The short answer
An implanted port sits under the skin below the collarbone. Healing takes one to two weeks, needle access uses a special angled needle, and unused ports need flushing at least every twelve weeks.
A port sits entirely under the skin, usually about an inch below the middle of the collarbone, and can stay in place for months or years.
MSK guidance is to keep the bandage dry 24 hours, shower after 48 hours, and wait one to two weeks before baths or swimming.
When not in active use, a port still needs a maintenance flush at least every 12 weeks so the catheter does not clog.
Numbing cream has to be applied in advance to work, so ask for it at the visit before, not on the day.
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The full explanation.
What a port actually is
An implanted port is a small reservoir placed under the skin, usually about an inch below the middle of the collarbone, with a soft tube threaded into a large vein. Nothing sticks out. When it is not in use you feel a firm bump under the skin and see a short scar. It is put in during a minor procedure with local anesthetic and usually sedation, and it can stay for months or years.
The first two weeks
The incision needs to stay dry at first. Memorial Sloan Kettering advises keeping the bandage dry for 24 hours, showering after 48 hours, and waiting one to two weeks before baths or pools. During healing, avoid lifting more than about ten pounds, running, big overhead stretches and contact sports until your team clears you.
Soreness for several days is the usual report, along with a stiff shoulder and a bruise that spreads before it fades. Many people find the seatbelt sits directly on the site and use a folded towel or a small cushion for a while. Sleeping on that side is often uncomfortable for the first week or two.
Being accessed
Each time the port is used, a nurse pushes a special angled needle through the skin into the reservoir. This is called accessing. Only trained clinicians should do it. Many centers offer a numbing cream or cold spray, but creams have to be applied ahead of the appointment to work, so ask at the visit before, not on the day. People commonly describe a firm push and a brief sting rather than a sharp jab, and most say it becomes easier once they know the sequence.
When the needle comes out at the end of treatment, that is being deaccessed. Between accesses there is no dressing and nothing to protect.
Flushing and maintenance
The port is flushed with saline before and after each use. When you are not in active treatment it still needs a maintenance flush, at least every 12 weeks in MSK's guidance, to keep the tube from clogging. If treatment pauses, make sure someone owns that appointment, because a blocked port is a common and avoidable reason to need a new procedure.
Everyday life
Once the incision has healed, showering, bathing and swimming are all fine with a port that is not accessed. That freedom is the main reason people who need months of treatment often prefer one. You will set off no alarms at airport security, though telling the screener and carrying your port card avoids confusion. Backpack straps, shoulder bags and bra straps that cross the site are frequent complaints and usually solved by moving the strap.
What people commonly say afterwards
The most repeated themes are relief at not being stuck repeatedly for IVs, mild ongoing awareness of the bump, and a period of adjusting to seeing it in the mirror. Some people find it a visible reminder of treatment and cover it; others stop noticing. Both reactions are ordinary. The scar fades but usually remains faintly visible.
When to call
Go to an emergency department, or call 911, for a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or for shaking chills while you are having chemotherapy. CDC calls a fever during chemotherapy a medical emergency, and a port sitting in a large vein is one route a bloodstream infection can take. Do not wait for a call back. Get emergency help too if the arm, shoulder, neck or face on that side swells, which can mean a clot in the vein, and especially if breathing becomes hard or the face looks puffy and flushed.
Contact your team the same day for increasing pain at the site, new redness or warmth, swelling, pus or fluid leaking, or an incision that opens. Also call the same day if the port cannot be accessed, or if fluid will not flush and blood cannot be drawn. Report a needle that feels wet at the skin during an infusion straight away, because that can mean the drug is leaking outside the vein.
Removal
The port comes out when you no longer need it, or sooner if it becomes infected. Removal is a short procedure under local anesthetic. Ask your oncologist how long they want to keep it in after treatment finishes, since many teams leave ports in place through the first stretch of surveillance scans.
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Common questions
How often does a port need flushing if I am not in treatment?
Memorial Sloan Kettering's guidance is a saline flush at least every 12 weeks when the port is not in use, to stop the catheter blocking. If your treatment pauses, make sure someone is responsible for booking that appointment, since a blocked port is a common and avoidable reason to need a new procedure.
Does having the port accessed hurt?
People commonly describe a firm push and a brief sting rather than a sharp jab, and most say it becomes easier once they know the sequence. The American Cancer Society notes that a numbing cream is sometimes used on the skin over the port before the needle goes in. Creams have to go on well before the appointment to take effect, so ask at the previous visit rather than on the day.
Can I swim with a port?
Once the incision has healed, the American Cancer Society notes that showering, bathing and swimming are all fine with a port that is not accessed. MSK advises waiting one to two weeks after placement before baths or pools. When the port is accessed with a needle and dressing in place, the site needs to stay dry.
What do people find hardest in the first couple of weeks?
The most common reports are soreness for several days, a stiff shoulder, spreading bruising before it fades, discomfort sleeping on that side, and the seatbelt sitting directly on the site. A folded towel or small cushion under the belt is a frequent workaround. Lifting over about ten pounds, running and contact sports are usually restricted while it heals.
When does the port come out?
It is removed when you no longer need it, or sooner if it becomes infected. Removal is a short procedure under local anaesthetic. Many teams leave ports in through the first stretch of surveillance scans, so ask your oncologist how long they plan to keep yours.
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Written by: Cancer ExplainedSources last checked: 2026-08-13 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-18Next planned review: 2027-01-30
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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