You just Never Know: Birth Story

True story.

She walked in casually, nicely dressed and makeup - immaculate.



Random photo from an ad

 No heavy breathing, no stopping to have a contraction, nothing.  She smiled at me - and plopped her little suitcase on the floor by the bed.

"So what's going on?" I asked her as I welcomed her to the assessment room.

"I think I might have started labor" she replied.

"Are you having contractions?" Trying to get a take on what's happening.

"I think so." Still smiling.  " I kind of felt a little pressure and thought I would come in to get checked"

That little key word: Pressure.   She didn't look in any way distressed.  Didn't look like she was in labor - yet she felt "pressure".

I quickly put her on the monitor to do a short strip.   "Would you like me to check to see where you are at?" I asked.

"Why not? I am thinking it won't be long"  It wasn't her first.

The thing about mom's in labor, you never really know what you have.   I always believe the mom.  I listen to her.    That word "pressure" triggered something in my head - even though her behavior was nothing like that of most women in labor.  You just don't know.

I checked her.

"Wow - congratulations! You're fully dilated!"

She laughed.   " I thought so.  I was really quick the first time!"

Moral of the story:  Always listen to what the mother says.   Never discount anything she tells you - even if you think otherwise.  Although there are similarities generally speaking - there are always the exceptions.  Pay attention to the mom -  the monitor won't tell you the whole story in labor.  Let the mom be "Queen of the Room" and allow her to dictate what she wants and needs.  Every mother is unique in her needs and wishes - so listen to her!

You just never know.

Red Headed Babies and Teeth at Birth

One thing you don't often see in the Delivery room is a crowning head of BRIGHT RED HAIR.  That little bit of light in a darkened room, shining on the head as it is coming out is like a glowing ember of fire......

Wow. That is impressive.   I have only seen it a couple of times, it is so rare. Usually, the red hair evolves later....but when it comes right at birth in it's full glory....it's amazing.   I love red hair.

The other thing I found amazing was the couple of babies who at birth -  had TEETH.  Their poor moms.  As if it isn't painful enough starting out breast feeding .........

Ouch.

Winter in Saskatchewan: My Dad's Heritage

I've written stories about my Dutch Gramma and Grampa on my mother's side.....and their stories are quite interesting and well documented in Gramma's diary for posterity.

But my dad's side of the family also has a few stories - albeit passed on by word of mouth which may make them suspect for accuracy since my uncles - when they all got together - could really weave some yarns.  I am thinking that's the Irish blood in them.

Family photo - Jim and Charlie, Grampa on top the cart

My Grandfather rode out from Orangeville Ontario Canada first by train and then continued on by ox and cart.  I can't imagine what kind of a trip that would have been.   Jim and Charlie - the two oxen - were the main means of power around the farm.

  It was the boys' chore to take them to the river to drink every day.  In the fall, trips were made until the river froze over.   They would then just melt the snow for water.

One day, early fall, the river had frozen on the shoreline and Jim the Ox slipped and split his legs (when a heavy ox or cow did 'the splits' -it is not possible to mend ) and they had to shoot him.
Grandma sent them a letter telling the rest of the family the bad news - that "Jim slipped and split his legs and had to be shot".  Of course, everyone she wrote this piece of news to, thought the "Jim" she mentioned was one of my dad's brothers - "Jim".  It caused quite the stir amongst the family.

I am not sure what kind of medical care they had access to on the prairies - that they actually would think that someone would have to be shot for the sake of a broken leg that couldn't be fixed.

Speaking of which, my father was born on the farm on the Saskatchewan prairies as were his brothers and sister.    He was born at home in the middle of winter, under circumstances much like those my Midwife Grandmother had attended in Alberta. 

He came into the world on New Years Eve -  fireplace going....water boiling on the stove.   Celebrations put on hold as they all waited for the news.   There were no hospitals anywhere nearby if anything were to go wrong. 

I don't have to tell you, he made it ok.

Delivering at home was, as was with everyone living in remote Canada,  the only option unless you had the means to drive miles and miles to the nearest city....and since Grandma and Grandpa didn't have a car until they moved to Vancouver  in the 1940s, that wasn't going to happen.   Even the nearest store, a little general store where they would buy the necessities, was 10 miles away.

Because they lived on a farm, the only items they needed to buy was sugar and a little flour, since they did grind some of their own coarse flour on a grinder rigged up out of  an old car motor.  Everything else would come from the land - vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts.  Saskatoon berries (I have at least 12 shrubs growing in my yard here in BC - they grow wild in the Okanagan Valley) were plenteous, and the gardens would reap bushels of strawberries.

A type of coffee was made from roasting, then brewing - coarse ground barley.  I suppose this is similar to Ovaltine - a "coffee substitute" which uses malted barley for one of it's main ingredients.

Canning for winter was a must.  Every sort of vegetable grown was canned.  Jams made.  Potatoes were gathered and stored in a cellar, unwashed, so they would keep.  Turnips, carrots - all the root vegetables would be squirrelled away for the winter months.

 It didn't matter how old you were, if you could walk around - you could work.

As little kids they would go to school in their one room schoolhouse, but also would have their chores to do at home when their classes were finished for the day - or early morning before walking to school - milking cows, gathering eggs, feeding the pigs and chickens....

My uncle told me that one day they were sent to the neighbor's to help stook the oats so the hayracks could pick them up and take them to the thrashers.  As 8 and 10  year old boys, my dad and my uncle would walk the five miles to the neighbor's and do work in the fields, then after, would sleep in the barn, then come home again after the next day's work.  No thought was given as to whether this was safe to walk there and back or whether it was even work that little kids should be doing.

Their sources for amusement were varied.  Fishing, swimming - all things kids do nowadays but with variations.   My dad would tell me how they would set snares for the groundhogs or gophers.  These animals were a nuisance for the farmers - making holes in the field where horses or cows could catch a leg in and injure themselves.  The boys would get once cent for each tail they could bring in.

At the young age of 12 or 13 - the boys would take their rifles and check their trapline for weasels or coyotes or the occasional rabbit.  They would take along sandwiches - usually jam - which became frozen stiff and difficult to eat in the sub zero winter weather.  My father tells of the time they were gone so long - they missed supper.  Darkness falling by 4-5 pm, Grandma was worried, and by the time they got home, Grandma was crying - thinking they were lost and frozen somewhere.


Anyway, every Christmas, it wasn't really Christmas unless Grandma, and later on - my mother continued the tradition - made Mennonite Fruit Soup "Plumamousse"....... Grandma would make for her now Irish family....

Here is that recipe.  It is as delicious as it was back then, full of flavor in it's sweet goodness, and great if you have any problems in the area of regularity. You could actually blend it and freeze it and use it for a "Prune Whip" in lieu of any laxatives.

Please go to this site for a slightly different recipe

Plumamousse

1 package of Prunes
1 package of dried apricots
1 package of raisins
1/2 cup sugar
2 (or so to thicken) Tablespoons Flour

Optional:
You can add a can of cherries, or dried cherries, apples or peaches - or to make it really easy, instead of separate bags of dried fruit - use a huge bag of mixed fruit that you can buy at Costco.  You can also add cinnamon.

Cover with water or apple juice (then you can leave out the sugar)
Let sit overnight to soak
Boil mixture to soften fruit but leave intact - approx 15-20 minutes, and add cornstarch or flour to thicken
Add milk to thin and eat!
Can serve cold or hot.

Here is a similar recipe on a great Mennonite Recipes site using Tapioca pudding

Happy Thanksgiving to my American Friends and Family

The only benefit that I can see for having the American Thanksgiving so late -  after the Canadian Thanksgiving (October) ....is perhaps that one can learn from mistakes made in the decor area....

This is either my cousin's idea of a centerpiece FAIL or an experiment by his kids gone wrong.
I can just hear the turkey screaming......

Not a very good Thanksgiving centerpiece idea
for your table. Kids - don't try this at home.

Getting into the mood

My mother used to tell me stories of how she and her sisters would walk all the way from their house in Vancouver during the 1940s to the downtown which was at least 5 miles.  They would take the trolleys part way but there was still a lot of walking, since they lived a little out of the way from the main thoroughfare routes.   In the middle of winter, at times this could be a very wet and bone-chilling proposition. Or snowy.

They would make the time pass quickly by singing all the way. Music was a huge part of their lives - after all, that's how Gramma and Grampa met. 

There was always a concert put on at the local Catholic Church, and even though they weren't Catholic they would go to the Christmas Mass on Christmas eve,  and attend the local Christmas Concerts, especially when there was music.

Her favorite was Handel's Messiah.

I made a point of attending a Concert put on by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Chamber Choir (or the Cantata Choir or the Bach choir - which ever one's turn it was that year)  in 1973 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre when I was in my first year of college.  I will never forget it.   The music swelled throughout the building - reverberating in the rafters - leaving an echo after the last notes were sung.  I closed my eyes and imagined my mom as a young girl - with her family - listening to the same thing years ago.

My very favorite part, of course, was the  Hallelujah Chorus.

 And now, almost 40 years later, here it is - the same song - still as fresh as it was back then - sung via "flash mob" in  a mall in Welland Ontario - near Niagara Falls - just 10 days ago.....

It still brings a smile to my face....and I must admit...a little tear to my eye.

Medical Tourism

One week ago an explosion tore through a hotel in Cancun Mexico and killed 2 Mexicans and 5 Canadians - including a nine year old and his dad and a new groom.  

Reports are now coming out that there were, and still are,  problems with leaks of propane and toxic waste at the brand new deluxe hotel, and half the facility has now been shut down.

The part of the news story that I found interesting was the death of the 51 year old grandmother who, at the scene of the explosion, was going in and out of consciousness - but was responding to the gal who attended to her initially. 

What happened after she was picked up by the ambulance is unheard of here in Canada. 

Apparently, as the story goes, en route to the hospital, the ambulance ran out of gas and the family members were asked to pay for the fill up at the pumps before they would continue on.

So now, in my head, I am picturing a severely injured woman in an ambulance  -stopped at a gas station....taking the precious minutes to fill up.   According to the woman's brother, she was also taken to three different hospitals - and it was 3 hours before she was even attended to.  Her daughter,  an R.N., also noticed that the paramedics were using life-saving equipment incorrectly.

The care given may or may not have had an influence on her survival.

Now, I have spent many winter vacations in Mexico since the late 1970s and have never had the misfortune to require any sort of medical care while there.  There is such a thing as the unexpected - such as what happened above  -  but -   what if you chose to have surgery done elsewhere?

There is controversy about having procedures done in another country. 

I have actually chosen to have surgery done in the USA (Radial keratotomy in 1984-when it was not offered in Canada) but I would say that the delivery of care in the USA is comparable to here. Safe enough. Doctors easily researched.  In English.

With Medical Tourism in underdeveloped countries, how do you check out the credentials of a surgeon or the staff?  How do you do research on a facility that you can only go to the website - and not see it in person prior to the procedure - and no reports you can rely on from reputable sources?

How dependable is the accreditation??  How do you assess the quality of care within a country that may not be forthcoming with accurate statistics or information? How do you differentiate the quality facilities from the opportunists?   Can you believe the edited "testimonials" you read? How do you understand any reports if they aren't in English?

Would you choose to have surgery done in a third world country?


Now I get to tell you a sad but true story:



Linda was a fun gal...very pretty, and laughed all the time. As a co-worker she was dependable, efficient and an all-around great nurse.   We spent many shifts exchanging stories and laughs... she was the perfect person to be working alongside - always smiling, always ready to help out or offer a friendly critique.

Her personal life was a tragic one, her husband had died several years ago from an MI - suddenly and shockingly - leaving her to raise her 17 year old daughter on her own.  But - she would come to work and would always be the life of the unit.    We both liked the same area to do our charting and it would be a constant challenge to see who would get to the space first.

Once Linda got her life together - bought a new condo and decorated it *just so*.... the next thing on her agenda was self-improvement. 

She decided to secretly go for some cosmetic surgery.   She never told anyone.   Due to finances... she decided to have the procedure done in Mexico.   Last minute arrangements were made and she flew down south ... the start of what she thought was the beginning of her new life that she had carefully planned out.

Once again - the care given may or may not have had an influence on her survival.

No one at work ever heard from her again. 

The first news we heard of her passing was a phone call to work from her sister back east...  to say she wouldn't be back - that she died in a Mexico Hospital after successful completion of her surgery. 

No other news or explanation was ever given to us.

No news about what happened to the 17 year old, now not only fatherless but motherless too.  No news of what the details were - or even funeral arrangements - if they were made.  Only the last entry on her Facebook page to her daughter,  "I love you sweetie...thanks for feeding kitty for me"....


Occasionally now, I will run across her signature in charts and her face will flash through my mind.... then a wave of sadness......

I miss her.

But then, I am only her co-worker.

What about her daughter....?

I hear Music.... (but I picked Nursing!)

I found a couple of old concert tickets in my drawer today and it got me thinking of all the concerts I have gone to.... and then I read over at Albinoblackbear that she went to a Chieftans concert (so jealous!)
So I thought I would try and remember which concerts I have gone through in past years - from the 1970s through to the last one in 2005 or so...
So here we go..... (by the way, this doesn't include pub concerts and what have you....!)

In no particular order:

1. Jesse Colin Young - then and now
2. Trooper 
3. Jethro Tull
4. Little River Band
5. Jim Messina
6. Kenny Loggins
7. Tom Johnston (Doobie Bros)
8. Good Brothers (twice - friendly guys!)
9. Hoyt Axton (twice! Darn, I had dreams of being his backup singer! Sadly, he's passed on - MI) OMG this was my all time favorite song of his!!!  I think I knew how to play and sing every song he ever did.
10. XTC
11. Young Canadians
12. SuperTramp (Breakfast in America Tour)
13. Chris DeBurgh - before he was famous....
14. Doug and the Slugs  (R.I.P.)
15. Burton Cummings (twice) (from The Guess Who)
16. Valdy  (saw him perform up at a ski hill)
17. Juice Newton (at a country fair in East Bay S.F.)
18. Wynona Judd (Concord Pavilion)
19. Take 6 (Concord Pavilion)
20. Oakridge Boys - one of the guys fell off the stage while singing.....
21. Emmy Lou Harris
22. The Highwaymen (Willie Nelson,Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash) Amazing!
23. Bryan Adams (twice - a relative got to sing with him)
24. Neil Diamond
25. Harry Chapin (I got his autograph - He met people at his concerts and would give autographs for donations to his charity.  Sadly he has passed on - MI while driving on the freeway back east)
26. Journey (one of the band members handed me a pick with their name on it while performing onstage - unsolicited! - i have since given it to my nephew)
27. Liona Boyd (now if I could only play guitar like her!)
28. Randy Bachman (from BTO ) - here is a different version of the same song-bothe with Neil Young
29. Blue Rodeo (twice - those guys are good)
30. UB40
31. Great Big Sea (Great concert! I was dating a pediatrician at the time - dumped him soon after)
32. Patti LaBelle
33. Long John Baldry (I had a couple dates with one of the members of the band whom I met in a bar accidentally, didn't know at the time who Long John was - met him backstage pre-concert and wasn't impressed.   Also met Kathi McDonald who, by the way, is a fab singer. It's a funny story)
34. Amy Grant  (in the early 1980s and then in 2005)
35. Farmer's Daughter (later met their parents on vacation - chatted with them - very nice)
36. 1998 Lilith Fair: which included -  Sarah McLaughlin, Bif Naked, Sixpence None The Richer, and other assorted musicians.
37. Shania Twain  wasn't overly impressed but I still like her music
38. k.d. lang (before she was popular -- performed in a nightclub)
39. Joe Cocker
40. Loverboy (Mike Reno) - and met him a million years ago in the hospital and no he wasn't the patient...
41.  Chuck Girard - now this is a good story....I will have to tell u this one at a later date....
42. UK  (1970s) - a member went on to join the band YES  - here is YES in later years
43. White Stripes

There could have been other bands that I happened to see, either accidentally or so long ago I forget who they are.   I know I am related by marriage to a Famous Country Singer.  Oh ya. And I used to be married to the lead singer of a band of which I will not name that used one of the members of another well known band - and that's ANOTHER funny (or not-so-funny story) -ended up ditching him.  

Geez. Are there any normal (male)musicians??

I guess I have not had much luck with Men of Music.  I've never been a groupie.  Definitely never been one to chase after someone because they were in a band.  Actually tried to avoid them.  They all just seemed to appear - and introduce themselves and assume I wanted to go out with them. 

At one point before going into nursing, I had been invited to sing in a local band in my hometown....tried it out one night and didn't really care for it.  Too much smoke and too many drunks for my liking.  And -  I was also much too practical.  I couldn't see any future in music.  Nursing won out in the end - and I continued with my RN training.

I did go in 2 singing contests when I was younger - early 20s....quite a large one in the city nearby - won 2nd (someone singing and playing  "The Rose" (urp!) on the piano came first! I sang Hoyt Axton's "Billie's Theme" while accompanying myself on the guitar), and then won 1st in the little local one  .....then won first in a province wide song-writing contest a few years later (won some cash and a chance to record - but declined..) ..........then promptly ran away to East Bay S.F. to work as an R.N.

 Everyone thought at the time I was moving to try and get into the San Francisco music scene, but I had no intentions of doing anything but nursing and was quite surprised and amused when I heard the gossip on a trip home. ( although, I secretly hoped I would have the time to go to Art Institute, but didn't)

 If I was going to do anything creative that didn't make me money - it would be art/painting.  So - I regretfully declined any forays into the music scene.  Besides - if you want to do well in music, you have to want it....and I didn't have that kind of passion.   I still enjoy music (and my acoustic Ovation with a pickup that my band buddies gave me) and have written a few more 'tunes',  but I love art so much more...and that is what I would pick as my "retirement career".


So there you go.

Music. Art. Nursing.

And I picked Nursing.

The "Midwife Doc"

When I moved back to Canada from the USA - it was a bit of an adjustment to what you can and can't get off the shelves at the drugstore.

I remember in the early 80s, telling the MD I saw in Hawaii on vacation, that I would just go to the drugstore to buy the benadryl for my swollen eye  - and he looked at me like I just told him I was a drug abuser. 

"You can't get that off the shelf - you need a prescription for it" he told me. 

That was news to me - in Canada, at that time, you could just get it off the shelf, just as you could the ibuprofen.

Same with codeine. You can still buy acetaminophen with 8 mg of codeine over the counter without an Rx.  Mersyndol is one of my favorites.....it has an antihistamine in it as well as the codeine. Expensive at $23 a bottle of 100's but a very good medication for migraines.

So,skipping back to the move home to Canada:

 I was in the local pharmacy, and after waiting the 2 or 3 persons ahead of me in the lineup to speak to the pharmacist - I asked the ill-fated question:

"Where on the shelves do you put the Monistat?" - not realizing that it wasn't available except by Rx in Canada at that time. 

I had spent a good half hour looking down every aisle for that life-saving medication.

Loud enough so the entire drugstore could hear, he announced:  

"Dear - you need a doctor to prescribe you Monistat - it's NOT an OTC..."

I was humiliated.  I started to back away, embarrassed to the point of wanting to run.

 Then - He stepped forward.

"Hi" He said. " Would you like me to write you a prescription?" 

I looked over at the kindly face and recognized him instantly as one of the docs that occasionally came to do deliveries and must have recognized me from the Labor Delivery unit.  He had been in the lineup behind me, and -  along with the rest of the crowd - overheard the conversation with the Pharmacist.

"Uh. Oh sure! Thanks so much! " I was relieved and mortified at the same time.

Later, back on the Labor Delivery unit at work,  I asked him if he was taking on new patients. 

"Certainly - for a colleague " he replied.

And so our relationship began.

He was the best MD.  You couldn't ask for a kinder and thoughtful MD.  He was soft-spoken and meticulous in his practice.  AND - his deliveries were always so quiet and relaxed. 

We called him "the Midwife Doc" because the deliveries he attended were so lovely.

I can still picture him sitting on the lowered foot of the bed as he was getting ready for the delivery of a baby on our L&D unit.  The lights in the room were off - except for the soft glow of a portable lamp next to his elbow.  

There was a warm quiet  in the room.  He spoke softly and encouragingly to the woman as she pushed in her own style -  lying on her side on the unbroken bed, husband next to mom, holding her leg during the little pushes.   Midwife Doc patiently waited, supporting the perineum as the baby's head slowly pushed it's way through - crowning ever so slowly. 

Each 5 minute interval Doppler tone had a reassuring - *dop*dop*dop* - as we encouraged the mom. 

No loud noises. 

No counting. 

Just mom and quiet words........

He never panicked. He didn't see the need for an episiotomy.   He looked up me and then over at mom and said casually, "Well, nurse, how is everyone doing?"  Twinkle in his eye.

I looked at the mom - face glowing with sweat, but a serene smile on her face.

"Perfect.  Just perfect" I replied.

In the next few minutes,  the baby easily slid out.....






A month later - it only took one little mistake to change everything.

On the way home from attending a delivery, Midwife Doc was talking on his cell phone as he drove along one of the little town's streets.

He didn't see his red light at the intersection. 

His sturdy car was T-boned, and he was thrown half a block away, through the side window and out of his car - unconscious.

As talk in the town would have it - his GCS scoring on arrival in ER was the lowest it could be.  There wasn't a person in the entire hospital that didn't feel sick about the accident.   

He had little kids - and in fact, I still had the thank-you note from when I had attended at the delivery of his baby that same year.

People that had never prayed before, prayed fervently for this kind doctor. 

Miraculously he did recover, but unfortunately, never to the point where he could go back to his practice. 

I saw him in passing in the community several times.   There was a blank look in his eyes.  Not even a little sparkle.  No recognition of me, or anyone else.  Still the same kind face - but no longer the man I knew.

You could tell he was trying to remember, but he just couldn't quite get there.

His entire life - as he and his family knew it - was destroyed. 

He no longer had a means of employment. 

He was alive, yes.  He still recognised his children and wife....but he no longer had the same joy and was no longer able to follow conversations or remember ..... and definitely all knowledge of his medical training had disappeared.

This tragedy happened at the time when cell phones were just emerging,  and no thought or concern was given to talking on a cell while driving.  It was just the beginning of many such accidents to come in the community and the country.
  

Although there are some people who are in opposition to it and say the statistics don't prove cause and effect - my hope is for every state and every province to make talking/texting while driving illegal.  

All I know is - if that someone I knew hadn't been distracted by a cell phone - there would have been one darn good MD still practicing.

What are we teaching our children?

Confidentiality and Nursing

I have actually removed 2 of my stories from my blog.   They weren't "bad" stories, and in fact were more on the informative side, positive stories from more than 20 years ago, but unfortunately, our professional body doesn't have much tolerance for anything that appears to be "breach of confidentiality" and thus I have withdrawn them, just in case. 


I had laundered them and then reposted after removing them the first time this past summer - but having looked over the "new" rules, I have come to the conclusion that an ounce of prevention..... 


So, you might notice the only two stories involving *actual* patients (besides myself, relatives, friends and random people out there on the street or neighborhood)are removed - the stories about Amniotic Embolism and the Vanishing Twin Syndrome - because although they had educational and informative value -  it may also fall into that grey area of confidentiality and the last thing I want to do is get in trouble with my Professional Body - even though I don't feel that I have given enough identifying elements and have changed the stories significantly - for my peace of mind, I have removed them.


I do know that our professional and licensing body does troll the blogs, and since a recent email was sent out informing all of the change in the Standards of Nursing practice as it relates to modern day technologies - I will comply. 


Here is in part, some of their Q&A about modern technology on their site:

One of my colleagues shares information about clients on Facebook. Is this okay if the clients’ names aren’t posted?

No. Even without using a name, other identifiers may make clients recognizable and therefore is not sufficient to protect their privacy.

I blog about work, including poor patient care, how nobody is doing anything, and that my facility is unsafe. I think this is part of my obligation as an RN. Am I right?

Describing frustrations about workplace issues on the internet is not the way to resolve them and may violate client confidentiality. If you are concerned about client safety, take action using the appropriate channels of communication within your agency, advocate within your role and participate in changes to improve client care.

A colleague took photos of a patient’s injuries with her cell phone so that she could share them with her nursing friends. Was that okay?

Taking and sharing photographs without a client’s consent is a breach of confidentiality.  Agencies increasingly use photography for professional consultation, research and education purposes. Know your agency’s policy regarding photography including any limitations on its use.

WARNING: Breastlight - Not a useful tool to detect Breast Cancer

I have expressed caution re: some gadgets and  their usefulness in the hands of the general public and how they can be more of a liability than beneficial.

Here is one "invention" that is so wrong that the Canadian Government has actually issued a warning and now has pressured a recall.

The "Breastlight" was supposed to be a health and wellbeing product, used to illuminate the breast so you can "see" any changes in your breast.

Problem is - there is a chance that people will use this as the sole method to check their breast and actually forego the monthly breast exams that are supposed to be done or skip follow up post cancer tests/exams with their MD .

It is not an effective screening device for breast cancer.

From the health Canada site:  "It is important to note that there is no clinical evidence that the Breastlight can be used effectively as a screening device for the early detection of breast cancer. As such, it may present a potential risk to women relying on it for early detection of breast cancer."

WARNING:  The "Breastlight" not authorized for use as a screening device and anyone who has one of these instruments should follow up with their MD for any further testing.