At A Glance Author air_and_angels Contact air_and_angels@bme.anon IAM air_and_angels When A week ago Artist Amy Studio Pulse Location Northampton, UK So, it was a Wednesday afternoon, and I was looking through BME, as I usually do, and I was looking at the tongue piercings, as I was considering getting it done in the summer holidays. While looking at the photos I saw the tongue web piercing. I'd seen it a few times before and thought it looked quite cool, but wasn't too sure if it was for me. But the more I saw, and the more I read, the more I liked, and the more I wanted.
I'd already arranged to go to town with a friend the next day, as I was going to get an industrial, but I changed my mind. "Yes, I think I'll get my tongue web pierced instead!" I said to myself. I think the fact that it wasn't a very common piercing, and it isn't very noticeable was what I liked the most.
Thursday morning, I woke up after a rather strange dream about a guy with stretched lobes! (A one-track mind? Me? Never!). I still wanted it done. So off I went in to town with Tom. After the necessary tasks (looking for jobs, shopping, etc) we headed off to Phil's Tattoo's, where all my previous piercings were done. So I went in, and by this time I was very nervous. I asked the guy behind the counter if they did tongue web piercings, and he went in to the back room to ask the piercer. While I was waiting two girls who were waiting to get their navel's pierced asked what the tongue web was, so I lifted up my tongue and pointed, saying "that bit". They looked a bit shocked, and told me I was very brave. A couple of minutes later the guy came back out and told me he wouldn't do it because they can ulcerate. So, I walked out feeling very disappointed.
So, we went and did a bit more shopping. Then I remembered Pulse. A friend who I met through BME works in there, but I'd never actually been there for a piercing because Phil's had been recommended to me by a friend who'd had all her piercings there. So, we went to pulse. I asked them if they did tongue web piercings, they said yes, and told me the price. I got out my money and waited! I signed the form she gave me, and went in to the back room...
I was told to sit on the bed, and I watched her prepare everything. She gave me some mouthwash, and then told me to lie back on to the bed. As she lowered it I said "it's just like being at the dentist!"
She told me to put my tongue onto the roof of my mouth, and push it forward as far as I could. She put the clamps on, and I closed my eyes. I felt the tiniest prick as the needle went through but that was all. She took the needle out, and then cut the tube down so it would fit into my mouth. She got out a stainless steel BCR, which she told me was to allow for swelling. It took her a while to get it through, which is understandable because it's a very fiddly area to do. And then it was in. I washed my mouth out again, and sat up. It was done! She told me how to look after it, and said I might get a slight sore throat but that was perfectly normal.
So I went back out to the front of the shop where Tom was waiting for me. "Did it hurt?" he asked. "Not at all", I said. And I showed him.
It felt a little strange having something under my tongue, and I was being very careful when I spoke so I imagine I sounded quite strange as well, but it was nothing I couldn't live with. Off we went, back to our village. I went home and went and looked in the mirror. It was swollen quite a lot (well it looked quite a lot, for such a little place) and it was beginning to get a little sore, sort of an aching pain. So I drank lots of ice cold water to try and stop it swelling.
Then, it was lunch time. How would I cope with it? So I made myself some lunch and tried eating. It, surprisingly, wasn't too bad. It was a bit awkward when food went under my tongue but it was quite easy, and still wasn't noticeable at all.
When my neighbour came over later on, I showed him. He said it was strange, but didn't really care. I'd told a few online friends as well and had had very mixed reactions, some loved it, some hated it, and most couldn't see why I'd want something done that no one could see.
Then my parents came home. This is what I was worrying about the most. Would they notice it? All night was fine, I got through dinner, I got through conversations, and they didn't notice at all. Then my neighbour's wife came round, and of course he'd told her, but hadn't told her not to tell my parents! So she came in and asked my mum what she thought of my new piercing. Then my mum came in and told me to stick my tongue out (she thought it was my tongue) and asked me where it was. So I showed her. She looked a bit grossed out, and shocked, but didn't mind too much. She told my dad the next day and he didn't care at all!
It's now just over a week old, and is healing fine. I'm cleaning it by using Listerine mouthwash twice a day, and brushing my teeth twice a day (as usual). It gets small white bits around the holes sometimes, which are like mouth crusties, but they come off when I brush my teeth. The swelling has almost completely gone, and no one knows apart from the people I've shown, or the ones who have been told. I don't regret it for a second.