Titianium implant in back...anything special we need to know?

[chager]

My brother has some sort of cage in his back from back surgery a few years ago. Is there anything he will need for airport security?
Also he has it in his head that he will be able to ride any ride. We know this is not probable, but his meds sometimes mess up his ability to reason. He has his heart set on Space Mountain. I don't remember being tossed around on it but it has been a couple years. Any advice about what he should definately aviod?
We will do our best to direct him to rides that will work for him. For instance I know Rock-N-Roller and Dinosaur are absolutely out. I can't remember what else I should redirect him from.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Can't help you with Space Mountain (I don't ride), but he should tell the TSA people before he goes through the scanner - or whichever member of your party passes through directly ahead of him should let them know, if you think he'll "forget". It may or may not make any difference. I have titanium screws and a metal plate in my leg, and it set off the alarm in Orlando but never in Boston; and in Las Vegas, when I told them about it they pulled me aside and had me hand-inspected instead, since something would have set it off.

 

[Mary976]

Does he have a doctor he can check in with about rides? What some people here consider rough, others might not. As far as Space Mtn, my DD says it's jerky. She feels it's a "rougher" ride than Expedition Everest (which is a much newer coaster in AK), although she thinks EE is the bigger thrill, overall.

Good luck!
Mary

 

[Mskanga]

The titanium will go off at the airport , I know because my daughter has a titanium rod in her femur and it did go off. We had a doctors note stating she had an implant but we did not need it , they could see her scar.
About the rides I would ask the doctor.

 

[pixierella]

I have a titanim hip implant plus the rod going into my leg. I haven't set off an alarm in 5 of the past 6 years since I had the surgery. But he should be able to get a card from his dr's office stating that he has the hardware.

As for the rides, I haven't had one that has really affected me. Space Mtn isn't that rough. I would be aware of Thunder Mtn though. It's very jerky and you do hit your back and your neck does get snapped around. There is also a warning on that ride something along the lines of people with neck and back injuries should rethink this ride

 

[dmccarty]

He needs to check with his doctor.

I think SM and Thunder Mountain are very jerky. Dinosaur is at least as bad if not worse. The Tilt Whirl or what ever it is called in Dino Land at AK is worse.

The badest thrill ride at WDW is the Tea Cups. My wifey REFUSES to get on that ride with me anymore. The kid, they love it!

My cousin and I used to get on the Tea Cups and spin as fast was we could go. So fast that we could not hold our heads ups. Getting off the ride took a bit of time and we had to sit down...

The Tea Cups ain't for sissies!

Later,
Dan

 

[Earstou]

I have a titanium plate in my neck. I've only flown once since the surgery, but nothing happened when I went thru security. I had asked my doctor about it, and he told me it wouldn't set off the alarms. I also asked about the rides, and was told not to ride roller coasters or other rough rides.
Asking the doctor that did the surgery is the very best advice to get about what rides to avoid.

 

[chager]

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately the dr that did his surgery isn't involved anymore. (I want to say he skipped town due to malpractice suits, but I may be wrong.) It has been an overall horrible experiance since the surgery. Nothing was handled right! I will tell him to pick up a note from his current Dr.
Thanks again for all the suggestions!!

 

[SueM in MN]

There are certain attractions that Disney has put warnings on. The actual warning message says:
For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back and/or neck problems, motion sickness or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure.

You can look at the park maps for the attractions with warnings - they are marked with a red triangle on the map and also on a sign at the entrance to the queue.
For Epcot here are the attractions with warnings:

• Mission Space; there is a warning for both the more tame (green side) and the more wild (orange side)
• Test Track

For Magic Kingdom:

• Splash Mountain
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
• Space Mountain
• Goofy's Barnstormer (this doesn't have a triangle warning sign on the map, but does say that pregnant women should not ride, so it's not totally tame)

For Disney Studio

• Star Tours
• Rock N Roller Coaster
• Tower of Terror

For Animal Kingdom:

• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Kali River Rapids
• Expedition Everest
• Primeval Whirl
• Dinosaur

He should talk with his doctor with this list in mind and knowing which attractions have this warning. At least it will give the doctor a starting point.

 

[dis75ney]

My dad shattered his elbow several years ago and has an assortment of pins, screws, and rods going up and down the length of his arm. He travels frequently and got a card from his orthopaedic doc stating that he has a whole bunch of metal in his arm. He's only set off the alarm once while going through security, and since he was wearing a long sleeve shirt (the one time he wears a long sleeve shirt ) and couldn't get the sleeve up far enough to show the scar, he whipped out the card and was wanded instead...

 

[blondietink]

My DS has two titanium rods in his back plus 6 screws. He has never set off the alarms in security. If he ever does, I will just have him lift up his shirt and show them his very long scar.