What to Bring to Your X-Ray or Ultrasound Appointment

Three things get you through check-in at any Bluewater Imaging clinic: your Ontario health card, your signed requisition and a list of your medications. Everything else on this page makes the visit smoother, but those three are what the front desk needs. No forms to print, no paperwork to fill in at home.

Here’s the full checklist, what to wear, what to leave at home, and the handful of extras that depend on your exam.

The three essentials

Your Ontario health card. We need the number and the version code. A photo of the card on your phone is fine if the real one is at home, as long as it’s readable. If your card has expired, bring it anyway; the number still works for billing in most cases, and you can renew it afterwards.

Your signed requisition. This is the order from your doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife. It tells the technologist exactly which exam to do and why. Bring the original even if you sent a photo when you booked online. If you’ve lost it, call your provider’s office; they can fax a copy to the clinic. The one exam that doesn’t need a requisition is a screening Mammogram for eligible women aged 40 to 74, booked through the Ontario Breast Screening Program.

A list of your medications and supplements. Write it down or bring the bottles. For some exams it matters directly, for example blood thinners before a biopsy or calcium supplements before a bone density test. For every exam it helps the radiologist read your images in context.

Depending on your exam

• Mammogram: the date and place of your last mammogram, so the radiologist can compare. Tell us when you book if you have breast implants, so we can allow extra time.
• Any exam after earlier imaging elsewhere: mention it when you book. Comparing with previous images often answers the question faster. If you have them on a disc or through an app, bring the details.
• Pelvic or pregnancy Ultrasound: a full bladder, which means drinking water on schedule before you leave the house. The exact amounts are on our preparation instructions page.
• Abdominal Ultrasound: an empty stomach, usually nothing to eat or drink after midnight for a morning appointment. Again, the details are on the preparation page.
• Biopsy: someone to keep you company is welcome, and let us know about blood thinners when you book.
• X-Ray walk-in: just your requisition and health card. Every Bluewater clinic with X-Ray accepts walk-ins until 30 minutes before closing.

If you don’t have an Ontario health card

You can still have your exam. Bring your requisition, any private or travel insurance details so you have them for your claim, and a payment card. Self-pay prices, as of October 2026, are on our cash fee schedule (PDF), and the call centre will confirm the price for your exam when you book. Our guide for newcomers without OHIP covers the common questions.

What to wear

A two-piece outfit solves most problems. For an Ultrasound of the belly or pelvis, you’ll lift or lower one half. For a Mammogram, chest X-Ray or echocardiogram, you undress from the waist up and get a gown. For a knee or ankle, shorts or trousers that roll up save you changing at all.

Skip metal where you can: zippers, underwire bras, metal buttons and jewellery show up on X-Ray and bone density images and will need to come off. Leave the necklace at home for anything involving the neck or chest. For a Mammogram, no deodorant, antiperspirant, lotion or powder under the arms or on the chest that day; the particles can look like something on the image. If you forget, tell the front desk.

What to leave at home

Valuables, if you can. You’ll be in a gown for some exams and your things will be in the room with you, but it’s one less thing to think about. Perfume and strong scents, out of consideration for other patients. And for a pelvic Ultrasound, don’t leave your water at home: bring a bottle and finish it on the schedule you were given.

A few things that make the visit easier

• Arrive about 10 minutes early for check-in. Our locations page has parking and transit details for every clinic, so you know where you’re going.
• Bring glasses if you need them to read or sign anything.
• Bring a friend or family member if you’d like. They’re welcome in the waiting area. Whether they can be in the exam room depends on the exam, for privacy and radiation-safety reasons, and your technologist will tell you.
• Tell us about your language. Our staff speak a range of languages across our clinics, our preparation instructions come in eleven languages, and you’re welcome to bring someone to interpret.
• Tell us about mobility or extra time. If you use a wheelchair or walker, need help onto the exam table, or just want things to go slowly, say so when you book and we’ll plan for it.

And afterwards

Your images are read by a radiologist and the report goes to the provider who ordered the exam, usually within 24 to 48 hours, same day for urgent cases. You can see your own images through PocketHealth. You don’t need to bring anything home except your health card and your requisition, which the front desk hands back.

Not booked yet? Book online with your requisition handy, or call 416-462-0064 and we’ll find you a time.

This article is general information. Always follow the instructions from your doctor and your appointment confirmation.