Metal detector experience

So I said I would share my experience of going through the airport security avoiding the metal detectors, as I've been recommended to do.

I have to say the experience at Bristol airport was so easy and I did not feel like I was being annoying at all. I explained to the nearest member of staff and showed my card (which, to be honest, they didn't really care about seeing). They let me past the metal detector, through a gap and a female member of security patted me down. I was then asked to stand on a circle and raise my arms, turning slowly in a circle. I can only guess that this was a different type of scanner but it wasn't really explained, just that I was fine to go in it. The female security then chunked a couple of areas (bra and belt area) and that was that! It took slightly longer than my boyfriend going through normally but overall not too bad!!

It was a lot trickier abroad ....especially as it was Egypt, which is a military airport!! We asked spoken to out Thomson rep on the return transfer and he says he would speak to security for me. 

We joined the queue and before we got to the end he had spoken to the security at the scanner. They made a gap between the luggage X-ray and the metal detector (by lifting and moving the conveyor belt across slightly) so I could just squeeze through the gap. The other side a female member of staff patted me down and that was it! This was very easy and not too much fuss!! 

The problem was that this airport had another security area with more metal detectors after check in. We were on our own here without the rep and been unaware that there was another security area. So, we tried to explain to security on our side of the scanners but the man says he didn't understand!! We were now panicking!! There were no gaps between scanners and no one else our side to talk to. I sent my boyfriend through first to try and explain to someone on the other side. Luckily this worked!!! They understood and allowed me through a scanner that was turned off down the end. No one escorted us there, so we just moved something to make a gap, which again I squeezed through. As I walked back up to the other scanners, a member of female security patted me down and that was that!

Overall, I think it will be pot luck when abroad if someone understands your issue or not. It would be so much easier if the card was a standard one for any implant device so it was internationally recognisable. 

The worst experience of all though was at the hotel!! 

You know what it is like when you arrive, tired and grumpy, after a long flight. You get ushered into the entrance of the hotel to check in and to your rooms as soon as is humanly possible! So the front door is opened and a fair few holiday makers enter before us. We follow, but without any warning, or sign, or anything, we find ourselves immediately walking through a metal detector with a security man sat with his desk right up to the edge of it. As soon as I walked through I realised and I felt a massive thump to my stomach area, where the battery is. I now can't work out if that was reality or panic and anxiety about going through the scanner but all the same, it was expected and totally invisible, especially with loads of people walking in ahead of you.

I tried to explain to reception staff at this point but they didn't understand. I used the word 'dangerous' but they took this the wrong way and got stressed about it. Instead I went to our room and immediately checked the implant was working properly, which luckily it was.

I decided the only thing I could now do was to inform the Thomson rep so that other people don't have the same issue in the future. 

I hate going to rep meetings on holiday, but I suffered all their spiel and waited until afterward to speak to them. I spoke to the English rep, as I presumed she would have more chance of understanding about my implant. She didn't!! I told her the issue and she just looked at me blankly. So, i reiterated the problem and what this can mean to someone like me and she stared at me then casually said she would suggest the hotel put up a sign. No apology. No understanding. No humanity at all!!! I basically left that meeting knowing that things are always going to be difficult for me to get people to understand and see things from my point of view. 

Funny enough, no surprise, on leaving the hotel at the end of the holiday, there was no sign, no warning, no change. The security man was still sat with his desk more or less touching the edge of the metal detector. I tried to explain I couldn't go through it, so that I cook take my luggage outside, but he basically laughed at me. He had no idea what I was talking about. So I had to squeeze past him, whilst he laughed, which made me feel so uncomfortable! 

I think this is probably a bad experience compared to other places or holidays on the future but it has shown me how vigilent I need to be and how difficult it may always be to explain, especially whilst abroad. 

 

Since my return I have read loads of advise from other people with similar implants, saying that they have been told they can go through metal detectors, but I think I'll stick with avoiding them. Not only am I sure I felt a jolt, but apparently the implant may turn off (which I guess for this type of implant isn't a massive issue) but also I have heard that it could wipe all the programmes off the device, which would leave you essentially 'without' a device until you could get reprogrammed.  

Life is never going to be easy!!! 

Consultant gives me a call

As I did have my consultant's secretary's number, I did leave a message yesterday and this morning I got a phone call from my consultant himself! 

I explained what had happened abd said that the battery area was tender yet the implant all still works properly, and he said he wasn't too worried about it and that it would be fine for him to check things over on our follow up appointment on 4th March. I asked if I shouldn't have been stretching at the gym, and he said I should be able to do that and not to worry about doing those things in the future. 

He asked how the implant was working and I said that for everyday it works really well and that I don't feel the pain but when it is really bad pain I haven't found a program to help as this doesn't happen often enough to try lots of programs. 

He suggested that he will contact the rep to reprogram on the date I have the follow up appointment. 

So overall, my worries are relieved and again he is very easy going about what I can do, which is perhaps why I didn't really get any advise at the hospital.  

Oh no!!! The lead has pulled off my ribs!!

Uh oh!!

I think the lead has pulled off my ribs area as now you can see a bump when I move in certain ways and can feel the wire and even move it!

The only thing I can think is that I recently returned to the gym to begin a rehabilitation back to exercise again. I was just using the stepper and walking on an incline but my personal trainer got me doing some work on the step and with 2kg weights (which is nothing compared to the 5kg I was using before the operation). 

I didn't notice that day or even for 2 days later, but I was in a lot of muscle pain around the back of the ribs, which was just from the exercise itself.

Not sure what to do about it! Surely it will secure itself back down again with new scarring?? 

I have got an unrelated doctors appointment on Tuesday so maybe I will ask about it then. 

UPDATE: Tuesday 17th February 2015

Well that was a waste of time!!!!

I explained the problem and she asked to see. I lifted up my top and showed her, I even put my finger where to wires sticking out were but she said she didn't know what she away supposed to be feeling as she doesn't know what the wires feel like. I asked her to touch gently, but press down, as then you squash the wires and won't feel them, but she didn't do that. 

She then quizzed me about what I'd had done but didn't really ask why or how it was, or even check my scars at all! 

She then palmed it off on me calling my consultant's secretary and printed off letters which I have a copy of, with out of date phone numbers due to the hospital changing sites last year. 

So I am none the wiser about what is recommended or advise for the future. Great!!!!! 

Chest scar

As you can see, one half of my scar is flat and really neat but the other half is raised and overgrown from the original incision size. I discussed this with my GP over the phone and he wants me to see a nurse tomorrow about it. 

I will update once I have been to the appointment.

Update: 13th February 2015

It was an interesting visit to see the nurse the other day. She was so bemused by the scar that she got another nurse in to look at it too. They couldn't work out why half is completely perfect and the other half raised, especially as it is completely healed at this stage. 

She agreed that it is keloid like (but can't diagnose as a nurse) and really understood just how sensitive it is! 

After a bit of googling to find out its name, she prescribed my Haelan tape. It is a thin tale, much like sellotape, but is impregnated with a steroid. She felt this might not only protect from clothes running it but also press the scar down whilst hoping to improve it with the steroid.

I've now tried it for 4 days, just during the day, and it does seem to lighten my skin temporarily which of course make its all look better. By morning the colour has returned to normal but I think the scar is slightly flatter than it was. 

I have had some redness from wearing the tape but it isn't a rash so I am continuing to use it daily.

We shall just see what happens now.

Reprogramming my implant

Just felt like it's time to give an update on how things are as well as to share how the reprogramming of my implant went.

In terms of the actually surgery, I am getting there now, I believe. I am gradually building up stamina and getting strength back but I am more or less able to do what I usually would do, just with a slight stiffness and uncomfortable feeling in my neck when I look sharp right, and if I bring my new to my chest or bend over far, then I can feel the battery pack pressing into me. 

The thing I am most worried about is the dizziness I am getting. I am sure it is more often and more severe than before the operation, as I get it every time I bend over or get up quickly.

I have begun training back at the gym, but my personal trainer guy won't let me do anything that means bending over or putting my head down (which seems spot on) so I've only really used the stepper, treadmill and weight machines. Not what is like to be doing ideally, but it's better than sitting about doing nothing and it meant I have begun to care about my diet again too!

Although I had been chasing the pain clinic to arrange an appointment to meet Mike from St Jude's Medical again, after Christmas and new year were over it was relatively easy. I saw him last week and after I described how the programs were pinchy and I could only used one, he had a look and agreed that they would feel like that as they were fairly strong. So at least I feel like I do know how things should feel, without feeling like I know anything at all about how this all works. 

Mike said that probably my lead is very close to my nerve, which makes me very sensitive to the stimulation, so therefore I can only cope with low frequencies. Most people have 4mhtz but I am working between 1.2 and 1.4!!!!

He set up 5 more programs that seem to work further up my neck and towards my ear and therefore aren't causing the muscle to spasm which is what the pressure feeling was. 

He did say to leave my stim off for a little bit as I was very zapped for an hour during the reprogramming. I actually suffered a headache for a day or two after the appointment, so that's something I'll have to remember from now on! 

I tried out the new programs two days later but none of them particularly felt normal enough yet to leave on for any length of time. I then found it extremely difficult to get back in the routine of turning my stim on in the morning, as I felt like it would take a while to get the setting right, so I put it off for a week. I feel bad that I left it so long, so as I haven't had much benefit from it yet, I just don't feel reliant on it. I guess these things take time and I am going to take time to figure all the out!! 

My next venture of going on holiday!!! It will be my chance to see what happens at airport security and how I cope with the implant whist away from home. I'm not particularly worried, as feel I need this time away to relax and chill in the sun to aid my recovery and well being.

It will also make sure I get over showing my scars freely to people I don't know! To be honest, I'm not as worried about that as I thought I would be. 

I'll update when I get back!

Rosehip oil trial

Whilst randomly reading information about scarring, I read that rose hip oil is a great treatment for scar tissue. 

I first tried Palmers skin oil with rosehip extract but found it a bit oily to use, as it went all over my bra and when my hair went over my chest it ended up oily, as well as the neck scar just coating my hair in oil.

So, being as my mum is a complimentary therapist, I used her about it. She says that they use it at her work a lot and she has heard good things about it being used for scars and skin. So she got me a sample and I have been using it for about a week and a half, twice daily.

I have to say that as it is a dry oil, it doesn't make my hair or clothing oily, which is great!! It feels nice to be treating the scars with something and it is very gentle to use on them.

 I feel that the scars have lightened in colour and don't look so purpley/red along the incision, as before using the rose hip oil. 

My head scar is barely noticeable and now doesn't have the lump where the staples were holding it together so much. Although it means that the loop made with the lead protrudes more and is still very itchy. This is mostly under the hair line so can't be seen in this photo.

My chest scar still has the lumpy thick part to it and I am really hoping to see a change in that at some point. 

I am definitely going to continue using the oil, if little else, to moisturise and lightly massage the scar tissue regularly but hopefully to see more rapid improvement.

Recovery is in sight

It's been a couple of weeks since my last update and I can now see that the odd feelings, pain, uncomfortableness will eventually disappear and I should not notice the incisions, battery and wires in my body at some point.

Things are much more comfortable now generally, although my stomach is still tender and wearing tights or jeans done up all day is too much. At night I often undo them or take tights off.

My neck is still a bit tight and turning fully to the right is pretty stiff. I don't force it too much as I don't want to cause any damage.

My chest incision out often pretty itchy and the muscle there still aches a bit, particularly when I stretch across my body to the left.

Overall thought I am now managing to do little bits of normal things. Although if I go too much, I do feel that my leads inflame the area surrounding it, particularly in my neck and chest and my stomach becomes more tender.

I did go to the gym just for 25 mins the other day. I only did low level exercise, just to get slowly back into doing something. I worked on a low impact program on the stepper and walked an incline on the treadmill. To be honest, that was pretty difficult and I had to rest half way through, after only 5 minutes!

My implant though still seems to be doing very little. My head pain has been getting worse and lasting for days at a time and the programs I can cope with don't appear to help. The other programs are still too pinchy for me to cope with for any length of time. 

I have been battling to try and get hold of someone at the pain clinic to get an appointment to see Mike, my rep, and finally today was told I can meet him next Tuesday. Hopefully we can set up a wider selection of frequencies so that I have a bit more choice! 

We shall see, I guess!