effects of radiation?

may1020

i think that i landed here because i've been online for over 4 hours trying to find resources to help my aunt.

she was diagnosed about a year ago with a malignant tumor in her left breast. they removed the tumor and lymph nodes, she went through chemo and radiation. yesterday she woke up with incredible pain in her left arm. she thought she was having a heart attack. during the process of radiation her ribs were burned. she has periodically (since radiation treatment) lost the skin off her fingers, and had numerous painful reactions to medication.

she doesn't know what to do and she's not sure if the doctors are being straight with her. they found a "calcified tumor" in her breast last week, and the doctors decided to wait three months and see if it grows, and then to do a biopsy. this doesn't seem like a great idea to me...

my list could go on and on. i don't know if anyone out there can help--maybe point me in a useful direction?? i guess what she wants to know is...is all this normal? how long can she expect it to last? what i want to know is if her doctors are full of crap, or if all this is to be expected.

if anyone has anything they'd be kind enough to share, i'd be glad to hear it...especially since i feel utterly useless.

thank you so much...

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pamtriggs

Ditto from me as well. Ellen makes a lot of sense (she usually does). Waiting to see what happens is never a good idea with cancer. It needs quick resolutions to avoid needing a drastic resolution. Such bad effects from radiation also sound like careless treatment to me. She should have had a lot more help along the way. Good luck & keep us posted. Love & hugs. Pam