I have been having one of those horrible weeks in which just nothing is really going in my favor. Not that this matters so much but it lays out the foundation for my story. I had pinched a nerve in the side of my face which caused horrible pain and disfigurement and sent me to the emergency room. I had to get a MRI and do so; I had to remove my upper cartilage piercing in my right ear. That was no big deal except I could not get the ball back on the ring after the MRI was over. I just stuck the ring back in and decided to deal with it later when someone else could help me. Well, no big surprise that a few days later I had managed to lose the ball and once I was feeling better I decided to go with one of my roommates to get a replacement.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact uofoducklady@hotmail.com When It just happened Studio High Priestess Location Eugene,Oregon I walked into the shop and knew that I wanted to get something cool to put back in my ear instead of the same silver ring and simple ball that I originally had. After some shopping I decided to get a pink titanium ring with a white opal ball. The contrast is beautiful and I don't think my boss is going to mind it at all. One of the piercers was running around while we waited for him to replace my ring. After a little bit, he stopped and walked over to my roommate and I. He asked us what we were getting pierced, knowing I was only replacing my jewelry...he was funny from the start. He saw that my roommate was wearing a "Hollister" sweatshirt and asked if he was getting his nipples pierced. Funny enough, my roommate who worked at Hollister and fits the stereotype to a T had been dying to get his nipples pierced for a long time (not that working at Hollister is a bad thing!). My roommate kept saying no and that he wanted to wait, but I could tell that with some gentle persuasion he would get the piercing done and be happy with it. The piercer and I were trying to convince to go ahead and do it right there because if he waited he might never do it. Out of no where, the piercer says that he will waive all piercing charges, charge only for the jewelry and then says he will pierce me first if it will make my roommate feel more comfortable getting his. I had zero intention of getting anything pierced, and quite frankly enjoy getting tattoos more than piercings (they are very different types of pain and art). I ask the piercer what he has in mind for me to get pierced and he says that he wants to make it a surprise. My roommate agrees to the deal to get both of his nipples pierced if I get a surprise piercing. I am not one to back down from anything and agree as well.
The piercer told me that it is going to be an ear piercing and that is all the information I get entitled to know. He gets matching rings and balls for both the replacement and the new "surprise" piercing. I laid back on the table as he did all of the cleaning and preparation. He marked my left ear and had me lean my head to the right. It was scary not knowing what he was doing but also a fun rush. On the exhale of a deep breath, I felt a tremendous amount of pressure what I have later found out to be typical for this type of piercing, but of course I still didn't know what he was doing. The pressure was from the needle going through my cartilage in my ear but I didn't get that pop that I had gotten from my upper ear piercing. He had to tug on my ear for a little bit as he got the needle through my ear and as he inserted the jewelry. The pain wasn't that intense but there was a little bit and the pressure sensation definitely caused me to groan out a few profanities! As I said before, I like tattoos over piercings. There was quite of bit of blood, but I as have also learned, that's typical too. After he cleaned, I got up and looked in the mirror. It was a daith piercing (I had no idea what that was) and he told me that it meant knowledge in Hebrew. I admired my new piercing in a hand mirror as my roommate got both of his nipples pierced as was arranged in our deal. My roommate kept saying that he hated me, but I knew better.
We left the shop both feeling great about our new piercings and excited about our little random adventure. I went into the shop just wanting a new piece of jewelry and left with a piercing that I knew nothing about. I went home and researched what kind of piercing I had just received and read on the BME zine what experiences others had had. My experience seems to be fairly typical and I am glad to know that the amount of pressure I felt is felt by many others. I have just gotten up after sleeping on it for a night and my daith piercing is a little sore but I could sleep on that side of my head without any additional pain because unlike the upper cartilage piercing, I had the surround part of ear to act as a shield. I took a few pain killers and drank a large glass of water. I think my new piercing looks wonderful, especially with the nice set of jewelry that I have in it. My ears are rather large, so my piercing is very noticeable if my hair isn't down. I feel a whole lot better about the week I have just had and enjoy the pain of my piercing over the pain that sent me into the ER... maybe piercings aren't that bad after all!