Everyone always told me that you just don't use a gun on cartilage piercings. Period. Well, last year I was young and stupid, I've learned my lesson. I never thought that someone would say they were something they weren't just to make a quick buck..and I didn't even pay that much to have my ear pierced...five bucks. I should have known. That's a pretty cheap piercing. But after all, how was I to know? Angela told me she was a "professional"...yeah right..
At A Glance Author Heather Contact role_players@quackquack.com Artist Angela (don't know last name) Studio Angela's Final Touch Location Evansburg, Alberta (Canada) As we sat, writing some story in language arts class, one of my friends, Melissa, leaned over and asked me if I wanted to get my cartilage pierced with her. It would be a friendship thing. I, myself, love piercing my ears and thought, hey what the hell. Big mistake. We got a few of our friends together and each conned 5 dollars out of our parents (yeah...five dollars...pretty cheap for a cartilage piercing, eh?) before we headed down Angela's Final Touch.
All my friends had already gone, it was finally my turn, my nerves were on edge and I asked Angela for about the 10th time if she truly professional, she said yes. I believed her...stupid mistake which I still pay for...She numbed my ear a little then marked the dot. I picked out a ruby stud and then she proceeded to pierce my cartilage with a PIERCING GUN. Yeah, a piercing gun. It has now ruined my life. The pain at that moment was excruicating but got slightly better once she put even more numbing jell on it..Don't ask me why she did that, I have no clue. She should have told me about the blood that had begin to pour down my ear. But, she was a "professional" so when I glanced in the mirror, I toughed it out and left...She knew what she was talking about after all...yeah right.
I knew something was wrong the minute I stepped out of the car to walk into my house, it was mid-November and pretty cold. My ear was throbbing, and it started to bleed really bad. I ignored and went in and went to bed. I was tired, I'm not sure why. It was only 4 in the afternoon.
I tossed and turned all night, always sure not to sleep on my ear, it hurt like a bitch by then. I just couldn't get to sleep. I had to go to my dad's the next day anyway, so I got up and packed my bag, ignoring the dull ringing in my ears.
I yelped loudly as my step-mother struggled to free the giant mound of hair that had twirled around my stud, it dug into the back of my ear, agitating it more. I was never warned that you were not to use hair products, or tuck your hair behind your ears...It's not good for it..By now my ear was pretty swollen, and I cried whenever someone touched it...it hurt really bad.
After a while the ringing stopped, but I could barely hear out of my left ear (the one I had pierced)...I knew something was wrong, but I was stupid. I never thought about taking that damn stud out and letting it grow in.
Well, after about 3 months I was ecsatic that I would be able to change my earring to a hoop, so I sprinted up the stairs, cleaned the earrings and my hands and proceeded to grasp the back of my earring. I passed out...the pain was intense...Before my hearing was gone just a little bit...Today I could barely even hear if someone was whispering in my ear.
I went to my doctor in tears. My hearing had been perfect before I went to Angela the "Professional Piercer"...I have trouble understanding what he's telling me...partly because I cannot hear him...partly because I don't want to believe it. When Angela pierced my ear, the cartilage shot down and somehow lodged near my ear drum..He doesn't know why my hearing became worse when I tried to change the earring.
I still cry at night, maybe because had I not decided to go with my friends on that November day I'd still be able to hear out of my left ear...maybe it was fate. I'm not sure..I just want to warn anyone thinking about having their cartilage pierced to talk the money and go to a REAL professional...No one deserves to have happen to them what happened to me...
Anyone that is curious about my experience may e-mail me...I'm not short or words, just tired...