This story is the trials and final ending and new beginning of my dear and beloved snug piercing. The pain and mishaps I went through to heal, was nothing compared to how it felt when I got it pierced
At A Glance Author Chris Contact Chris@bme.anon IAM SOADdicted When A year ago Two days before Christmas last year in 2004, I decided to get some new piercings. I had just gotten my tongue pierced 2 months prior, and I was itching for another. I realized that piercings become addictive quite quickly, little to my knowledge, I was at the early stages of my now developing body modifications. So I called my piercer and set up an appointment. I had been looking through pages to see what I had liked, and I chose an Industrial and a snug. I found out that both were hard to heal, and took almost 6 months, to a year to heal fully. But I decided to go for it anyway; it would be worth the wait.
I had always liked the way a snug looked, because of its deceiving entry/exit holes, and the simplicity and beauty of it, in general. I had always liked that area of my ear, a perfect place for some new metal. And I liked the complex look of an industrial, so I waited until my piercer showed up.
So he (the Piercer), came over and we began the procedure. Some friends of mine came to watch, because they had heard both piercings were some of the most painful ones. So they decided to watch me and I writhed in pain for the upcoming half hour.
He marked the area for my snug, and I verified its placement. I decided for a 16 gauge, so it would be easier to heal. I didn't expect the pain that happened next.
The moment he pierced it, a sharp pain went from the back of my ear, to my jaw, and it was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. Not even getting my nipples pierced hurt, and to this day, I don't understand why it hurt so badly. It made a sharp, thick crunching sound, and bled down to my neck, cradling blood near the collar of my shirt. Tears ran down my face and he put in the jewelry, a nice curved barbell, and cleaned it with alcohol. I started to scream in Spanish, Not knowing what to say in English, while my friends laughed at my reaction.
I became so lightheaded, and dizzy I had to stay sitting down for my industrial. So he pierced it, and I barely felt it. I only heard the sound, which sounded like popcorn. And he was done. The bar was kind of long, but I waited 2 weeks to change it.
Weeks went by with no signs of rejection, infection or any type of keloid or scarring. But I didn't want to keep my hopes up, with the amount of concerts, and dancing I was doing, it was bound to behind hurt in some way or another. I thought so, until a small bubble appeared behind my ear. It started small, like the size of a small pimple, and then grew larger, until the size of a popcorn kernel. I went to my doctor who treated it and drained it, which was a disgusting mix of fluid, blood and other elements excreted from my not so snug, Snug. I was put on anti-biotics, but the bubble kept appearing and re appearing. It hurt so much to sleep on it. Until I finally self medicated it with a diluted mixture of both betadine and water, which helped, but didn't stop my snug from swelling up. I tried sea salts, but nothing was working, and the infection spread to my other lobe piercings, causing them to act up. I kept with the anti-biotics and sea salt soaks (always works.)
I then decided to gauge it larger, and it healed better. Then the jewelry I had put in (a 14 gauge horse shoe), got caught in a friend of mine's hair, and almost nearly tore out. It was getting tugged at by hair, and other foreign objects, so I decided to down size it back to a 16.
Now, almost a year later, it's back down to a 16, with a small curved barbell, with no complications whatsoever. I love my snug, and through all the mishaps it went through, its one of the most beautiful piercings I have. When people see it, along with my other piercings, they cover their mouths in shock, and always ask "Did it hurt?" and I tell them truthfully. "It hurt like crazy, but it's worth it."
I learned to be more careful, and not let my hair or people hit my ears, or pull on it. It's a hard piercing to heal, but once it is, you'll want everyone to see it. The pain to get it pierced, I'm not so sure it was worth it, but the outcome was.