I have a friend named Katie H. Who has a conch piercing. I thought it was pretty and thought it'd be a nice addition to my collection ( 00, 5/8, and 2 gauge lobes, 7 other ear piercings,
At A Glance Author Shelly Contact Shelly@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Meeeeeee Studio in my bedroom/bathroom Location Wisconsin - land of hicks and cows eyebrow, nose, and labret). I asked her about the pain factor and she said it hurt like a b**ch, but it was worth it. So I decided to give myself one. I would've gone somewhere professional, but the closest place is about 50 miles away in Madison, so that was out of the question. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing and no plans could've been made anyways.
So I got out my 14ga piercing needle, a cork, and a labret stud ( I didn't have a barbell or a large enough ring, so I had to compromise). I cleaned them with alcohol and band-aid solution and readied myself. I was very apprehensive because of how thick the cartilage is in that spot. I admit I was afraid of the pain at first, but am very determined. I told myself that the actual piercing shows that you went through pain to get it. It's kind of a trophy, if you will, for dealing with the pain. It shows how strong you are. So I positioned the needle and slowly pushed through. By this point it was in a little ways, but I couldn't see it very well in my bedroom mirror. I moved into the bathroom and pushed as hard as I could.. I knew from trying to pierce my tragus that the cartilage is the hardest substance to go through, and if I could get it through that, I'd be in good shape. After about 20 minutes or so, I finally got it through the cartilage and could see it trying to poke through the skin. I pushed as hard as I could, but couldn't get it through.
I took a breather and sat down on the toilet to rest. I thought of how I might get it through. I had an idea and it did work.....I put the cork behind my ear and pushed as hard as I could. That hurt pretty bad, but I was okay. The needle finally poked through. But I had a problem...no matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't push the needle through any further. It was so frustrating. I knew there was a hole there, but it wouldn't be big enough to get the jewelry through. I kept trying and trying, but it wouldn't budge. It was as if the needle was stuck on the cartilage or something. I decided to remove the needle, which hurt at least as much as the piercing, and shove the labret stud in. With one great heave, I heard a nice popping noise, and it was through the cartilage...yay!
But I just had to get it through the skin in the back. I kept trying to push it through the small hole in the back of my ear, but couldn't see well enough in the mirror to see where it actually was.
Then I heard my mom come back from the store. I ran out of the bathroom and asked for her assistance. She obliged because she has no problem with my piercings. She wasn't too happy to see me piercing myself, but she was okay with it. I took her into the better- lit bathroom. She said there was a hole and she was going to push it through for me. With a little discomfort, she got it through the back . I put the ball on and gave her a hug. I was very grateful. I cleaned it with the band-aid stuff and went to lay down for a while. I was more tired from standing around and from the adrenaline rush than anything else.
Over the course of the first few days, I had a headache and my ear throbbed a bit. It was quite uncomfortable, but not unbearable. The next few days were a lot better. I continued to clean my piercing at least twice a day, probably more like four times, and now it's doing great. It's been a week, and the pain is almost gone. Still a little sore when I move it, but that's better than not being able to move it at all. I still clean it religiously and can't wait to get a barbell for it. I'll wait until it's mostly healed to put it in though. There are some crusties, but that's normal. I was surprised at how much less it hurt than I thought. I guess the fact that's it's almost pure cartilage scared me, but I'm over that now. I'm proud of myself, I guess.
Anyways, I don't recommend ever piercing yourself, although you may be lucky like me. But more often than not, you won't be lucky. No matter what the circumstances, it's always worth it to get it professionally done. Period