Hi. My name is Alyssa. First I'll start off by giving you all some background information about myself. I just turned 16 last Wednesday, February 18th (2004). Before I got my rook pierced, I had a total of 13 piercings: my navel, which I got last June, and I have 4 lobes on each ear, (3 of which I did myself), 3 cart. and one that isn't really on the lobe, but its not high enough to be cart. I did a total of 6 ear piercings myself.
At A Glance Author Alyssa Contact blinkmeblindl4@yahoo.com When A month ago Artist Dani Studio Tattoo You Location Mckeesport, PA Anyway, last year, in maybe march, I had to do a paper in Freshman Communications class; something that was disputable. We had this huge list of things to choose from, and since I thought piercings were pretty cool, I chose that. I looked up piercing websites, leading my to BME. I fell in love with piercings! That love quickly turned to an obsession, yes I'll admit it, and I had an obsession. I chose to do ear gauging because I didn't really like THAT too much (later I grew to kind of like it.).
After all the paper stuff was done, I was still frequently visiting BME. I saw the rook, which I instantly fell in love with, but at the time my parents thought I had "too many holes" in my ear; you know how it goes. So I decided I'd want my navel pierced instead. I got that done, but I still REALLY wanted that rook! It's so cute, and so pretty, and yet, so badass. So I had to get it!
Almost a year later, my birthday was getting closer and closer. I decided to ask my dad first because he's easier to talk into stuff. I wrote him a note so he couldn't interrupt my defense. Then I went out and talked to him about it and he said he'd consider it. I took that as a yes and tried to talk my mom into it. It wasn't nearly as hard to do as I thought because she said "I know there's really nothing I can do to change your mind about wanting it, so we might as well let you get it done."
My birthday strolled around, and my parents and I chose to get my rook done the Saturday after. Well, that Saturday I was having my party; so my mom said she'd rather me get it done Friday. That made me extremely nervous real fast because I wasn't quite ready yet!! But I called my boyfriend to come with me for support, and him, my daddy, and me were off. Once we got to Tattoo You, I kind of felt like puking because I was preparing for the most painful thing ever. Most people say it hurt like hell, ya know? So I was expecting that.
Once we got there, my dad and I filled out all the forms and I watched my piercer get all the piercing stuff ready. She asked my if the jewelry was okay, and I said yes. She looked at my ear and said I have a pretty small rook, but it'll work out anyway. I watched her clean everything, which made me feel pretty good about not getting any bad infections or anything. I sat up on this little stool, and held my boyfriend's hand. She cleaned my ear, with a lot of stuff to disinfect it and make sure not germs or bacteria would be right where she's piercing. I felt the clamp, which didn't hurt at all; it didn't even feel really uncomfortable. Next I felt a little tiny pinch, then a little pull and tug, and it was over! All she had to do was get the ball on!
Getting the ball on was the hardest part because it's so little, but it still felt like nothing. I was so surprised and relieved! It was just a huge relief to be so worried about the pain, and then get nothing. My piercer asked my how bad I thought it hurt, and even she was surprised at how I handled it. She told me that most people think it's the worst and most painful, but I loved it! My boyfriend wasn't so fond of it, but then again, he loves me, and seeing my blood probably freaked him out a little bit. He said he thinks it's cool, but he doesn't like the thought of my blood or me in pain.... so I called him a wuss.
Anyway, my piercer gave me some Epson salt in case of an infection. She told me to clean it with antibacterial soap like Dial... which I always have at home to keep my other piercings clean and safe. I went home with a little dried blood on my ear, not much at all, and a red ear. (When I get nervous, my ears turn red...but only the one I got pierced turned red...it knew!) I got home and cleaned it before I went to bed. It wasn't too hard to clean, but it was kind of tough considering where it is.
All in all, I absolutely LOVE my new rook piercing! My ears feel complete now. I would recommend this piercing to anyone because it's not that bad, and it's beautiful! My parents even don't hate it; they don't like it, but they don't hate it either. If you go to get this pierced, I'd suggest to be prepared for it to hurt really badly, so if it does, you'll be ready; but if it doesn't, you'll just be relieved. In a week, it'll be a month for my rook; and I currently have a weird bubble pimple type thing on it. I don't think it's a keloid because it has white stuff in it. I don't really know what to do about it, so if anyone does, please email me. Thanks!