At A Glance
Author	Nikki
Contact	Nikki@bme.anon
When	A month ago
Artist	Aaron
Studio	Tribal Ways
Location	Boston, MA

Hey guys!

I'm a writing major at Emerson College, and I'm a happy bunny. The very first day of February 2003 I treated myself to an industrial piercing. I've toyed around with the idea of getting one for a while and didn't have any other piercings except for one 14G navel which was done 7 months ago.

I had heard of Tribal Ways' reputation, and I called them to make an appointment. My piercer was going to be Aaron and I had read about him on the studio's website. I brought my friend Diana with me because I can scream like a girl for pain. My boyfriend Christopher came to Tribal Ways directly after work because he was excited for me too. :)

Before I got there I made sure I had plenty of candy and brought a bottle of apple juice with me. When I had my navel pierced, I felt light-headed and dizzy, so I didn't want the same thing to happen again.

I got there and Stephen, the receptionist guy, gave me a care sheet. It was very thorough and it explained to me how the procedure would go and the aftercare instructions. I waited for a bit and then I went in the piercing room where Ryan, the assistant, cleaned my ear very carefully. Then Aaron came in and sterilized his hands by washing them and put on some gloves.

He marked my ear where the placement was going to be, and told me to relax. I giggled because I felt high and giddy, excited and nervous at the same time.

It hurt.

When the needle went through, I didn't hear the pop or crunching sound that was mentioned in the stories here at BME. Aaron did the top hole first, and boy did it hurt. I cringed and gripped onto the chair... then the second hole got pierced and all I could do was laugh very nervously and say, "ow ow ow ow ow." Before I knew it though, Aaron slid the barbell in (16G) through the hole and the needle came out and landed on the table next to me with a cork in it. He screwed the ball on tight and I couldn't feel anything for a couple of seconds, and my ear felt like burning. It's probably because he numbed the needle.

But it really did hurt. It hurt about 50 times more than my navel did.

Aaron had put in the long barbell right away instead of the two rings because he explained to me that the ear should adapt to the placement of the bar *as* it heals. I thanked Aaron and left with my friend Diana and my boyfriend Christopher, who couldn't stop smiling and mouthing the word "hot" silently. When we went outside the wind blew on it and it hurt so much, but at the same time the cold air numbed it some more. But I was bouncing around like I normally do and I was really happy about my fresh new piercing. It felt really good to be around one of my best friends and my loving, amazing boyfriend.

I've had the industrial for a month now and it doesn't hurt anymore, nor is it sore. I still don't sleep on it though, and sleep facing the ceiling or to my left. (The industrial is in my right ear.) This is the first ear piercing I have (I don't even have my lobs pierced) so I'm really excited. I clean it with Bactine every day and spin the jewelry up and down. Sometimes when I get bored in class I touch the shiny ball at the end and it makes me a happy bunny. :)

I used liquid Ivory soap to lather the piercing in the shower, spinning the jewelry and making sure the soap gets into the wound. At first it really stung but now it's ok. I'm actually surprised how fast it's healing. I haven't had problems with those nasty little flesh bumps so I'm crossing my fingers and knocking on wood. I think soaking the piercing with salt water in the initial week really helped. I was very religious about soaking it every day for the first week.

It's an absolutely beautiful piercing and I love it. I've gotten so many comments on it and it's now a part of me. I love Tribal Ways so much that I had Aaron pierce my tongue just 3 days ago, just one month after I got my industrial. But that's another story.

If you're thinking about getting an industrial, do it!! It does hurt but it's sooo worth it. It's only been a month since I've pierced it but it's healing so well and I don't even feel it there.

If any of you have questions please AIM me at baitbunny, I'm online all the time and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Now I'm thinking about getting a low snug on my left ear! What do you think? :)

Peace, Love, and Rock N' Roll,

--Nikki.