Does oral cancer ever become a closed chapter in someone's life? I am 2 years out, and I know that's too soon. On the other hand, from what I know, 5 years is also too soon. When I saw my HN Physician a few weeks ago, he said that I would need to be followed for the rest of my life.
If I had been told that when this whole thing started, I would have been very depressed. Now, however, I was strangely reassured. As long as there is even the slightest chance of a recurrence, I want to know that I'm being checked often enough to minimize the risk of any big surprises.
Although initially my goal was that the cancer would one day become a closed chapter, I no longer think that's a realistic, much less, desired goal. I am not the same person I was before this started. It's been a deeply intense, and at times, lonesome journey. While I now know there will always be physical reminders, the psychological reminders are everlasting and they go to my very core. I do not mean to imply this is a negative. Quite the contrary, I have more depth and sensitivity as a result of this experience. It sounds like such a cliche, but I truly do not take life for granted.
No, the oral cancer experience is a journey, and as such, it does not have a destination.