I had just moved in with my best friend, Angie, and honestly my actions and thoughts were not expressively clear. I was in a drunken haze most of the time being as when I was not intoxicated I was in class or at work with a mild to traumatic hangover. Why I decided to get a rather hard-to-do cartilage piercing by someone who's credentials I was not really sure about, I have no clue. I do know that Angie wanted her tongue pierced bad, so bad that she didn't want to pay the price that it would take to travel to Columbia and get pierced by the guys at Body Rites, whom I was acquainted with and trusted. I had already had my tongue done for a while, being as I was seventeen, almost eighteen years old, and I had gotten it done at the ripe young age of fourteen. She was impressionable, excited, and maybe a little too unwavering.
At A Glance Author Courtney Contact courtneyglynne@hotmail.com When A year ago Artist Mister Dan. Studio Unprofessional Setting. Her opportunity came when our friend Wes came over to the apartment to "chill" and he brought his so called piercer friend, Dan. Dan was supposedly in Sumter with his traveling suitcase of stainless steel hallow needles and a wide array of body jewelry. It just so happened that he was carrying it with him when he walked into the apartment. Angie jumped at the idea, since Dan would only charge her thirty dollars compared to the close to one-hundred dollars we would spend on traveling expenses and all at Body Rites. I just sat at the table, where he had chosen to lay out all his supplies, and smoked a cigarette and enjoyed the buzz that liquor provides. He made her swish and gargle diluted Listerine and her eyes got real big and she started freaking out. She then explained to everyone that I had to get something pierced with her. Her logic made no sense and thoroughly confused me. What's the use in me getting pierced with her if I'll have to get pierced after her? She explain that I would get something pierced first and it wouldn't make her so nervous and wouldn't make her feel quite as bad. So we sat there as I pondered over how much money was in my check account; since I had just paid my half of the rent, my car insurance, and bought groceries. I was also wondering what in the hell I was going to get pierced seeing as my job, a Piggly Wiggly cashier, did not allow facial piercing. Money was an issue, the piercing really wasn't and eventually Angie was able to get him to give my an industrial and then pierce her tongue for the price of only one piercing. He sort of threw a fit because the industrial is technically two piercing so he'd be doing three piercing for thirty dollars, but to no avail, he did them anyways.
I went first and the whole process really isn't clear at all, and I knew right away that I should probably be sober going into this whole ordeal, since I'm already a "bleeder" anyways. Wes pulled my hair back and put it up and I just sat there awaiting how he was going to go about doing this whole thing. Mister Dan put a pair of blue latex gloves on and then went on to touch my face and I just thought it was funny he did not ask if I was allergic to them. He layed out two needles in these pristine looking packages. Next to them he laid out two barbells in almost identical packages, one barbell being smaller than the other, and then next to them he laid out some gauze. He explained that he autoclaved all his needles and jewelry before bringing them to town and that everything was indeed clean. He cleaned my left ear, wiped it down and marked it. He angled it just how I had always pictured it perfectly the first time and I was content. He changed gloves and took one of the needles out of it's cute little package. He had me tilt my head a little and I started laughing and Angie got all upset because she said it wasn't phasing me at all. Everyone had a good giggle and I demanded he get on with it so I could continue drinking. He lined up the needle with the top piercing and I heard Angie gasp. He didn't even ask if I was ready, he just started pushing it through. It went through very easily, a lot easier that I had imagined, and he exclaimed ecstatically, "She's a fucking bleeder". So, Wes held some gauze to my ear while Mister Dan the Piercer unwrapped the longest barbell and then manage to make me feel like he was somehow mutilating my fresh wound beyond eternity while trying to get the sucker in. I breathed in and out and laughed at Angie because she was near about in tears. He changed gloves, took out the other needle and again, without warning, started punching holes in my inflamed ear. It was a tough time getting this one in, but it wasn't quite as painful getting the short little barbell in. He "\ÃwP! cleaned my up and placed some gel type stuff around the entrance and exit wounds of each piercing and gave me an industrial barbell for when healing came about and I wanted to change it and make it look beautiful. I made me angry that I had to ask to look at it, but alas, I was very happy with it. I'm not sure whether I was happy because it was over and it looked good or because I could finally start drinking again.
For the first week, I loved it. It was hard to sleep because I always slept on my left side and sleeping on a fresh piercing is nearly impossible. Sleeping on two equals death. I kept my hair up and almost out of my face and I had almost no problems with it except the occasional crusty bug. I tried to clean it as much as possible, although I know I did not clean it enough. I probably drank too much while it was trying to heal, and I know that didn't help any. About two weeks after the fact, I was at work. It was the first of the month, so it was welfare week, so that meant we were selling meat out of the be-hind, and out meat wrappers weren't very skilled so I constantly had to go wash my hands because they would be covered in blood after one large order. My hair had fell and I was constantly trying to be careful so as to not disturb my new piercing but to keep my hair out of my face. It didn't work. I tore the bottom piercing and got animal blood all in it. Yes, disgusting, I know. When I got home I tried to clean it and take care of it but it ended up getting completely infected. So, I did the stupid thing and took the barbell out. The wound closed around the infection and it spread down into my neck. The whole left side of my face and neck was swollen, puffy, and disgusting, although the top piercing of my industrial when through all this labor and came out perfectly fine. I went to the emergency room and they prescribed me with antibiotics that cleared the infection up right away.
So, I guess the problem with this piercing was no the pierce or his skills or even the piercing itself, it was me. But, I honestly didn't know what else to do to prevent something like this from happening. I do plan on getting it redone, I'm not sure when, but very soon. It was a wonderful experience and maybe next time, I won't be drinking.