I guess some background is in order here, eh? Other than my earlobes, I didn't have any piercings until I was eighteen. (which I'm glad of...I think it was a good idea to wait until I was an adult. yada yada yada, grown-up-cakes, but my opinion stands. :) ) My freshman year of college I got an eyebrow piercing. It was fabulous, until I was getting my hair cut, the comb went in between my forehead and my barbell, and....yeah. That one got removed within the week. A few months later, I got my *other* eyebrow pierced, which I kept for almost a year, until it started rejecting. (boo for that.) Last year, I got my nose pierced, which healed ridiculously quickly, gave me no problems, and I still have. *This* year (sensing a theme? I swear it's not intentional!), I got a vague itch for another piercing about a month ago. I headed to the BME website (of course!) and narrowed it to an ear piercing of some kind. I like the look of cartilage piercings, but decided for my first ear pier cing, I wanted something more unusual. So, eventually, I got it down to either a tragus piercing or a rook. With that, I headed down to 252 to get pierced!
At A Glance Author Meghan Contact Meghan@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Can't remember her name--sorry! Studio 252 Tattoo Location Oberlin, OH When I got there, I asked my piercer which piercing she thought would work better. She recommended the rook piercing--didn't think I had enough cartilage for a successful tragus piercing. I appreciated that she wasn't someone who'd put a needle through where-ever as long as I had the cash, and I was just as happy with a rook piercing.
I'd been to this place once before for myself (the nose piercing), and several other times with friends (one tattoo, two eyebrows, two nipple piercings...), so I knew their routine--everyone who works there is really careful about keeping things sterile, they have a nice big piercing room (with a comfortable chair--always important), they don't mind my increasingly stupid jokes as I prepare myself for it...after we'd talked about the size of the piercing and the jewelry I wanted, I had my ear marked, okayed the placement--and then came the needle!
This is the only part of this piercing that was kinda ugly. I'm not some superwoman oblivious to pain (okay, I'm kind of a weenie), but I can handle things that hurt when there's a reward at the end. The piercings I've had in the past stung, yeah, but there wasn't any shrieking or fainting. They hurt about as much as it does to give blood--maybe less, in fact. But this one hurt a *lot*--more than I was expecting. It stung quite a bit when the needle went through, and putting the jewelry in hurt like a *mother*. Also, this is the only time I've gotten pierced that I had a reaction beyond just "ow"--I started feeling really warm and light-headed. Not like I was going to faint, exactly...just that I suddenly started wishing for an air conditioner and lots of ice water. Definitely an uncomfortable feeling. I was actually pretty embarrassed; I don't think of myself as someone who can't handle pain! It turned out fine, though--I got an icepack under my neck, and after a few minute s of sitting and breathing deeply I was feeling normal again. I paid, got my aftercare instructions, and was on my way.
I talked to a friend later that day who said that some nerves in our ears are connected to other random parts of our bodies (hey, I'm an English major, I don't *do* biology!), which I think is why I reacted so bizarrely. The first time I cleaned my piercing, that evening, I had the same general reaction--I had to sit down for a few seconds in the middle of it. After that, though, there've been no problems. I think my body just had to get used to it.
Despite the initial wonkiness, I love this piercing. It's taking longer to heal than the other ones I've gotten, but this is my first cartilage piercing, so I think it's par for the course. It's still a little sore when I poke at my ear, but it doesn't hurt regularly, and I can sleep on that side fine. It also felt "tighter" in my ear at first than my other piercings did (I had to work at it to rotate the jewelry), but that's also loosened up as it's been healing. I really like how the rook looks, and I totally recommend it to anyone thinking about it. Just be aware of the pain factor, and go into it knowing that it's not quite as straightforward as a piercing that just goes through flesh. But by all means, go for it! It's definitely worth it.
I know I want to get a few more ear piercings. I'm leaning towards a couple of plain cartilage ones, but I'd also like to get something else...but what? Undoubtedly, I'll be back here checking out other experience stories pretty soon. :)