I had been thinking about getting an industrial ever since I got my bellybutton done in August of 07. My only other piercing are my ear lobes, which I didn't get done until I was about 11 (I was scared it would hurt). Around the same time, my friends started getting their navels pierced. I asked my parents about for the first time when I was 13, but I didn't get it done until I was 15.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Monique Studio Raz's Tattoo Company Location Albeta, Canada Anyways, just before my 16th birthday in December, I thought about getting a single cartilage piercing. That's when I stumbled upon the industrial. I ran it past my mom and she said she didn't care, it's my body. I thought I would be waiting a few months due to money issues. I continued to look at pictures, read experiences, and watch videos on you tube. Earlier in January, I went to visit my uncle and he gave me $140 birthday/Christmas money. When he asked what I was going to buy, I knew I would use it for my industrial.
So when I got home I called my mom at work and told her I wanted to get pierced that night. She said alright, and my dad picked us both up when she was done work. We got to the shop just after 5 and were told there would be about a half-hour wait, as Monique was with someone and then had two others ahead of me. I was okay with the wait. My mom and I looked over all the body jewellery while my dad flipped through the tattoos. The guy who was getting pierced when I came in had finished shortly after we walked in, but the two girls ahead of me had went in together and it was taking FOREVER! It was already 6:00! But we just kept chatting with the staff, and it gave me lots of time to calm down.
Finally, the two girls walked out, and Monique got everything in the piercing room ready for me. She also did my bellybutton, so I felt very safe as I sat down in the piercing chair. My mom wouldn't come in with my. Although she has a tattoo, piercings creep her out. Monique let my choose between hundreds of coloured beads for the ends of my ear. I decided on pink with bright orange swirled through out. She began to clean my ear. The entire room reeked of antiseptic, and I could see the autoclave across from me. She changed gloves after every step and sprayed them with antiseptic. While the bar was soaking in alcohol, she went over cleaning procedures. She took her time marking my ear and making sure it was lined up properly. Then it was time to pierce.
I focused on my breathing and she pushed the needle through my ear. She did the lower hole first. I won't lie... it hurt!!! It hurt like nothing I've experienced before. Many people will say it was just a pressure, but no, it feels like a sharp object being punched through thick cartilage. Monique slid the bar through and let me relax for a minute. She asked if I wanted to go through with the second hole. Of course I did! The top hole hurt a little less, but it still hurt. Once the jewellery was through, she started to clean it again and warned me there was a little blood. After making sure I wasn't light headed, I stood up and we walked out to pay. Everyone said it looked sore. It wasn't really, just throbbing. The staff gave me a can of coke to get my blood sugar up. We said good bye and went home.
I had been advised to clean with Dragon Mist, the same spray I used on my navel. It's an all-natural spray that kills bacteria, but not healing agents. The smell is a little weird, but it's very soothing. As hard as I tried that night to sleep on the un-pierced side, I still managed to roll over. When I woke up the next morning, my entire ear was covered in dark red blood. I freaked out about, then washed it off. My ear throbbed for about 4 days, but now I don't even notice it. I still can't sleep on it, but I've had no other complications.
I am completely obsessed with my industrial. I show it off all the time and stare at it everytime I pass a mirror! I strongly endorse Monique as a piercer, and urge anyone considering the industrial to go for it, as long as you understand what it will be like afterwards, and that it can take up to 1 year to heal. It is a pain (literally) not to be able to sleep on that side, but my piercing is so pretty. All of the pain is worth it! I feel like my piercing give me more confidence, like, this is me!! What's up next? My right nostril in a few months, the my tongue once the friend I'm getting it done with is ready. Once I turn 18, I'll get the tattoo I've always dreamed of. I never get piercings on a whim, I always research and make sure it's what I really want. I would advise anyone new to piercings to do the same :)