A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the U.S.

I recently had to have some labs drawn to check my thyroid levels (as I was diagnosed with Grave’s disease a little over 2 years ago) and I got to thinking about a funny thing that happened to me so I thought I would share it with you. Let me start with a little background information: Due to the Grave’s disease, I had to stop my thyroid function. I did this by taking radioactive iodine to destroy the gland. I was emitting radiation levels high enough that I had to stay away from people as much as possible for one week. I even had to carry a card with me for a little while stating why I was radioactive! Ok, moving on...

In 2010, my boyfriend, Blake and I made a quick trip into Juarez, Mexico. Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘Why would you go in to Juarez?!’ Well, we were staying in El Paso for a few days and the border was right there; we couldn’t resist. Going into Mexico was easy: the border patrol officers stood at their posts and just waved their hands, signaling to keep the line moving. Getting back into the United States was not so easy.

As one would have expected, each car had to stop at the security post and show identification. When it was our turn, I handed the officer our IDs and waited while he stepped inside the booth for a moment. When he emerged, the officer asked, “Has one of you had a procedure done recently?”. Blake and I glanced at each other and then I realized what was happening. “Yes, I have,” I answered. The officer handed me the IDs back and directed us to pull off to the side. We were directed to a line of cars that were passing through a radiation detector. The officer running the post kept signaling for Blake and I to back up because I was setting off the detectors from several cars back. We eventually made it through but then another officer asked us to pull over and get out of the car. We did as we were told and the officers made us sit on a scalding hot metal bench; they told Blake he needed to move as far away from me as possible. Two officers came up to me and started interrogating me about what kind of procedure I had done, when it was and if I had the paperwork proving it. (Remember that card I told you about? It had an expiration date and this trip took place after that date so I had tossed out the card)! After being grilled about my procedure, the officers started questioning both of us about what we were doing in Juarez. Once we convinced them that we were on an innocent exploration of the city, they went into the office and came back with a Geiger counter. They held it to my throat numerous times and discussed amongst themselves if they believed my story.

Finally, we were given a scolding about coming to a dangerous city like Juarez and released. As we crossed the border back into the United States,  we let out a sigh of relief and vowed never to return to Juarez again!