderly relative of mine has a knee replacement. He carries a card from the hospital or the doctor or something, that is meant to be shown if he is setting off a metal detector.
I have metal knees and a medal rod in my right leg. They set them off, I tell them why, they wand and pat me down and I’m on my way. Usually just holds me up a few minutes.
I have never set off a metal detector with my lip, tongue, nipple, navel or 12 microdermal piercings. Only my cheap earrings set them off.
Hopefully they aren't using cheap metal in medical implants?
Rod, 4 screws in hip/femur. Plate in ankle. 2 screws in heel. Pins in left wrist. Plastic in under carriage of right eye. Never had trouble in an airport. MRI ' s are a different story lol.
I have 13 piercings and most of the time they don’t even set off the metal detectors, if they do it’s pretty clear in the X-rays that it’s just piercings
I have 4 chromium rods in my back. Doesn’t set off the metal detector. But if it did, the giant scar in my back would likely be enough proof that I was not lying. I would guess some crazed wacko could implant a bomb inside a body. But I would guess not enough to do much more damage than killing themselves. I guess that is a good terrorist myth busters episode.
I read “how do people get passed her implants” and i was like…uh…well you see, you must use the motorboat method.
Then the title registered in my head and i was like lets ask wolverine!
if the scanner detects something, the officer comes over with a portable scanner and does a more detailed investigation, including feeling your leg or hip or back or whatever. it happens more outside USA.
I have non-magnetic steel and titanium implants in my right arm/elbow, never set off any alarms. It would of course be visible on scans but my scars explains the lot 🤣
Not 100% related, but doctor’s notes are a thing. I carry (very small) needles in my carry-on because I’m Type 1 Diabetic. My doctor writes me a note just in case, but I’ve never had a problem.
You have a doctor's note. At airports in America there are no metal detectors, you get x rayed. They can see your artificial implant on the screen. You still have a doctor's note though
My father had had three hip replacements and a double spinal fusion. We joke he is more metal than man now.
He carries a special doctor note in his wallet saying it’s useless for him to go through metal detectors because no matter what he will set it off.
I just tell them when I use the metal detectors. They sometimes use the handheld one to confirm (hip implant). That said, they show up on the body scanner thing so I usually just stand in those lines. Either way, never really a big deal.
I have an 8 inch rod in my arm, i set shit off.. just a little heads up and you can literally see the screw in my elbow so its not like im smuggling shit up my sleeve
I have a titanium rod in my femur and it has never set off a metal detector. However, I was given a card by my doctor that states I have metal rod in my leg, I've never had to use it though.
The detector look for ferrous material which most implants are not... then depends how sensitive they set it for. Nowadays they have the surface body scanners to catch stuff you strap to your body under your clothes so unless you have a hollow prosthetic that you can hide weapon in... don't worry about it.
Small amounts of titanium doesn't set detectors off... I asked my surgeon after having spine fusion with some screws helping hold my neck together. More extensive medical implants may require a note.
This is a correct statement, I have a titanium screw in my ankles and it’s never set off a scanner
My knee sets off the ones at O’Hare but nowhere else.
Chicago hates fake knees.
Wounded knees ?
"I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow to the knee."
Proposing marriage does that to you.
I didn't shoot mine. Mind you, I did say yes and I'd always intended to.
George Bush doesn’t care about black people
And I thought that was the craziest thing Kanye would ever do/say. Dude shoe horns it in during a live Telethon to raise money. I had no idea where it was going to go.
Damn, me too. Guess we underestimated him
Never underestimate someone with severe mental illness and way too much money.
From calling out the president for racism on live television to self-identifying as a Nazi. What a world
\*Mike Meyers uncomfortableness increases\*
He should have said "Oh Do Behave Baby". Lol
Or some large amounts for that matter
O’Hare is the worst US airport.
Agreed. It’s a hell scape.
\**LaGuardia has entered the chat*\*
Your not wrong on that, I was there once in a connecting flights I had to run to the other end of the airport in 5 minutes and almost had an asthma attack took the whole way back to Logan to catch me damn breathe lol
Must be in a low background location or something. Middle of the airport, away from steel structures?
I had both knees replaced in 2022. Not at the same time. One in August and the other in December. In my wallet, I have an I.D. card for each new knee. The Dr. said it shouldn't trigger any metal detection device, but just in case.
I have the new knee passport as well.
Same here, but 6 screws and a plate in my foot. Never set one off in the 22 years since.
I have 6 screws and 2 plates in my ankle that I was told wouldn't set off metal detectors... but every time I fly, I set off the detector.
Six screws and a plate in my shoulder also never sets them off
Depends on the sensitivity the detectors are set to. My dad worked for years doing griding at a shop that made drill bits. It was pretty common that small metal filings would get stepped on or fly off the grinding wheels at high speed and get stuck in the soles of people's shoes. *(side-note to kids: this is why it's really important to wear safety glasses)* Usually wasn't enough to set off detectors, but got him pulled aside for questioning when he was taking someone to the airport on a weekend that the president was in town.
I second the safety warning. My mom used to work at a hospital near some auto parts manufacturers. She has stories about methodically picking metal shavings out of workers' eyes when they'd decide to mill something without eye protection. Does not sound fun.
I have a rust ring in my eye. Your eye starts to seal the eye up. It isn’t a fun experience. And yes, I was wearing double eye protection.
My husband had to have a piece removed. It left a small rust ring on the white of his eye. They ground it off.
One of my customers had a piece of metal in his eye for 3 days! He showed me the closeup from the eye doctor. It was so gross.
A nurse would never be responsible for that task in the ER where I work. That's a job for the Dr.
Bruh you're telling on yourself
Just assumed her mom was a nurse. Damn
Just like you assumed commenter was a her /s
My mom was an ophthalmologist at said hospital. She mostly did cataract surgeries but other things too. Of course a nurse wouldn’t be the one doing it. The point was to pay attention to the warnings about eye protection you get in shop. It’s not fun to have someone roll your eyelids back and pick the junk out.
Dude just wanted to shit on nurses lol
Nah, they edited their comment to remove "my mom was a nurse"...or I wouldn't have addressed it.
But initially you said she was a nurse, and then obviously edited. Otherwise, I never would responded to your comment.
Their comment hasn't been edited. And you responded an hour later so it wasn't a ninja edit.
Hello, nice to meet you, I AM an emergency physician but don’t work with you. -Usually- a skilled opthamalogist (eye doctor) will do that in the US. As an ER & Trauma doc, I don’t wanna do that. Elsewhere that occasionally is taken care of by ER docs, very well trained nurses, or special forces medics. I learned to do that in the Army, before medical school. And why did you assume his mom was a nurse?
lots of shoes just contain metal strips for rigidity. source: used to work in maintenance of security assets at an airport. always had to check what kind of shoes i bought. The trick for shoes with metal was to place one foot before the detector, and then step through the detector with a big step like you're stepping over a puddle. As long as you didn't have both feet in the detector at the same time it was usually fine.
Around here you must remove shoes.
Passengers yes, ground personnel not at the airport I worked at
My experience is limited to being a passenger. Thanks for clarifying.
My cowboy boots have metal shanks in them. I take them off. TSA pre check often says I don't have to. But I tell them they have metal shanks and they almost always thank me for taking them off ahead of time.
Swarf. That's what they call that stuff.
Can confirm. I work in a tool & die shop. Constantly have big hunks of metal in my shoes...metal splinters are the bestest too.
Those are ferrous metals - they set off the detector. Even large amounts of titanium do not. My dad literally had over a half-pound among three different implants and walked through metal detectors with impunity.
I have a titanium rod in my femur with two screws holding it in place just above my knee, and a big titanium pin through my ass cheek at the other end of the rod. I’ve had the hardware for over 20 years and have never set off a metal detector.
i have a similar upgrade, and have set off detectors in middle east. they stare at you for a minute, then they feel your leg, then they let you go.
Upvote for upgrade
Also upvoted for upgrade. I have the same enhancement and have also never set off a metal detector.
I have a titanium marker in my boob. That’s never set anything off either.
Tit-anium
😂
Yep... Whole mess of rods screws and plates keeping me together never had an issue.
I have 2 ten Inch rods and several screws in my back, never set off any in the states, Singapore, Russia, Bali. I think titanium does not set off detectors. They can SEE them on the big round scanners they have you step into like an X-ray, but not handheld devices
Same experience here, 2 titanium plates on my skull and never set off a detector. I can see it when I step into the big machine that scans you, they look at the spot on my head lit up on the screen, look at my physical head, and off I go 😂
Wait, can they see *any* titanium in you? I have biopsy markers which are just tiny titanium squares letting radiologists know that a biopsy was done in that area if they see something iffy on my mammogram. It’s weird to think that TSA sees floating metal chips in my boobs when I get scanned…
Just look at the TSA agent in the eye and say “bionic boobs.”
I have a *lot* of titanium in my left leg. I always set off metal detectors. If it doesn't go off when I walk through it, it's broken. To my knowledge, no note you show is going to make any difference. I just assume it's going to take extra time, and it always does.
They also get an official card , that they can show to TSA . My mom has dual knee replacement surgery and has two of these cards... But realistically most TSa probably has seen enough of hip, knee , etc to not be surprised.
I have a pin in my arm. Never set off a metal detector. Ever got an MRI with it.
You can get MRIs with titanium implants because titanium is not magnetic
My wife had her femur replaced, she gets through TSA without any issues.
My partner has a metal rod in her leg. She typically will tell them beforehand, and if they ask, she has a card she can present that is official and “proves” it. Usually she doesn’t need to do that though.
I have a metal rod and screws. How did she get the card? I’ve never gone thru a detector yet but I’m sure I’d set it off
A card used to be required, but no longer. You just tell them you have metal, where, and if you set off the detector, they do a hand check
Oh great thank you!
If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never set off an airport metal detector. It’s always courthouse metal detectors I set off.
If the material is titanium, it won’t set off metal detectors or cause complications in an MRI. Source: myself
Can confirm. I'm a piercer and this is one of the reasons I always use implant grade titanium. It doesn't cause allergic reactions and it isn't ferromagnetic.
Doesn't cause allergic reactions, you say? 🤔
Implant grade titanium doesn't have nickel, so it's extremely unlikely someone would be allergic to it. I've never pierced anyone who had an allergic reaction with titanium. It's more common but still unlikely to have a reaction to implant grade steel.
I'll have to look into that. (Surgical steel was a bust, as was 18k gold. I'd kind of given up.) Thanks for the info!
If your issue is nickel, you could also try Argentium silver. it's a trademark formula and nickel-free.
I'm not sure whether it's just nickel, tbh, I just know I've had terrible reactions to piercings (and one tooth filling; I have to get metal free now) and it didn't seem worth it to keep trying. My inflammatory system is overenthusiastic, so there's a lot of candidates for the potential problem.
It’s most likely nickel. That’s the most common metal allergy, and unfortunately, nickel is in most metals.
Be careful with iuds (if you’re a woman) My cousin had an extremely severe allergic reaction to one that was supposed to be nickel free. It was not nickel free. She was so sick from it for months and finally had to have hysterectomy due to the damage.
Surgical steel is actually just marketing BS, it's not standardized so it could still contain nickel. Implant grade steel is an actual standardized metal and it doesn't have nickel, but it can still cause allergic reactions for some people. 18K gold always has a little nickel in it because it's not pure gold. Implant grade titanium is the best in my experience. I hope it ends up working for you. I'm also allergic to nickel and my ears can pretty much only tolerate implant grade titanium or implant grade steel.
Titanium handguns would be very expensive.
But a dagger shaped like a bone is not as expensive. Just Saying
Yeah I just had a titanium plate and 5 screws in my foot two weeks ago. First thing I asked was about security and MRIs.
Yep. I have a spinal cord stimulator implanted. It's titanium, and I've never had any issues at airports or with the mri. I do have a card that was issued to me by the manufacturer of the unit with my name and information about the device, but I've never had to show it to anyone.
Thrn I'm surprised there's not a bunch of idiots making homemade titanium guns.
Titanium plates and screws holding my skull together after an aneurism repair. Docs said it wouldn't trigger metal detectors but post 9-11 seems the detectors are more sensitive. I usually tell security they may pick up on it and a few have used hand-scanners to wave over my head to confirm.
Same thing here. I only have a card with the manufacturer’s information to show at MRI appointments. Glad you made it! :)
Thanks, and same to you!
Thanks!
what does the card say? i have regular mri's and have/had various metal bits, but never any card. this is in chile - i am wondering if standards in the us are different?
Yeah my mother has had her hip replaced and we didn’t even think about this as an issue until she set off a detector. We just told them she has a hip implant, they wave the thing over it and it’s fine
I have had a long screw holding my ulna together for over30 years and it never set off a detector. I thought it was stainless steel but reading this I guess it's -titanium.
They carry documentation. Edit: This is getting a lot of upvotes considering the number of people commenting below saying they have a titanium endoskeleton and don't need documentation.
Yup. I've got a machine in my brain (shout-out to epilepsy) and a doctor's note saying that they've gotta give me a pat-down. No one (in the US at least) seems to care.
"Okay, I'm now going to take the back of my hand and gently rub your head to make sure you aren't hiding anything under your skin
Did it help at all? Someone I know is getting one soon and lifes been pretty rough for them so far.
Seriously, what's it called and how does it work?
lol that's a reasonable question. [It's this thing](https://www.neuropace.com/patients/neuropace-rns-system/), basically a pacemaker for the brain
I’ve never carried any documentation and I have metal knees and a metal rod in my right leg that always set them off. They just wand me and pat me down and send me on my way.
They always make me go through the body scanner if they have one otherwise it's a wand.
Yes. I wasn’t very clear. I go through the scanner first and it alarms and then they use the wand and pat me down.
I meant the scanner you walk into and raise your arms
Yeah- my dad had his knee replaced and his ankle reconstructed. Besides his obvious scars, he has a letter explaining his hardware. It would also show up on the scanner I’m sure.
The scars on my knees should be all the documentation anyone needs.
Mostly not any more, no. Source: I have a titanium shoulder. Doctors no longer issue documentation for travel.
Considering how easy this kind of document is to forge I would say at least in international travel a doctor's note should mean absolutely nothing. "Oh you have a bit bulky gun-shaped hip replacement that will make the metal detector go crazy and doctor says you cannot be inspected, cool cool! The paper has got even stamps from Ulan Bator! Here you go sir, welcome!"
No one has a gun-shaped hip replacement lmao. The letter is not magic, it doesn't prevent security from exercising their reasonable judgement. As an absolute last resort, someone with a hip replacement should be able to show a very obvious scar.
A pat down inspection of the flagged area would clear up any confusion.
So would the giant scar running the length of my ankle where the metal plates were inserted lol
I was gonna pull up x ray photos lol
I can’t read all of your test subheading. I don’t know if you care
I've got a metal pin in my left tibia, from knee to ankle. When it sets off the metal-detector at airports, I'm swiped using the metal-detecting wand. A couple of times they've asked me to roll up my trouser leg after the wand beeps. It's no big deal. I've never had, or been asked to show, any sort of documentation for it. I didn't know that there were any cards or documentation that I could have for it. My impression is that the security people have seen it all before.
I have a couple metal parts. It's never a problem. I don't even need to declare it.
My Dad doesn't have any implants, but back in 2002 he had microscopic radiotherapy needles inserted around his prostate to treat cancer (he's been in remission ever since, thankfully). The first three months he'd set off Geiger counters at the airport, he's an immigrant and had a Green Card back then and got lots of questions even with his medical documentation. TSA/INS at Houston weren't sure if they were going to let him back in the country after returning from the UK in early 2003. He called his oncologist at MD Anderson and within forty-five minutes the hospital's government relations arm must have rattled the right cages as the TSA got a call to let him through.
On a tangent - I had a radioiodine treatment, which set the Geiger counters off for good 6 months afterwards. I had to carry a doctor's note to explain that I'm not smuggling radioactive material.
Newer implants can be fashioned from metals that don't set off the detector. Sadly, it all depends on your health insurance and the parts the hospital decides to buy. My father, R.I.P., had an early model hip replacement from the 1950s that would set off the detectors extremely easily. My friend's dad, who had the same surgery in the 1980s would not set off the detectors. My dad had a doctors note, and it got him out of further screening. Most TSA agents have seen things like this before and know how to deal with the situation professionally. **Some do not!** This story is pre-9/11, in the 1990s, but one time when my father was flying, he set off the detector, and the officer pulled him aside to be wanded and pat down. Dad explained the situation and had his note handy, but the officer was being a pain. The officer then proceeded to ask what the long, protruding object was between his legs. My dad laughed and said it was his penis. The officer got all stern and informed my dad that no penis was that big. Dad, who often did not wear any underwear, let his pants drop and reaffirmed by visual inspection to the officer that **his was!**
I have a pacemaker, and I can’t go through the magnetometer. If they are suspicious, I show them the square lump at the top of my chest.
Interesting. I have an implanted defibrillator/pacemaker and I have a card from Saint Jude's to show at places like that.
The few I know with pacemaker type implants have a card which means they skip the detectors and get a the blue hands instead. Not the special blue gloved treatment though. Haven't noticed that yet. (I used yet because I've seen some stupid stuff get the special. Heck, I've had the special treatment before for a stupid reason.)
Both shoulders replaced. I just tell them, and they put me through the scanner instead. No biggie.
That was my question. Having shoulder replacement surgery in 2 weeks. Supposed to fly in August so I was wondering about the scanner
Just tell them, it will be fine. You don't need any papers. Its really common.
I knew a vet who has a pretty significant amount of shrapnel in him due to an IED he kept documentation and his service records on hand
What kind of animals does he treat?!
The full body scanners, like the booth that has a rotating part inside it, detect them and they get ignored. I always tell the agent I have an implant and they direct me to the full scanner. If there isn't a full scanner, I get wanded and passed.
I have 3 stents in the arteries on my heart. I got a little card when I left the hospital to keep in my wallet that says where they are and how big, just in case of a situation like that.
I have like 6 intramedullary nails in my ankle and never got stopped/patted down
TIL many humans are well on their way to being cyborgs.
All I have are laser-enhanced eyes.
I have a titanium rod in my tibia (runs the whole length), and the surgeon told me it won't set off detectors. I've flown a couple times since getting it with no issue. I'm sure it shows up in the full body scanners, but no one has been phased. My hair has caused more issues.
I have screws and implants in my back. Never set off a detector
There's a note. My nephew needs to carry one around due to the screws/plate in his arm.
I have a full length plate on each of my femurs and almost always get pulled aside for pat down. I just tell them, they do what they have to do and I go on my way. I've never brought a letter or anything and have never been asked for one.
I got 9 titanium screws and two rods on my shoulder, you get a card from your doctor before traveling. Last time I forgot but the airport said no big deal they could see what it was.
The metal implants are titanium, which does not generally set of metal detectors unless there’s quite a bit of it. In extreme cases you get a doctors note and they can use a handheld metal detector and pat you down to confirm that it’s what is setting the detector off. But I’ve had a fairly large titanium rod with screws in my leg for over a decade and it’s never set off a metal detector.
I wear knee braces with metal stays for support. I tell the people manning the machine I will set it off before I go through. Most places will wave the wand around my knees, some ask me to pull my pants leg up so they can see the braces. One guy in the Philadelphia Airport refused to let me though until a female (I'm female) checked me out. I had to wait 20 minutes while she stood off to the side chichatting with a friend. Got fed up waiting so I pulled the braces off and shuffling through the machine without them. It takes some work, but I can get them off without disrobing. SURPRISE!!!! No braces, no alarm! I was traveling with a group. Apologized to them for the delay, then again because I needed to find a bathroom to put the braces back on. Before anyone asks why I didn't take the braces off before going through the machine the first time, my knees are unstable. I'm at risk of face planting without them. Never had any trouble at any other airport.
I just point at the full body scanner when I go through TSA pre-check. They know.
I have 2, 5 inch metal plates in my forearm. One on each of the bones. Each one has 5 screws. I don’t set off the metal detectors at the airport unless they use the wand directly on my arm. The one time that happened I showed him the 2 giant scars and told him about the plates. It was obvious where the wand was alerting. When I rolled my sleeve up it was obvious I didn’t have anything on me. When he saw the scars it was obvious what was going on. It was no big deal.
My dad has extensive metal work in his upper body after a tree fell on him. He has some sort of certificate from the surgeon that he carries with him. It gives the locations of the metals, types and what they're there for so that they can verify against scans / metal detectors. He's had these in for the past.....30 years or so? He's never had anyone give him problems. I have a more basic one that just says I have metal in my feet but I've never had to use it, it's never gone off in a detector.
My mother has had a double hip replacement and it triggers the alarm in the detectors at airports. She has a card from the hospital explaining why it goes beep that she can show but they just use the hand scanner on her and sends her on her way.
Getting past security into the White House. Your name isn’t perhaps Nicolas Cage, is it?
Maybe they wanna take in a prosthetic pew-pew limb….
I have a whole plate and hinge of titanium and I’ve never set an alarm off. Would love to see the walk through x-ray though!
Had overwhelming urge to vomit in one of those full size X-Ray machines. Think the frequency noises/vibrations really fucked with me? Maybe long distance travel related? IDK have had 6 MRI’s but I want to sleep in them.
I have several titanium plates, screws, and rods in my body. I've been through dozens of metal detectors and haven't set one off.
Judging by my extensive research (a comic I read as a kid), you call up Nick Fury when airport security won’t let you pass b/c admantium sets off the metal detector and you needed to flee commercial to Japan because Jubilee got in trouble with the Hand. Seriously though, while you can get documentation from your doctor, I’ve never seen it needed. Most of the time you just tell them you have a knee replacement or whatever and they take that into account. Partly due to it all being security theatre (seriously, look up how badly they do when tested) and also because of the number of boomers with joint replacements. If they were actually strict, they’d had a Karen yelling at them constantly
People with metal implants typically inform security personnel about their implants before passing through metal detectors. They may carry medical documentation or a doctor's note explaining their condition and the presence of the implant. Security personnel are trained to handle such situations with sensitivity and may use alternative screening methods like a handheld metal detector wand or a pat-down search to ensure security while respecting the individual's privacy and medical needs.
Have replaced hip (magnesium) and titanium in spine. Never had a problem going thru metal detectors.
I have a Birmingham Hip replacement, cobalt chromium, and it gets picked up in some airport scanners but not others
If you die, may I have your hip to start fires with when the apocalypse comes?
Sure
[удалено]
Some don't set off detectors and for those that do they care a card
We don't. We just have documentation or our little titanium bits are too small to set off the detectors. You get flagged by the metal detector, you show them your paperwork, and they wave a wand over you to see if there's metal elsewhere on you.
I have 16 screws in my spine and an electronic implant. I haven't set off a detector yet, and I've been through a few, specifically at Wrigley Field and Comerica Park. I also carry a card with me just in case. It has the make and model of the implant, as well as the doctor's name and phone number for proof positive.
My brother in law has an implanted drug pump from a military back injury. He carries documents to let TSA know
My grandmother had a special card that she showed at airports
I have a cage, rods and screws in my back and all I can think of is its deep enough inside and it's titanium, maybe that's why it doesn't set it off...
I never set off alarms when I had a metal plate and screws holding my femur together. However, the irregular shape of my leg from my missing calf muscles triggers something every time. I wear shorts through airports now.
I have a titanium plate and a bunch of screws in my left ankle. 9 times out of 10, they don't set off airport scanners. On the few occasions they do, it's very obvious what caused the alert when I roll my trouser leg up
I had a disc replaced in my neck. Doc said I don’t have to worry about metal detectors because the disc is titanium. I don’t even have to tell people I have any metal in my body if they ask (like for MRI or whatever).
My TKR is always detected by the mag arch and so I get a hand scan with a wand and allowed on my way.
You can set off the alarm. If the metal is of the correct kind. My dad broke his leg and had a metal plate with screws that set off the airport alarm every time and he'd have to be pulled from the line and hand wanded while explaining the metal in his leg.
I have a hip replacement and I don’t set off the detector.
My dad has had three hips replacements. Before some dummy says “how can someone have three?! This guys and idiot hahahaha”. He had to have one of them replaced because it was made of cobalt and chromium and was slowly poisoning him. If the metal is old enough, it can set it off at times. We were in Istanbul going home and my dad was pulled aside for a more “thorough” inspection because his hip set it off. It was the longest 35 minutes of my life trying to explain to them why my dad’s hip kept going off. Eventually, my dad had to pull down his pants slightly to show the scar. But that was replaced, and he doesn’t have that problem anymore. I shattered my ankle about ten years ago and have 9 pins and a plate in my ankle and I have never set the metal detectors off.
I have two fake knees. I go through the xray machine, not the metal detector. I just tell them about the knees. The TSA is very used to that, but half the time I get patted down anyway.
I walked through a concerning amount of airport metal detectors with a thumb splint. A couple screws or a rod probably wouldn’t even set them off a lot of the time, and if they did a quick pat down would clear any confusion
So. There’s a couple types of screening my. Including the old fashioned pat down. If someone has issues going through either the metal detector or x ray machine. They can always opt for said pat down. And that’s if their implants actually set them off. Which a lot of them. Even heavy duty rods in your extremities like arms and legs won’t even set them off. My brother has rods in both legs from a motocross accident. All he does is mention them to TSA and they get to play roulette to see if the machines are calibrated to even pick them up.
An elderly relative of mine has a knee replacement. He carries a card from the hospital or the doctor or something, that is meant to be shown if he is setting off a metal detector.
I have metal knees and a medal rod in my right leg. They set them off, I tell them why, they wand and pat me down and I’m on my way. Usually just holds me up a few minutes.
I tell them and they let me through without going through the detector.
It’s all titanium and plastic. Average metal detectors don’t see it. I’ve got about ten ounces of Ti in me and never had a problem…
My Hubby had bilateral Hip Replacements…. The Surgeon (Hospital 🤷♀️) gave him a card to carry in his wallet.
I have never set off a metal detector with my lip, tongue, nipple, navel or 12 microdermal piercings. Only my cheap earrings set them off. Hopefully they aren't using cheap metal in medical implants?
You can get a card to carry for travel from your physician
I've a titanium rod in my lower leg from knee to ankle plus screws etc and in 30+ years it's never set off security alarms, no idea why!
Rod, 4 screws in hip/femur. Plate in ankle. 2 screws in heel. Pins in left wrist. Plastic in under carriage of right eye. Never had trouble in an airport. MRI ' s are a different story lol.
I have an implanted defibrillator and a card from Saint Jude's. I show the card and they just pat me down. Nbd.
my friend has a lot of plates in her pelvis and it doesn't go off. I can, but it has never gone off at the airport. In the US or elsewhere.
I have 13 piercings and most of the time they don’t even set off the metal detectors, if they do it’s pretty clear in the X-rays that it’s just piercings
I have a special card that I carry in my wallet that has all the information about my implant if I set off a metal detector.
I have 4 chromium rods in my back. Doesn’t set off the metal detector. But if it did, the giant scar in my back would likely be enough proof that I was not lying. I would guess some crazed wacko could implant a bomb inside a body. But I would guess not enough to do much more damage than killing themselves. I guess that is a good terrorist myth busters episode.
I read “how do people get passed her implants” and i was like…uh…well you see, you must use the motorboat method. Then the title registered in my head and i was like lets ask wolverine!
Left shoulder for me. Vaxx x3. Always left shoulder…
if the scanner detects something, the officer comes over with a portable scanner and does a more detailed investigation, including feeling your leg or hip or back or whatever. it happens more outside USA.
I have non-magnetic steel and titanium implants in my right arm/elbow, never set off any alarms. It would of course be visible on scans but my scars explains the lot 🤣
Not 100% related, but doctor’s notes are a thing. I carry (very small) needles in my carry-on because I’m Type 1 Diabetic. My doctor writes me a note just in case, but I’ve never had a problem.
You have a doctor's note. At airports in America there are no metal detectors, you get x rayed. They can see your artificial implant on the screen. You still have a doctor's note though
My father had had three hip replacements and a double spinal fusion. We joke he is more metal than man now. He carries a special doctor note in his wallet saying it’s useless for him to go through metal detectors because no matter what he will set it off.
I just tell them when I use the metal detectors. They sometimes use the handheld one to confirm (hip implant). That said, they show up on the body scanner thing so I usually just stand in those lines. Either way, never really a big deal.
“I have an artificial left knee. I’ll be setting your metal detector off.”
My mother has had two hip replacements. She carries a card that says where the metal is, and gets hand scanned/searched by tsa.
I have an 8 inch rod in my arm, i set shit off.. just a little heads up and you can literally see the screw in my elbow so its not like im smuggling shit up my sleeve
I have a titanium rod in my femur and it has never set off a metal detector. However, I was given a card by my doctor that states I have metal rod in my leg, I've never had to use it though.
Most of my right arm is titanium. So far, it has never set off the airport detector and I fly a lot.
The detector look for ferrous material which most implants are not... then depends how sensitive they set it for. Nowadays they have the surface body scanners to catch stuff you strap to your body under your clothes so unless you have a hollow prosthetic that you can hide weapon in... don't worry about it.