7 things you need to know before you go into the MRI

At ten to nine, I slide into the tube. It goes like a kind of recording, said the lady from the hospital on the phone. And whether I wanted to read the booklet carefully, because metallic eyeshadow is already not allowed. I do get a bit clammy hands from it. Not from the eyeshadow, mind you, but from that sliding into the tube.

I'm getting an MRI because the doctor thinks I have a hernia. I logically find that quite rubbish, but there are worse things, I suppose. And otherwise, my loved ones will tell me, which is very refreshing, by the way. I also briefly looked at the statistics; about 75,000 people in the Netherlands get a hernia each year. These are mainly men between the ages of 40 and 55. The last time I checked, I didn't fall into that category, but hey, sometimes you have to be an exception. So the back hernia and an MRI, because that's the holy grail to see if you really have it.

An MRI comes with some know-how, so let me update you on what you should and shouldn't do in case of an MRI. It's handy if you ever get one.

1. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, better known as a gigantic magnetic field combined with radio waves. In practice, you probably won't get much from this explanation, but in the category of fun-facts-for-at-birthdays always handy.

2. You lie on a couch in a tunnel, but it's just open at the front and back, which makes it a bit less breathless.

3. Do not wear makeup. That metallic eyeshadow is not an option, as you already knew, but metal particles can also be in mascara. Yes, and we smear liters of that around our eyes. Metal and magnetic fields have the usual refrigerator magnet effect on each other, and you don't want that in or on your body.

4. During an MRI, you hear a strong thumping or humming sound, which is why you get headphones with a wide selection of radio stations. I can still catch Evers Mattie & Marieke. But it seems to be quite intense; people say you should prepare for this. I just did a quick Google search and found the sound, so go ahead.

5. You may not have any items that react to magnets, and your clothing falls under that as well. Think of: zippers, buttons, earrings, hairpins. So I have no idea what to wear. Cotton is recommended, but do you have anything without buttons or zippers in the closet? I don't. This is going to be complicated.

6. Sometimes you get a contrast agent injected to make things even better mapped out is.

7. And whatever you do, do it quietly. During an MRI, it's important that you don't move to ensure everything appears neatly on the screen. This lasts about twenty to forty minutes.