My visit intervals became longer the further out from treatment I got. We started out monthly, then 3 months, then 6 months, then annually for the last couple years.

I did make an anxiety appointment or two or three when things didn't seem right. Each turned out to be nothing.

The positive way to look at it is that your chances of a recurrence decrease in an exponential kind of way over time. After the two year point the curve steepens significantly and your less and less likely to see a recurrence.

The difficulty of managing emotionally after treatment is really not adequately addressed through the process. It's not like breaking your leg.


Oropharyngeal Cancer, SCC, HPV 16+, stage IV T1N2b age 45
Started in my tonsils and spread to my lymph nodes
Cisplatin x3 with concurrent daily radiation treatments started 10/22/13 finished 12/6/2013