Traveling with a ileostomy.

I only travel by ship and rail so no issues with TSA. BUT I do think what you did was right. Just pull her aside, show it to her and say that your intestine is what is under the bag and that poop goes into the bag and that you cannot take it off. There is also a web site with a printed travel card that explains what this is all about in 6 different languages. I think it is the UOAA?

Your doc may also be able to write you a note to show the TSA and don't forget, carry all your supplies with you in your carry on. Good luck, Rosemary

When I went through the full body scanners at the airport I got lucky and TSA didn't say a word. They asked me to remove my ID from my pocket though. I am surprised they didn't say anything about my ostomy or the belt going all around me.

I used the TSA blue card a few times, and no one knew what it was. The scanner found my pouch every time, but maybe it was because I told in advance; next time I'm going to try not doing that.

I had various things happen. Once I just had to touch the bag and then they checked for explosives. Other times they took me in a little room w/two female security guards and one patted me down at some level, and then they checked for explosives. Everyone I dealt with was very polite and professional, and I don't think it was very much fun for them either. I talked a lot (do that when I'm nervous) and one time it turned out that the guard's close friend had just been diagnosed w/Crohn's, so we did IBD 101, and I ended up feeling pretty good about the whole thing.

If you do have to talk to someone, use the phrase "colostomy bag." They've never heard of an ostomy or an ileostomy, but people have heard of that.

I asked one set of guards, and they said they did about ten pat downs a day. I asked what they found, and they said the most common thing was large wads of cash -- you're not allowed, apparently, to travel w/a lot of money w/out declaring it. Who knew?

Hmmm, anyone want to trade an ostomy bag for too much money?

Of course, probably varies depending on the airport.

Why don't you try it and report back?

I haven't had problems so far, I try to avoid the body scanners and just do the metal detectors, the one time I got the scan, I handed them the card, they didn't know what it was, but then read it, sent me to a lady, and I put my hand on it. I'm sitting on my cruise ship waiting to be called to go to the airport so I will let you know how today goes!

I haven't flown yet, so I have no experience about security, but I'm sorry that anyone would have an unpleasant experience for having an ostomy bag. Somehow the focus on the most private aspect of your life happening in an airport - the most public context in the world, is not something any of us should have to go through, considering all we've already been through.

(OK, I have experienced this much stupidtiy in an airport: flying to Israel, the El Al agents accused me of "posing" as a Jewish woman: "Why is the name Ruth in your passport?" "Because my parents named me that." ..... when in "reality" I am the girlfriend of a Palestinian terrorist who is just using me to smuggle a bomb .... etc. It all started when I naively told them, yes, a friend had given me a small package of choclates for the trip ... Their suspicions didn't really pan out, duh, and I got to board.)

What would be very bad for us, though, seriously, is if bags became known for use in smuggleing drugs or money, by people who didn't have stomas, or even people who do have stomas, and then the rest of us would have a very, very, very unpleasant time to look forward to any time we need to fly. I guess I better not carry out my experiment with the cash. I'd have to get the cash first, anyway.

Summerstorm, were you hiding tons of cash in the bag?

Not cash, I was bringing diamonds!!! I thought they would clean off easier :)

Well, you would have to be careful when you actually had to empty..... or the goods could go down the toilet!

Sadly, I read somwhere about terrorists getting or going to start getting bombs surgically implanted so they are hard to detect. Once that is done I dont even wanna know what TSA is going to do.

OK, ok, in reality I'm too much of a chicken to try it.