GENERAL
- You must bring your current health insurance card. Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment. Please notify reception if you are diabetic. To reschedule or cancel, please phone us 48 hours before your appointment.
MAMMOGRAM
- Do not use deodorant, antiperspirant or talcum powder on the day of the appointment. If you are experiencing premenstrual breast tenderness, you may delay booking until tenderness has subsided. Wear a two-piece outfit. At time of booking, advise where previous mammogram was done, if applicable, and allow one week for films to arrive before appointment date.
ULTRASOUND
Abdominal Ultrasound
- Eat only fat free foods the evening prior to your examination. Do not eat anything later than midnight the night before your examination. If your examination is booked for the afternoon, you may eat a slice of dry toast and drink clear liquids up until 8:00 a.m. You may continue to drink plain water until three hours prior to the examination. Do not chew gum prior to or during the exam.
Pelvic or Renal Ultrasound, Early OB or Nuchal or Obstetrical or BPP
- Empty your bladder (if necessary) 90 minutes prior to the examination. Following this, drink four glasses (one litre) of water. Finish drinking the full amount at least one hour prior to the examination. Do not empty your bladder again prior to the examination. The examination may not be done if your bladder is not full. You may continue to eat.
Abdominal & Pelvic Ultrasound
- Eat only fat free foods the evening prior to your examination. Do not eat anything later than midnight the night before your examination. Empty your bladder (if necessary) 90 minutes prior to the examination. Following this, drink four glasses (one litre) of water at one sitting. Do not empty your bladder again prior to the examination. Pelvic ultrasound cannot be adequately performed if your bladder is not full.
All other ultrasound examinations which are not listed above do not require patient preparation.
Fluoroscopy Pain management
- You must bring your current health insurance card. Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment. To reschedule or cancel, please phone us 48 hours before your appointment.
- Continue all medications and your usual diet both before and after the procedure.
- If you have an active infection your procedure will have to be rescheduled and you must notify our office.
- If you are having special joint medication injected such as Synvisc, please purchase it before your appointment and bring it with you. Cortisone and other medications are supplied by The X-Ray Clinic at Northgate Centre.
- Please arrange to have a ride home if you are having your spine, hip, sacroiliac joint injected or lower extremity injected.
- Joint injections may take up to 30 minutes or longer to perform, depending on the injection site.
- You will be required to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after the procedure to monitor your response to the injection. Please plan for this.
- You should refrain from strenuous activity for at least a day after the injection. Also avoid hot tubs, swimming pools or prolonged bathing for the next 24 hours.
- If necessary, pain medications such as Tylenol or Advil can be used for discomfort after the injection (if you have no contraindications to these medications.)
- Serious complications after joint injections are rare, but can occur. If you experience worsening pain over the next several days, fever and chills, other signs of infection or new numbness please contact your doctor or proceed to an emergency department.
