My "Industrial" Experience
At A Glance Author Aithinne Contact Aithinne@bme.anon When A year ago Studio 23rd Street Body Piercing Location Oklahoma City, OK I've always been into body piercings. Even though as a teenager I wasn't allowed to get one because my father was/is a church elder, I still loved to look at other people's piercings.
I had seven ear piercings, six of them done with a gun (hey... I was a stupid teen without money, and it was the only thing my mother would agree too!). I wanted more piercings, at the time primarily my ears because as I am a big "pain wimp" I didn't want to have to worry about getting one that would be too painful for me to handle. Basically, I just typed "ear piercings" into the search engine at Google.com and started clicking on the links!
After a couple weeks of visiting a few sites a night, the industrial piercing started looking very appealing to me. I made up my mind; I just HAD to have one!
So I took my daughter over to the sitter's house one afternoon (she hadn't quite turned 3 yet) and went over to 23rd Street to talk to one of the guys there. I wasn't really planning on getting the piercing at the time, because I didn't know if I would like any of the piercers that were there. As I work in the medical field I didn't want to have someone that I don't trust messing with needles and my body!
I must have talked to the man at the counter for a half hour before I decided I liked him, then I just decided "What the heck?" because my daughter was already *at* the sitter's and I had paid up for a couple hours. So I braced myself, and signed all the forms. Thank goodness that I had brought all my i.d. with me, because I definitely don't look old enough to buy cigarettes or alcohol, much less a piercing!
After I paid, I walked into a room that reminded me of one of the cleanest exam rooms I've seen in a while, and I work in them a lot! The piercer and I discussed cleaning solutions (we use the same sterilization and disinfectant cleaners), how to make saline (of which I had 3 50mL sterile saline bottles in my purse, again from work), how to clean the piercing, how to lay down, etc.
Then he marked my ear with a purple marker and had me check the marks in the mirror. That really brought home the fact that yes, this was really fixing to happen! I was so excited.
No, he didn't clamp my ear. I was very worried about that, because I had heard from many people that the worst part of their piercings happened when the clamps were applied. His explanation was that as long as I laid still he wouldn't need the clamps, and he noticed that people bled more when that part of their ear is clamped, so I was all cool with it. I doubt that I would have been ABLE to move anyway, the way my hands were clutching the table! He had me lay down on the table, which was moved up as far as it would go as I am pretty short) and told me to mimic his breathing patterns, breathing in and out with him.
After a couple minutes of breathing with him I felt almost like I was going into a trance. I just breathed... it was like the rest of the world just "stopped". Then I heard the needle go through. I never felt it, just heard the "pop" as it went through the cartilage. Then another "pop", and he was threading the barbell into my ear and attaching the ball. That was it. There was no pain, no bleeding, nothing. My ear didn't even swell afterwards!
I got up a few minutes later (I was a little lightheaded from the "pops"... they really freaked me out for a minute) and went home with a bottle of Provon soap and written directions. I followed the directions to the T, even though I know most people don't. I never had a problem with bleeding during or after, infections, or anything else. It has healed up beautifully, and even though my hair is to the middle of my back it really never gets caught in either of the balls.
I had such a positive experience with that piercing that I've decided that I want to get other piercings... primarily nipple piercings, and a venom piercing. However, before the venom piercing I need to have my tongue web cut (it's way too tight, I can barely stick my tongue out over my teeth!) and I have no idea who to go to in order to get that done. But I'll stop now... because the next two are different stories to tell when I finally can get them to happen!