Leena,

Congratulations on your good news! I know there's a tendency soon after treatment to take some of these findings with a grain of salt and to think maybe it's too good to be true.

I had fairly frequent follow-up visits with my oncologist and oral surgeon (every couple of months) for awhile after my treatment ended, and I still see my oncologist a minimum of twice a year and the oral surgeon at least once a year. They pretty consistently do the visual/palpation exam and the oncologist does an annual chest x-ray, and if I have any other unusual symptoms he typically orders a CT or MRI right away (depending on the symptom). I know there are some on this site who believe fairly strongly that there should be scheduled scans as part of the follow-up, and I suspect this may vary in part as a function of the stage of the original cancer.

Try not to worry about next month's exam -- keep focusing on regaining your strength and hopefully you'll continue to get great reports.

Cathy


Tongue SCC (T2M0N0), poorly differentiated, diagnosed 3/89, partial glossectomy and neck dissection 4/89, radiation from early June to late August 1989