Everyday questions about looking after yourself during treatment: chemoport, PICC line, home chemo pump and stoma care.
Everyday questions about looking after yourself during treatment.
Tap any topic on the map to read about it. Topics with an arrow open more topics.
Both are thin tubes that carry medicines into a large vein near the heart, so your arm veins are protected and you do not need a new needle prick in the arm each time.
Chemoport
PICC line
Where
Under the skin of the upper chest. Nothing shows outside.
Enters a vein in the upper arm. The end stays outside, under a dressing.
How long
Months to years
Weeks to months
Bathing
Normal, once the wound has healed
Cover it; keep it dry
Swimming
Allowed once healed, if no needle is in the port
No
Regular care
Flushed by a nurse
Dressing and flush every week by a nurse
A small disc placed under the skin of the chest, joined to a thin tube in a large vein. A trained nurse reaches it through the skin with a special needle. Tap a topic on the map.
Soreness and a small bruise are normal. They should improve within 1 to 2 days. Take the pain medicine you were advised.
Keep the dressing dry. You can usually bathe after 48 hours, as advised by the team that placed the port.
Do not pick at the glue or skin strips. They come off on their own in about 7 to 10 days.
Do not scrub the area, soak in a tub or swim until the wound has fully healed.
Avoid lifting anything heavier than 4 to 5 kg until your doctor says it is fine.
Bathing: as usual. No dressing or special care is needed.
Walking, yoga, housework, office work: all fine.
Vigorous sport (racket sports, cricket, heavy gym weights): ask first. Strong arm movements can shift the tube.
Seat belt: if it presses on the port, place a small folded towel between the belt and your chest.
Swimming: allowed once healed, but not while a needle is in the port.
A flush is a small amount of fluid pushed through the port, to stop it from blocking.
During treatment: done each time the port is used.
Between courses or after treatment: usually every 4 weeks. After chemotherapy is over, your doctor may space this to every 8 to 12 weeks. Studies show this is safe.
It must be done by trained staff, with a special port needle. Keep your dates, and do not miss them.
This happens if you go home with a chemo pump.
Keep the dressing dry and in place. Do not swim, and do not let the shower spray hit it.
A quick prick. A numbing cream can be applied an hour before; ask us.
Can blood tests be taken from it?
Yes, by trained staff. This saves your arm veins.
Can I have CT and MRI scans?
Most ports are safe for scans. Tell the scan staff you have a port, and show your port card if you were given one. Only some ports can be used for the scan's contrast injection.
Can I travel?
Yes. Tell us before a long trip, so that a flush can be planned.
When is it removed?
When you no longer need it, or if it gets infected. It is a small procedure.
A thin, soft tube placed through a vein in the upper arm. Its tip lies in a large vein near the heart. The outer end stays on your arm, under a dressing. Tap a topic on the map.
Normal light use of the arm is good, and helps the blood flow: dressing, eating, writing, light housework.
Avoid: lifting heavy things, gym weights, and repeated or forceful overhead movements with that arm.
Swimming and soaking in a tub: no.
Blood pressure: use the other arm. Remind the staff. Blood should not be drawn from this arm with an ordinary needle either.
Keep the line away from scissors, blades and pets. Keep the outer end secured, so that it does not catch on clothes.
Cover the line with a waterproof sleeve, or wrap it with cling film, before you bathe.
Hold the arm away from the water. Do not let it go under water, or take the direct spray.
The dressing resists splashes, but it is not waterproof.
Do not apply cream, lotion or powder on or near the site.
Every week: the dressing is changed, the line is flushed and the cap is changed, by a trained nurse. This is needed even during a break from chemotherapy.
Sooner if the dressing is wet, loose or dirty.
Do not change the dressing or flush the line yourself, unless you have been trained to.
Wash your hands before touching the line. Keep the clamp closed when it is not in use.
Each day, look at the site, and at the length of line showing outside.
What you notice
What to do
The line has come out
Lie down. Press firmly on the site with clean gauze or cloth until the bleeding stops. Go to the emergency department and take the line with you.
The line is cut or leaking
Close the clamp between the break and your arm, or fold the line over and tape it. Come in now.
The line looks longer than usual
Do not push it back in, and do not use it. Tape it down. Call now.
Fever of 38°C or more, or shivering (especially just after a flush)
Emergency. Go now.
Chest pain, trouble breathing, a racing heart or dizziness
A light, disposable pump that gives chemotherapy slowly at home, through your chemoport or PICC line. It is often used for 5-FU, over about 46 hours. A balloon inside slowly gets smaller as it pushes the medicine in. It has no battery and makes no sound, so a silent pump is normal. Tap a topic on the map.
Carrying: keep it in its pouch, close to your body, at about the level of your port or PICC line. Height affects how fast it runs. Do not drop it.
Tape: the small connector stays taped to your skin. It helps the pump run at the correct speed. Tell us if it comes untaped.
Sleeping: keep it on the bed, in its pouch or under your pillow. Not on the floor, and not hung above your head.
Bathing: never put it in water, or under the shower. Seal it in a plastic bag, and keep it outside the bathing area.
Temperature: keep it at room temperature, away from direct sun and strong heat or cold.
Daily activity: light work and walking are fine. Keep it away from children and pets.
Toilet: small amounts of chemotherapy pass into stool and urine, while the pump runs and for 48 hours after it comes off. Sit on the toilet, flush with the lid down, and wash your hands well. Wear gloves to wipe spills.
Look at the balloon every morning and evening. For a 46-hour pump, roughly:
Time
Balloon
Start
Full
24 hours
About half
36 hours
About a quarter
46 hours
Empty
Not getting smaller: check that the clamp is open and the tube is not kinked. If it is still the same at the next check, call us.
Empty much too early (by 41 hours or less): close the clamp and call us.
Empty a little before your visit: close the clamp, and leave the pump connected until your visit.
Only a trained nurse should disconnect it. Please do not disconnect it yourself, even if it looks empty.
You can choose: come to the hospital, or have a home care nurse disconnect it at home. Please arrange this before the pump is due to finish.
The line is flushed when the pump is taken off.
Stay calm. Close the clamp on your line.
Wear gloves. If you have none, cover your hands with plastic bags.
Still attached: do not disconnect it. Wrap the leaking part with gauze, tape it, and call us at once. Already off: seal the pump in a plastic bag.
Soak up any spill with a disposable cloth. Wash the area twice with soap and water. Put the cloth and gloves in a sealed bag too.
On your skin: wash at once with soap and water. In the eye: rinse with clean running water for 15 minutes.
Wash your hands. Call or message the duty mobile, 70321 67894. Bring the bags to the hospital.
What you notice
What to do
Chest pain, or trouble breathing
Close the clamp. Emergency. Go now, and say you are on 5-FU. Rarely, it can affect the heart.
A stoma is an opening of the bowel on the tummy, with a bag over it to collect stool. A colostomy is made from the large bowel, with softer or formed stool. An ileostomy is made from the small bowel, with liquid stool. Your stoma nurse will teach you and choose the right bag. Tap a topic on the map.
A healthy stoma is red or pink and moist. It has no feeling, so it does not hurt to touch.
Empty the bag when it is one-third to half full. A full bag can leak.
Change it about every 3 to 5 days, or as your nurse advises. Change it at once if it leaks.
Stomas can change size in the first weeks, or with weight change or chemotherapy. Measure it again, so that the hole in the bag fits.
Keep spare bags and supplies ready, for days when you feel tired.
Clean gently with plain lukewarm water, and dry with soft wipes or tissue.
Avoid wet wipes, and oily, perfumed or alcohol-based products. Oil stops the bag from sticking.
Soreness is usually from leakage, or a bag that does not fit. Call your stoma nurse if it does not settle in a few days.
Food: most people eat normally. Chew well. Add new foods one at a time. Regular meals help keep stool thicker.
Ileostomy: drink 8 to 10 glasses of fluid a day. Do not take laxatives. Dehydration can happen quickly.
Gas: cabbage, fizzy drinks, chewing gum and straws can add to it. Do not prick the bag to let out air, as it will start to smell. Filter bags help.
Bathing and swimming: you can bathe with the bag on or off. Keep it on to swim.
After surgery: walking is good. For 6 to 8 weeks, do not lift more than 4 to 5 kg. For 2 to 3 months, avoid sit-ups and hard exercise, to lower the risk of a hernia.
Travel: keep spare bags in your hand baggage.
Tablets (ileostomy): some may not absorb fully. Tell us if you see a tablet in the bag.
It is normal to feel upset about a stoma, and to worry about intimacy. Please tell us. Mind and emotions
Loose output is common. A drainable bag helps, so that the skin is not disturbed by frequent changes.
Eat bland food such as rice, potato, banana and porridge. Drink often; oral rehydration salts (ORS) help.
Medicines for loose stools: please ask us for the dose. With an ileostomy, tablets work better than capsules. With a colostomy, they can cause constipation.
The stoma can swell, bleed more easily, or get small ulcers, like mouth ulcers. These usually settle on their own.
Sore fingers or numbness can make the bag hard to handle. Tell your nurse, so that an easier bag can be chosen, or a family member can be taught.
Handling waste, for 48 hours after each dose (with a home pump, 48 hours after it comes off): small amounts of chemotherapy pass into stool and urine. Empty the bag sitting on the toilet, and flush with the lid down. Wear gloves to wipe spills. Put used bags in two tied plastic bags before the dustbin. Wash your hands well.
A little mucus from the back passage is normal, if it has not been removed.
What you notice
What to do
Stoma turns dark, purple or black
Emergency. Go now.
No output, with tummy pain, swelling or vomiting (for an ileostomy, 4 to 6 hours is enough to worry)
Emergency. Go now. It can be a blockage.
Watery output with dizziness, very little urine or confusion
Emergency. Go now.
Fever of 38°C or more
Emergency. Go now.
Heavy bleeding, or bleeding that does not stop after 10 minutes of gentle pressure
Emergency. Go now.
Emptying the bag far more often than usual (more than about 7 times a day)
Same day.
Blood inside the bag
Same day.
A new bulge around the stoma, or the stoma getting longer or sinking in
Tell your stoma nurse or surgeon this week; same day if it is painful.
This information is general. Follow the advice of your own care team and stoma nurse, as hospitals differ. If you are unsure, call or message the duty mobile. In an emergency, go to the nearest emergency department.
Written and medically reviewed by Dr Prathyusha Eaga, MD, DM (Medical Oncology). Last reviewed: 5 November 2026.
Have questions?
Book a hospital visit, a video consultation or a second opinion.