My experience begins on Valentine's Day, 2002 when I got my tongue pierced for the first time. I had wanted to get pierced for a while, but wanted to avoid my tongue because of the obvious innuendos people with their tongue pierced get, but since this was my first piercing other than my earlobes, I figured I'd better play it safe and go ahead and get my tongue done cause I heard it barely hurts.
At A Glance Author Cecilia Contact Cecilia@bme.anon When A year ago Artist don't know their names Studio 23rd Street Body Piercing & Mystical illusions Location Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA After going out to eat, which I strongly recommend doing before any oral piercing, my mother and I headed out to 23rd Street Body Piercing to get it done. When I got there, there was only one person that was to be before me(which I figured was good because it gave me less time to chicken out). I told the lady behind the counter what I wanted and then she gave me papers to sign and asked to see my I.D. and my mom's I.D.(cause I was 17 at the time). She gave me some sea salt and Tech 2000 then I went and sat on one of their big, fluffy, leather, couches:P When the guy called my name I thought I was going to faint, I know how everyone says it doesn't hurt, but the fact is that I was still about to get a needle shoved through my tongue.
We go into the room and I sit on this flat, doctor's type table. He asked if I had any questions and of course my answer was "no" because I had read just about every tongue piercing story here on BME. Then he dried off my tongue and marked it with a toothpick with purple ink on it. He kept doing stuff and changing gloves, so I figured it would be a few minutes, but then he grabbed my tongue with this gauze and all of a sudden he had a needle in his other hand and I freaked out and pulled my tongue back in my mouth. After that he had to go get some more supplies out of another room so I was there trying to psych myself up again.
He came back in and when he did it he held my tongue with gauze he had on his fingers-not clamps, and pushed the needle through the top out the bottom. I could tell it went through but I didn't feel anything-at all. I tipped him $10(yes I'm cheap), then was on my way home. My tongue was swelled for about a week and I couldn't talk without a lisp till I got the ring shortened because it was so near the tip.
Experience Two: August 30, 2002
Ever since the first piercing I had wanted another one so, once again, my mom and I went to get me pierced. This time we went to Mystical Illusions cause it was closer to my house. I went in and told him what I wanted and paid and all that. This time my mom insisted on being in the room, which I thought was funny cause she's squeamish about piercings. So we get in the room-this time there was a dentist type chair.
We decided on the placement. Since it was going to be behind the first one it had to be closer on the bottom than on the top because of my tongue web. This time he used clamps-but they didn't hurt or anything. He had to do it slower to because it was at a big angle, but it didn't really hurt-it just was really weird because I could feel it going all the way through. This piercing healed quicker than the other one. You could barely tell by the way I talked that I had gotten pierced. The swelling was completely gone after 3 days. Even now some people don't even know I have my tongue pierced at all.
As you probably know, make sure you rinse with Tech 2000 or very diluted Listerine, 2-3 times a day including before you go to sleep and when you wake up. Rinse with the saline solution as much as you need and whenever anything besides water goes in your mouth. Don't try to eat solid foods too soon-you don't want your piercing to tear and be uneven. If you chew on ice-crushed is best because it wont put as much pressure on your tongue as cubes.
P.S.
When I stretched my front piercing it was really easy-the barbell went straight in with no fight. However, when I stretched the one in the back it was really hard to get in. If you want a piercing easy to stretch-get it in the front, but be prepared to not be able to talk that good for a while. If you want one that will heal fast-get it as far back as possible, but be prepared to have a small struggle if you want to stretch it.