breast cancer suvivor - cloudy x-rays

My mom developed a cough in August of 2001.  She has gone to the doctor several times. The first time the doctor told her to let it run its course.  After many visits, the doctor has perscribed everything from cough syrup to asthma inhalers.  None of this worked.  Now it's June of 2002 and he askes her if he had ever done a chest x-ray on her. He's never said anything about a chest x-ray until now.  He also did x-rays of her throat(thyroids).  The throat x-ray came back O.K., however the chest x-ray looks "cloudy".  Could this be scar tissue from when my mom had her brest removed?  Or could this be a more serious problem that this doctor has overlooked?.....  If so you will hear about me in the news!!!!

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Dear madashell, It's difficult to say what this "cloudiness" is. It could be poor exposure, it could be a problem, hard to say.  A radiologist will look at the x-ray and give an interpretation in a report.  This report is then correlated with your mom's overall clinical picture (physical exam and history) by her doctor who would determine if further evaluation is needed.