How does radiation therapy for breast cancer affect the patient? My mother says she is going through it.?

I don't believe her, long story, she has faked illnesses before. my boyfriends mother had cancer all throughout her body, including her brain. I was there when they removed the brain tumors, but as we live in different states, I did not get to see her when she went through radiation and then chemo. I know the radiation made her feel like crap, and I think she was tired. The chemo was not so hard on her, although like most others she lost all of her hair on her body. Does Radiation cause the hair to fall out? How is the radiation done? My mom claims to have breast cancer, and says she is going through radiation. I know I sound like a horrible person for not believing her, but y'all just have to know the whole story and I don't have near enough room to explain on here. She is still working everyday, at Wal-Mart, drinking and partying every night, she claims her hair is falling out, but it always has (genetics). Please only serious answers, I don't need anyone giving me hell. TY

radiation therapy, like chemo therapy, attacks rapidly dividing cells(hair, skin, cancerous growths) in the body but radiation is typically done to a local site such as your mothers breast while chemo is ingested or injected and has wider spread effects. typical radiation therapy to the breast tissue can cause a multitude of side effects including: fatigue, pulmonary fibrosis and or edema, infection (decreased white blood cells) decreased clotting (low platelet counts). it is important to remember that each patient is different and will respond a little differently. also many patients may be on a combination of cancer therapies(like chemo and radiation)

i have breast cancer ,, and the chemo wasent real bad the radation was real bad on me ..first i did very well with radation then it cooked me , then i hurt like hell, i still hurt from the radation.. and ive lost a lot of weight that i did not do with chemo. i have been done with radation for a couple weeks. my hair started comming out but it dident .. a lot of people that was going through radation when i did yes they did loose there hair.and they were really tired..