When I got my horizontal tongue it had been around 3 months since my last piercing, which was just an ordinary labret. I saw horizontal tongue piercings on BME a while back, and they looked so freaking good I had to have one...or something similar. Mine isn't exactly straight through, it's more on the surface than the standard horizontal tongue.
At A Glance Author AnotherStereotype Contact AnotherStereotype@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Lee Studio Off Ya Tree Location Adelaide, Australia Because I had my labret done at Essential Beauty, who are basically beauticians that have 'piercing' on the list of things they do, I went back to ask about horizontal tongue piercing. I had a feeling they wouldn't do it because of their credibility as piercers, and because things like this tend to happen to me a lot. The girl in the shop said she knew nothing about horizontal tongue piercing, or anywhere that I could get it done. Seeing as I'd been living in Adelaide for about two days, I didn't know where else would do piercings other than the mainstream, so for about 2 hours, I gave up.
I saw a big sign that said 'piercing' out the front of Off Ya Tree, so I strolled into the shop and asked the guy at the counter about horizontal tongue piercing. He said to ask Lee, the piercer, and pointed to the back room. Before I even turned around Lee stepped up to the counter. I asked about horizontal tongue piercing, and he said it could be done... but he'd never done it before. I wasn't listening much; I was thinking more about whether it was actually going to happen or not.
So then we went into the piercing room and talked and talked about the procedure, what I had previously eaten and other technicalities. Lee then went on to say that is was possible (not probable) that he could hit a main blood vessel thing, and I'd have to go to hospital. I don't remember exactly what he said, but it was along those lines. As opposed to jumping out of the chair and running down the street out of fear, I was really excited. We then established that yes, I wanted to have my tongue pierced then and there, and Lee started to organise things. I'm not sure if it was then, or before, that I signed the paperwork which said what I was in for and what may happen after piercing etc.
I sat down on the bed and waited. I had to swish some mouth stuff that was more painful taste-wise than the piercing itself. Lee explained that he was going to use a bar made from Teflon because it was bendy. He drew some dots on my tongue of where the piercing would go. There were about 8 dots in the end and my tongue was really, really purple. When the dots were right and properly aligned I lay down on the piercing/doctors bed thing and prepared myself as much as I could. After my tongue was clamped, Lee said not to look if I didn't like needles. I don't think I looked, even though I love needles...just because. Finally. As the needle went through I felt my mouth fill up with something, but had no idea what it was. When I realised it was blood I thought..."hang on..." and as it was escaping from my mouth and running down my throat I wondered if something had gone horribly wrong...which it hadn't. It would've made the best photo I spat bloody water into a cup for something like 5 minutes. THEN, when the water I was spitting was clear I stood up and looked at my new addition. It was so freaking good. Lee explained the aftercare procedures and then I went to pay. He gave me a sheet outlining, again, aftercare. He also said I had to come back for a photo the next day, which I did... because I was so damn proud of that plastic and metal fixture in my tongue. I left with a HUGE grin, and a really fucking awesome piercing.
I couldn't eat for 2 weeks, or talk properly for about a month. Baby food isn't all that great tasting, but yes...There was one stage where it was all I could eat, and it took me about half an hour to finish one small tub. It is worth the trouble, though. Now, after almost 6 months it's doing good, and the only problem I had was some strange skin growing around one of the balls. That went soon enough though, and it looks great now, and feels fine. It does get in the way a bit though, and I chipped a few teeth on it at the start, but nothing major. To someone who likes needles, it's a fun piercing. I love it, and parting with it when it migrates a bit will be a really hard thing to do. Amen.