It's become a tradition, every time I return to my unofficial hometown of Omaha, Nebraska to visit the friends college has torn me away from, I fulfill a bulleted point on my mental list of modifications. I trust no one but the guys at Big Brain Productions; so far, Wrist Tattoo, Inner Conch to Outer Conch Orbital and Left Middle Back Tattoo have all been crossed off.
At A Glance Author Mandy Contact Mandy@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Smitty Studio Big Brain Productions Location Omaha, Nebraska
This past Christmas, my friends and I saved "Modification Day" for the end of my visit so we wouldn't be cranky and crusty for the week I was there. We tried to go Christmas Eve but were greeted with a closed sign, telling of the shops closed doors for the next two days. As I was leaving the day after Christmas at four p.m., we knew we would have to hurry and have one of the guys poke us before I took off. New piercing + 7 hour flight = not fun.
I had decided on getting my conch pierced, allowing Smitty the decision of how large the hole would be. Arriving at the shop I filled out the release form giddily, and for the first time was not carded. We sat for a few moments, waiting for a tongue piercing to be accomplished. I was a little nervous, though I had had my conch pierced before, the aforementioned orbital. The new addition was going to be in the same ear as the orbital, so I had some pretty vivid images running through my mind of Smitty manhandling my ear to get the huge needle through such unforgiving unhardened bone and damaging the orbital. These thoughts were of course ridiculous.
We sat on the couches and played with our newest instrument of masochism, "Lip Venom." It is an entirely painful lip gloss that makes your lips swell and feel as if they are about to fall off. The pain of falling off lips was all that could calm me.
I got to the back after the girl came out with her tongue hanging out of her mouth into a cup of water. Smitty is a master conversationalist so we talked for a while about my trek from Alabama to Nebraska and my usually angry orbital. All the while he was readying a 12 gauge needle and 14 gauge CBR. Having already mentally decided on a labret stud, a small alarm went off in my head. Smitty seemed surprised when I requested the stud, having to go look for one in the front. It's been my experience that healing is 100 % easier with a barbell than with a hoop, so I didn't want to risk anything.
I started a bit at the sight of the needle. I could see through the hole!! It was humongous!! I cautiously asked again the size of the sharp metal drinking straw he was about to shove through my conch. I think Smitty must've sensed the absolute apprehension I was exuding because he quickly Vaseline-d it up and segued our conversation as he moved it towards my ear.
Realizing it was going to happen I watched my friends' mesmerized faces as the needle gently tore through my conch. After a slight pinch and rush of heat, he congratulated my fortitude and pushed the stud through. This was the most painful part, the maneuvering to fit the small ball on top of the smaller stud. He tried to convince me it was one of the most painful piercings one could go through and I gave him an incredulous look as I regarded the experience.
After my piercing we went to eat, and convinced another friend she NEEDED her cartilage pierced right then, after she revealed a secret wish to have her ear ringed. We had approximately an hour before my plane took off, so we ran back to the studio and quickly had her fill out the forms as she melted from nerves.
( http://www.bmezine.com/pierce/01-ear/A40412/eartheca.html)
After she was pierced we arrived in the airport just in time for us all to sit for 15 minutes while I gazed lovingly at my piercing every few minutes. This task became harder to accomplish once on the plane, I appeared the major narcissist as my mirror never left my hand.
The slight throbbing and heat was a constant reminder of the fun I'd had that week with old friends and the excitement I would have in showing off the new piercing in the coming weeks.
The healing was extremely easy. Coming off a horrendous 8 month (and counting...) healing process for the orbital, I was worried the conch would also suffer. But in two months it was completely healed, and now six months later I have no complaints.
Except I haven't mastered the opening of the stud yet. Trying to grip a very small ball in the conch of your ear is quite tough. Especially when, after successfully grabbing it, one also has to grab the back of the stud to hold it still. It seems impossible to accomplish both.
This piercing has reaffirmed my belief in my body's ability to heal. It pleases me so much to be able to wiggle the stud around in it's hole and meet no resistance or pain, even after a short 2 months, when after a year my orbital is still slightly uncomfortable.
I wholly believe in Big Brain Productions, and will be going there in exactly one month to have my third tattoo inked! Whoo! If you're ever around Omaha, stop by for a wonderful experience.