"Tricky, tricky!!"...but WELL worth it!

At A Glance Author Kaitlynn Contact Kaitlynn24@aol.com Artist Forgot to get her name. Studio Skin Wizards Location Abilene, Tx

Today is December 15, 1999. About two weeks ago me and my boyfriend David went to a birthday party for one of David's friends daughter.

While at the party Audrae's oldest daughter, Amber, was fliping her tongue ring round her lips, and doing little neat things. So, I was curious and asked her about it. She said it didn't hurt much, and the healing time wasn't all that bad. So my boyfriend David suggested I get it done. I was all excited about the idea, and made up my mind that is what I wanted to do! So my Christmas pressent was set. I WAS GOING TO GET PIERCED! I called up my brother James, and asked him if he wanted to come along. He said, "SURE!" About an hour after leaving a strip club for lunch we headed over to Skin Wizards. I showed my ID, signed some papers, and went into the back room where she showed me the sterile package, sterile napkins, her gloves she was going to wear, and told me what she was going to do, and explained it in detail.

I sat on a tatoo chair facing her. She then handed me some blue Listerine to swish with. 60 seconds! It burned so bad my eyes watered up! The whole time she was talking, and prepping for the dirty deed. *smiles* There were like three strange men standing there with these, " OHH yeah.. She's gonna get IT" looks on thier faces! My brother and my boyfriend were also there staring at me like I had lost my mind but didn't have the heart to tell me so. She then asked me to stick out my tongue she took ahold of it with her fingers first, and mashed on it with some slight pressure. I guess she was searching for some veins or something. After that she took some forceps, and asked me to stick out my tongue again. She clamped on to my "NERVOUS" tongue, flipped it upwards, and looked underneath my tongue. Then she took the clamps off, and told me to slobber. "Laughing" Then she wiped it off, and clamped it again. A second time she peered underneath

my tongue. Then again, took off the clamps. Ask me how I was, and I said I was fine but nervous. At that point I started to shake a bit on the inside, and was wondering if an hour had gone by or if my heart just took a hour's long beating in 10 minutes! She clamped my tongue again, and said ok, Last time. I am going to check for a vien.

Then POKE!!! She did it! It stung like a bitch too! But I didn't scream, squeal, or yelp. However, I damn near jumped out of my skin!

She had to trick me I guess because I was so nervous, but I'm glad she did. It was over in a matter of seonds. The bar was in, the ball screwed on, and her fingers in my mouth again whiping away blood.

She had me rinse again with the blue Listerine, and stick my tongue out again. She looked at it, and said, "well you handled that pretty good, and everything looks good." She asked if I was light headed, nauseous, or dizzy. I told her no to all three. I sat there for a few minutes while she gave me instuctions on how to care for my newly pierced tongue. Mainly, RINSE, BRUSH, SUCK on some ICE, ICE ONLY!*wink for 6 weeks! She handed me the same instructions on paper, and said if I wanted to I could go to eckerds to get some gly-oxide to help in preventing infection. She wished me well, and out the door I went. Here I set a few hours later with a swollen, but greatful tongue that it is all over.

My advise to anyone wanting this done is to check your options, talk to your piercer, obtain all the information before hand. The reason I say this is it makes the whole precedure more bearable with the trust factor in place. Make sure you rinse, suck on some ice, follow the instructions, and don't EAT ANYTHING SPICY! If the pain is too much

to bare a few hours afterwards, use anbesol to relieve the discomport. EXCEDRIN MIGRAINE works great for the swelling, and pain too.

Be sure to rinse after every "smoke, meal, kiss, and keep your fingers out of your mouth! They cary germs. *use the gly-oxide at least twice a day and the healing of your piercing will be steady, and hassle free! Good luck, and happy PIERCING.

Note from the expectant boyfriend...

I was very impressed with how clean and efficient Skin Wizards was. The lady who owns the place was most helpful, and answered all my questions patiently, no matter how silly or naive they were! I even made arrangements to go in on MY next birthday, and get a new tattoo. I just can't WAIT to experience the new tongue piercing...if even HALF the stories I've heard are true, this is gonna put Hall's cough drops ands even Altoids Mints to shame with ease! We'll let y'all know how it all turns out!