You will swallow the drug, just as you do many other medications. You will get an injection with a needle. The medication will be applied onto the skin. Catheters may be placed directly into the spinal fluid, abdominal cavity, bladder, or liver. Your doctor or nurse may use specific terms when talking about certain types of catheters.
External pumps remain outside of the body.
Some are portable and allow a person to move around while the pump is in use. Other external pumps are not portable and may restrict activity. Internal pumps are placed surgically inside the body, usually right under the skin. Internal pumps allow people to go about most of their daily activities. Getting chemotherapy by mouth, on the skin, or by injection generally feels the same as taking other medications by these methods.