Alarms

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clwhit

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It's happened to me twice now so I know it's not a coincidence. Upon leaving a store, one a clothing store and the other an electronics store, I've set off the alarm. At first, we thought it was just an item that the cashier forgot to deactivate. When everything checked out and the alarm went off again, my daughter remarked, "Mom, I bet it's your new hip!" Bingo! Sure enough, the next time I went into a store the alarm went off as I was leaving.

I knew about setting off the alarms in airports but was baffled when this happened in regular stores. Has this happened to anyone else?

~Carol
 
Oh my! I'd never have thought of that! But did the store accept your explanation?
 
It's happened to me twice now so I know it's not a coincidence. Upon leaving a store, one a clothing store and the other an electronics store, I've set off the alarm. At first, we thought it was just an item that the cashier forgot to deactivate. When everything checked out and the alarm went off again, my daughter remarked, "Mom, I bet it's your new hip!" Bingo! Sure enough, the next time I went into a store the alarm went off as I was leaving.

I knew about setting off the alarms in airports but was baffled when this happened in regular stores. Has this happened to anyone else?

~Carol

Hmmm, It might have been a cell phone, or some type of magnet you maybe had in your possesion that set it off.

Pretty well impossible for a Metal hip to set off just a random Store detector, because they use Barcodes located in the strip, so it is not a Pure detector.

Still a very odd thing, but i can assure you it is not the hip :)
 
Haven't had that happen. I try to keep the card the doc gave me handy. Plastic coated credit card size diagram showing and explaining my THR. The card also has my name on it for verification.
 
Carol,

WOW! I went to Kroger 3 days ago, (and since it's still tough for me to walk around for long periods, being about 8 weeks post op LTHR), I used one of the complimentary 'electric scooters' they provide.

I walked in, and the metal buzzers went off. I didn't think twice, since I carry a small firearm in my cargo pocket of my shorts everywhere, (I'm a cop), but went on in without anyone else saying anything. Also, I thought nothing of it, since I was going "INSIDE" the store, and not leaving. I shopped around, then my electric cart died right as I was leaving, so I left it parked by the counters, and got up to walk out, before I went through the metal detectors, and just carry my few items to my car. As I walked back through, it went off AGAIN, and a sales person asked to see my bag. Everything checked out, (I only bought groceries; nothing with a theft tag like DVD's), and I went on to the car, then home. When I got home, I realized that I had left the gun in the glove box, and that wasn't what set it off both times, and got to thinking, "what in the World??" Now after reading your post, I realized, it was my titanium post!!! Weird!!!! I never even connected the 2 occurrances!!! I wonder what I need to carry the next time I fly? Is there a card I can get from my OS? That could be interesting...

~Dalton
 
Hey Dalton,

I recieved a card from my doc the day I got home from the hospital. It has docs name. my name, surgery date, type of surgery, little x-ray pics of different replacements.
The back side has some instructions and my doc's phone # name of the hospital.
I is laminated ane you just reminded me it should be in my wallet!!
I am sure they will get you one.
Judy
 
Being a curious kind of bear, I contact one or two of our sponsors and learned that they have had isolated reports of this over the years and that they seemed to be in cases where a cobalt chrome implant had been used rather than stainless steel or titanium. The reason for this, it is thought, is that the cobalt chrome is a much denser material that the others. Was all the info I could get thus far but I shall keep probing ....
 
Hey Dalton,
Not sure about the detectors in stores, I haven't set one off yet, but then again I've only been to Walmart.

I will tell you that just a few weeks after my surgery I flew to Washington, DC with my husband (he had to be an inpatient at NIH). I did get a card from my surgeon's office to carry in my wallet, and before I stepped through the detector I told the TSA that I had just had a total hip replacement. She asked me if I normally set off the dectector. I told her I didn't know as this was my first time. Well, it didn't. Not in Syracuse or in Washington DC. I have a ceramic ball only, and I beleive it's on titanium. The joint is also titanium I believe (couldn't do ceramic on ceramic). I also have 3 stainless steel facet 4" stainless steel screw in my back which have never set off alarms, unless I'm wanded.

I can tell you all something that will set off those alarms. If you have any testing done which involves radioactive material, like a PET scan, special thyroid scans etc., and you fly within a few days after, you will set off that alarm. My hubby did when we were coming back from DC. Luckily he kept his hospital bracelet on and we only had to tell them he was an inpatient for testing that involved radioactive materials. They were okay with that.

Have a great day! Debra
 
Yes, it's to do with the bulk of the prosthesis so screws won't matter unless there were a great many of them. And titanium doesn't worry alarms, apparently.
 
Carol, I've not had this happen and I've been through Wal-Mart, Walgreens and a local grocery store. I have titanium, so I guess it won't happen. I haven't tested the airport. That probably won't be until next May.
 
Well there is one thing I have learned about airports....I have flown four times since my LTHR in late February and it did not matter to them about any card or explanation....now granted, they were very nice but I was sent to the outcast section...lol...to be wanded each and everytime. So, after the third time, I just pointed to the hip, went through the radar detector and quietly moved to the Wand Of Paradise chamber....No big deal....
Just try not to be in any hurry though......Patty

And thanks for the warning at department stores. I doubt it will ever happen but if so, I shall be prepared...
 
Were you wearing new sneakers by any chance? I used to have a pair of running shows that set them off all the time. I was the weirdest thing. Why? I have no idea but it got to the point that I just ignored it. And so did most of the stores I frequented. ;)

donna
 
Thanks for the heads-up about non-airport metal detectors. I'll keep my I-had-a-hip-replacement-so-leave-me-alone-already card that I got from my OS in my wallet instead of a "safe" (i.e., I'll never see it again!) place.

Joycr
 
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