Shelley,
I would like to add also, that MRI's are a better choice because they are the gold standard for soft tissue scans and introduce no additional radiation.

The exams will vary a little from month to month. They always do a look-see with mirrors and also perform palpation. Occasionally they'll use a fiber optic scope down the nose. It sounds a lot worse than it actually is.

Although the doctor has some flexibility for exam frequency the NCCN oncology practice guidelines are as follows:

year 1 - every 1-3 months
year 2 - every 2-4 months
year 3-5 - every 4-6 months
beyond year 5 - every 6-12 months

Also annual chest x-ray and TSH test every 6-12 months.

They usually numb me (and you can always ask for it) when they get invasive.