INFdaily.comIf Lindsay Lohan had surgery, wouldn't that make her SCRAM bracelet go bananas? Or does it screen out prescription painkillers?
—T.G., Chicago, via the Answer B!tch inbox
Yep, Lohan had surgery yesterday, all right. And yes, those SCRAM bracelets are pretty sensitive.
Within a few years, they'll be writing sonnets and bringing us breakfast in bed. However, for those of you wondering whether the SCRAM can be tricked in the meantime—at least, when it comes to stuff like Vicodin—here's what you need to know:
Lohan had her wisdom teeth removed this week. And anyone who's had that done knows that serious painkillers can be in order afterwards, possibly for days or even weeks. However, Lohan's newly fitted SCRAM bracelet doesn't care about drugs. That's according to a SCRAM spokeswoman.
"We're just about testing for alcohol," the spokeswoman explained to me.
Now, if Lohan is also submitting to random drug testing—and she is—that's where the painkillers might be a problem. However, I am told, it's pretty routine for people in Lilo's situation to simply notify a probation officer or a court, and get pre-approval for an operation that requires drugs.
One other factor worth mentioning: If a SCRAM wearer is headed to a place with a lot of sterilizing alcohol lying about, such as a dentist's office or medical facility, the SCRAM may pick up those fumes. But, I am told, the SCRAM can tell the difference between somebody drinking a beer and someone getting prepped for a shot.
In the latter instance, the alcohol that the SCRAM senses "is going to burn off very quickly, more quickly than it would take for a human body to metabolize ingested alcohol," the SCRAM spokeswoman tells me. So, yes, the SCRAM will sense and report the presence of alcohol, but it will also figure that it wasn't ingested.
So it isn't likely to get someone like Lohan in any trouble. However, that post-surgery hoodie thing that Lohan is wearing around? That's another story...