The short answer
An implanted port is placed in minor surgery that takes about an hour, leaves a sore, visible bump while you heal, and needs regular flushing plus a right-away call for fever or infection signs.
Placement is usually a day case done with local anaesthetic plus sedation, and ACS says the surgery takes about an hour.
Soreness and bruising ease as you heal. ACS says full recovery takes about 7 to 14 days, so ask your team about showering, lifting and swimming.
A raised bump under the skin is permanent while the port is in place, and you will feel it against seatbelts and bra straps.
ACS says prescription numbing cream applied before needle access can reduce discomfort. Ask how long before the visit it must go on.
On this page
Choose how you want to read this
The whole article, with every detail and caution.
If your care team has suggested a port for your treatment, this page walks you through what to expect. It covers the day it goes in, how the site feels afterwards, how it is used, and when to call for help.
What a Port Actually Is
NCI describes a port as a small, round disc placed under your skin during minor surgery. It is usually on the chest. A thin, soft tube called a catheter connects it to a large vein. A nurse can put a needle into the port to give chemotherapy or draw blood.
What Happens on the Day the Port Goes In
Placement is minor surgery, and ACS says it takes about an hour. It is usually done as an outpatient procedure. Some people get local anesthesia (numbing) plus medicine to relax. MedlinePlus says others are put into a deep sleep. Ask which you will have.
ACS says there are two small cuts, one below the collarbone and one in the neck area.
Budget far more time than the procedure takes. Blood tests, waiting, and sedation recovery fill the day. You should not drive afterwards, so arrange a lift.
What the Site Feels Like Afterwards
Expect the site to be sore and bruised at first. ACS says full recovery takes about 7 to 14 days. Ask your team what pain is normal and what to do for it.
You will be able to feel the port under your skin for as long as it is in.
Before you leave, ask about showering, driving, lifting and exercise. ACS says you can usually shower 1 to 2 days after placement if the area is covered with a waterproof bandage. MedlinePlus says you can bathe or swim when the port is not being used, once your provider says you are ready.
How the Port Is Used for Treatment
To use the port, a trained nurse puts a special needle through your skin into it. ACS says a prescription numbing cream applied before the needle can prevent or reduce discomfort. Ask how long before the visit the cream needs to go on, because it takes time to work.
Flushing Between Treatments
While the port is in regular use, it is flushed after each use. When it is idle, it still needs flushing to help prevent clots. MedlinePlus says about once a month. ACS says every 4 to 12 weeks.
Get your center's interval in writing, along with who books it and where it happens. This is the appointment most easily lost once active treatment ends.
When to get help sooner
- Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you suddenly cannot breathe properly or get chest pain, especially alongside swelling in the arm, neck or face on the port side. Do not drive yourself.
- Call your care team right away, day or night, if your temperature reaches 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or you have chills, a sore throat, mouth sores or burning when you urinate, even with a normal temperature. CDC says to call your doctor right away for a temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, and calls a fever during chemotherapy a medical emergency. If you cannot get through quickly, go to an emergency department and tell them you have a port and are on cancer treatment.
- Call your care team right away, day or night, if the port site is red, warm, swollen or painful, has red streaks around it, drains yellow or green fluid, or the port seems to have moved. MedlinePlus lists all of these as reasons to call. (CDC)
- Call your care team right away, day or night, if the arm, neck or face on the port side swells, or new prominent veins appear across your chest. This can be a sign of a clot. For emergencies call 911 or go to the ER.
- Call your care team right away, day or night, if the port will not flush, or blood will not draw back. MedlinePlus lists a port that cannot be accessed as a reason to call right away (MedlinePlus).
- Call your care team the same day if the skin over the port looks thin, shiny or is starting to break down.
Report problems early. Do not save them for the next scheduled visit.
Sources
Common questions
Will I be asleep for the placement?
Usually not fully. Most centers use local anaesthetic over the chest and neck plus sedation through a drip, so you are drowsy and comfortable but breathing on your own. Some centers use general anaesthesia. Either way you should not drive afterwards, so arrange a lift home.
Does getting the port accessed hurt every time?
Access means a nurse puts a needle into the port. ACS says a prescription numbing cream applied before the needle can prevent or reduce discomfort. If it bothers you, ask your team for the cream and how long before the appointment it needs to go on.
Can I shower, swim or exercise with a port?
MedlinePlus says that when the port is not being used, you can bathe or swim once your provider says you are ready. ACS says you can usually shower 1 to 2 days after placement if the area is covered with a waterproof bandage, and full recovery takes about 7 to 14 days. Get your own team's timeline in writing.
How long can a port stay in?
ACS says a port can stay under the skin for weeks, months or even years, depending on your treatment. It comes out when your team agrees you no longer need it.
Questions to ask your doctor
Being prepared helps you get the most out of your appointments. Save or print these questions.
Tap a question to save it to your list (kept on this device).
Talk with a trained specialist or navigator
Cancer Explained provides educational guidance, but does not replace trained specialists, social workers, or your medical team.
Talk to a trained cancer information specialist
Free, confidential assistance from NCI Cancer Information Service via phone, chat, or email.
Contact your oncology team
Locate after-hours contact numbers, portal messages, or urgent triage phone lines.
Find a patient navigator
Get one-on-one help with appointments, logistics, translation, and care coordination.
Find a genetic counselor
Discuss inherited mutation risk, family history, and genetic testing options.
Find an oncology social worker
Access emotional counseling, family support groups, and mental health resources.
Find a financial navigator
Locate copay assistance foundations, grant programs, and lodging/travel support.
Find a clinical-trial specialist
Search matching studies and speak with NCI trial information specialists.
Get urgent help
Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher during chemo, severe pain, or trouble breathing: call your cancer care team right away, day or night. Call 911 for an emergency.
Know someone who needs this?
Plenty of people are looking for something like this and do not know where to start. If this would help a friend or someone you love, send it on — we have written an opening line so you do not have to stare at an empty message. You can change every word of it.
Your message is written and sent in your own email or messaging app — we never see who you send it to, and nothing is added to any list.
Plain-language explanation of the published sources cited on this page. AI-assisted, source-checked, not clinician-reviewed.
Written by: Cancer ExplainedSources last checked: 2026-08-13 what this meansLast updated: 2026-09-29Next planned review: 2027-01-30
Review details and limits
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, and this 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 then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
General education — varies by person. Answers genuinely differ between people. This page explains what commonly varies and points you to your care team 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.
Words to know
Tap any term to see what it means.
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, and this 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 then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. 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.
Read more about our editorial process, our use of AI, and our corrections policy.
Spotted a problem? Report an error — a factual mistake, broken or outdated source, confusing wording, or anything that seems unsafe. Please do not include names, medical record numbers, dates of birth, addresses, or other identifying medical information in your report.
After using this page, do you understand what to do next?
Anonymous — we only record the answer, never who gave it.