Monday: I decide to end a long-standing relationship.
At A Glance Author Purpendicular Contact Purpendicular@bme.anon IAM Purpendicular When It just happened Artist Shelley Studio Tora Tattoo Location Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Tuesday: As with relationships past, I decided to cheer myself up by getting a piercing. Tongue, this time out. I prefer to go to piercings with a friend, so I asked a friend at work if she'd be willing to come with me. Of course she agreed. Everybody likes to watch a good piercing. I made an appointment with Tora Tattoo for Friday at 6pm, basically as soon as I could get there before my weekend off. I was ready.
Thursday: Crisis at work! I have to work extra shifts, and one of them is Friday night. I had a pretty crappy 5 hours trying to find someone to cover for me for just that Friday, but I finally did and didn't have to cancel the piercing. I realized when it seemed like I wouldn't be able to get it done that week, exactly how badly I wanted it done.
Friday: One thing about making an appointment in advance is that you tend to dwell on it, think about it far too much, and the fears you might already have only get worse. But for me, making an appointment is really the only way I can get a piercing or a tattoo. I like to know that when I get to the shop there'll be no wait and I get to go first.
Fears were made worse by various co-workers bugging me all day about "how much it will hurt" and "how much it will fuck up the way you talk." This useless information was pushed out of my mind and I could only focus on 5 o'clock, when work ended. 5 sharp, I was out of there and went to pick up Kate Fraser at her work. She was supposed to go to Peterborough that night but stayed in town an extra two hours just to see me get my tongue pierced. What a pal! She wasn't as excited as me, but it was close. She also got to be Official Event Photographer.
We drove through some nasty traffic, but still got to Tora early. Shelley took us right into the piercing room, Kate got the camera ready, and we began. Kate snapped one last shot of my un pierced tongue, me doing my best Gene Simmons impression.
Shelley got a flashlight and had me move and hold my tongue in all sorts of weird positions. After she was satisfied that I was piercable, she had me hold some mouthwash in my mouth for a minute or two. To be honest though, this whole period was a blur. I am not sure I remember the order or length of events all that clearly anymore.
She marked the position for the piercing on my tongue, asked me if I was happy with it. I said yes I was. She dried my tongue with some napkins and explained the procedure. I would be sticking out my tongue for a couple of minutes at the most, and then it would be done. She asked me if I was ready. I said no, but let's get on with it anyhow.
She applied the clamps. Uncomfortable but not painful at all. She instructed me to concentrate on my breathing. Then she asked me to breath in, and I felt the needle go in. I gasped, but it was more out of shock than pain. It hurt much less than I had feared, which is what most people told me anyhow. It was just the shock, and then there was a second shock that it really wasn't that bad.
I don't remember her putting in the jewelry at all, but I must have sat there with my tongue out like an idiot before she said, "It's OK, we're done now." Kate told me, "Uhhh, you can put your tongue back in now!" but I found it took a minute for me to pursuade it to move again.
Shelley gave me all the basic aftercare instructions: Rinse with a seasalt-water solution every time I put anything in my mouth other than pure drinking water. That includes cigarettes, but no problem since I don't smoke. No oral sex or kissing either--again no problem, I'm happily single for 4 whole days now!
She asked me if I had any questions. I mumbled out, "I have to work Sunday," (two days from then) and she instructed me to take Advil to reduce swelling, and suck on ice as well.
Kate and I went to the drugstore to pick up some water and stuff, and then she was off to Peterborough. I went home and just drank lots of water. As the evening went on I did find myself hungry, but I didn't find I had the courage to try eating until the morning after.
Made myself some scrambled eggs, and I was only able to eat half. It was just so much work. My tongue started feeling much better by late morning. I was in fact able to go visit my parents only 15 hours after the piercing, and talk to them without them having a clue that anything was different. Although I'm trying not to talk to anyone at the moment, since tomorrow I have to do that at work quite a bit.
At the moment, my tongue has usurped my nipple as my favourite piercing ever. I may decide to stretch it later, I may not. At this point I'm just concentrating on healing it, and finding things to eat. Oh, and one last thing: Having a coughing fit with a freshly pierced tongue is not fun at all. That's been the worst thing so far!