"Conches do trickle"

At A Glance Author Nick Contact disinterested2k@hotmail.com Artist Meg Studio Tribal Ways Location Boston, MA

Hi everyone, it's nick here again, it has been 4 months since I got my left conch pierced at 16g at tribal ways in boston mass. My conch is my favorite piercing I have, out of my upper cartilage (DURING THE SUMMER:PART2) and my conch, both pierced at tribal ways. It's unusual, scares people, but mainstream enough that my parents aren't freakin out.

My conch experience started about a month or two before I got it pierced, when I felt the urge to have a needle stuck through my body again. I had wanted (and still want) my tongue done more than anything, but it'll have to wait cuz my parents think it's like the most discusting thing ever. So anyway, after numerous fights, we decided that I could get ONE LAST PIERCING, and after this one, I agreed that I would never ask for another piercing untill I'm atleast 16 (shea, right). At tribal ways, if your under 18, you need to have your parent call to make your apointment. So, after weeks of begging, my mom told me she'd call to make the apointment. Wednesday, June 7, while I was in study hall, I got an urge to find out when my appointment was, and told my teacher I needed to get homework from my science teacher, and ran to the phone and called her. Mom hadn't made the appointment yet, but was about to. When I got home that day, I check my e-mail (like I do everyday) and there was one from mom saying that I had an apointment for that Friday, at 3:30 pm, 45 minutes after school ended, and we would have to go right from school. Whoo hoo! I was so happy!!! That was probably the longest week I've ever expierienced!

After what seemed like forever, Friday rolled around, and I found myself sitting in my last period class (math) taking my math final. "BRIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!" the bell rang and I went flying down the stairs, knocking people out of the way, trying to get to the parking lot, looking for my friend (who will remain nameless) and my mom. The whole car ride there I was playing with my hair clip, and listening to WBCN while we sat in newbury street trafic. We reached the end of newbury street with about 10 minutes untill my appontment, and parked in our "secrect parking lot" (getting a parking space on newbury street is about as impossable as my parents letting me get my tongue pierced, if you catch my drift) and walked up to the building, where tribal ways is.

We got into the elevator, with 4 other people going to tribal ways, and pressed the button for floor 2. "DING" 1st floor, we keep on moving up...."DING" second floor and we all get ready for the doors to open....Nothing. "C'mon, open up! Let's go, we need to go, NOW!" we all screamed at the door. Still nothing. We had like 2 minutes to get there, and we were stuck in the elevator!!! Now let me give you some backround info...Ever since my dad took me on the tower of terror in disney world when I was 7, I've been freaked out about elevators. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" 1st of all, I was practicly shaking because I was about to have a needle stuck through my ear...and now we were stuck in and elevator!!!! Omigod, I was so scared, we were all pressing the emergency call button, door open and everthing, but nothing happened. One guy triend to pull the door open, but then my mom freaked at that and told him not to.

After like a few minutes, the door opened, and we all tripped on the way out, cuz the floor wasn't even with the elevator floor. We ran right in, just in time for my appoinment, and Aaron sat mom and i down on two fold up chairs, and my friend sat on the oh-so-cumfy couch. Aaron explained aftercare, and gauges with us. (they do conches in 16 or 14, depending what they can fit around your ear.)

After aftercare was explained, some girl had her navel looked at, and her ring was changed. While the girl was in the room, Aaron looked at my ear outer conch and noticed my keloid I got, and talked to me about keloiding, and took out his 4g conch plug (whick made my mom practicly pass out) and showed us some keloiding on his. (By the way, if anyone knows some good sdvice of getting rid of keloids, and fluid filled bubbles, email me) Then mom and I both signed away my life, and Meg, my piercer, who was my assistant piercer last time, came out and introduced herself, and took me back into the piercing room.

The room was white, and had a lot of tribal pictures on the wall, and smelt very much like someone washed the walls with alcohol. I sat down in a bright red chair, and meg's assistant cleaned my ear with alcohol, and antibacterial soap. Then meg came in, and told my friend to stand by the door. She said hi again, then gave me a Q-tip to show her where I wanted to get pierced. She put the ring on my ear, and brought over the mirror for me to see, and the placement was perfect. She pulled out a marker and marked me. The assistant called in Aaron, who double checked the dot, and okay'd it. I then told meg I realy didn't want to see the needle, which was fine with her, and she put on a pair of gloves, and asked me if I was ready. And of course I said "hell ya!" She opened up the needle right after I shut my eyes, and said "I'm gonna have you take a deep breth, and it'll be all over."

She placed the needle up to the dot, and I could feel the tip, which realy scared me, but I took realy deep breaths, which kinda clamed me down. I looked over at my friend, who stuck her tongue out at me, which helped calm my nervs a lot. Meg put a cork behind my ear and said "take a deep breath..." and I felt a very, very sharp pain shoot through my ear, and I could even feel the needle pass though my ear, which scared me a lot. Like 2 seconds after the pain she said "good job, you doing great, now all I'm gonna do is put the ring in." I felt her pull the needle out pretty forcefully, which hurt a lot also, and then she said "ok, great now all I'm gonna do is pop the bead on. I opened up my eyes and saw her pull out the ring closing pliers, and she put those on the ring, which slipped, and hurt a lot, but then got the bead in, and thats when I bled.

She told me "conches usually trickle a lot, but your not trickling that much at all!" So as I'm stitting there and meg's cleaning me up, I hear a crash from the conner of the room. I friend had thrown up!!! After we cleaned her, and me up, meg wrote down on a card what to do about my keloid, and I walked out into the waiting room to show my mom. Mom didn't love it, but she didn't hate it. I gave meg a tip, and we were on our way. We went to starbucks, and got frapachinos, then went home and dropped off my friend (who was feeling much better) and I went home to take a shower, for my frineds party. My ear was, and still is extreamly sore, and hurts whenever anything touches it.

One word of advice. DO NOT GO TO A PARTY WITH A FRESH PIERCING!!! Everyone flipped out (probably cuz I live in such a conservitive town) and kept on knocking it when we danced.

I also have now gotten what feels like 2 bubbles on the back of the piercing, so if anyone knows something that can get rid of these, please tell me.

I love my piericng, and advise everyone to get pierced the 1st chance they get. I was nervous, but going through the pain is totally worth it, because of how incredibly awsome it looks! I think i'm gonna try for an industrial, a nape and hopefully my tongue next. E-mail me if you have any questions, coments, or whatever. My email is up on the box thing, but here it is again disinterested2k@hotmail.com and my IM name is hiza ashi.

Happy piercing!

-Nick