So it's a boring summer night, myself just sitting at home having a few beers. I call my friend Adam to make plans for the evening, he informs me he is going down to the studio where his brother and one of my good friends is finishing his piercing apprenticeship there and starting to do some actual work. The reason for his trip is that Shanda and Tony, the shop owners and artists have agreed to let him do some practice piercings for free. Adam is going to get his nipples done while our other friend Kevin is going to get his tongue done. I had been contemplating venoms for awhile, so vic said he would do them. I had had a few beers by this time, so I politely denied his offer but said I would come down to watch the nipple procedure.
At A Glance Author Steve Contact darkstar_6_9@hotmail.com IAM dstar When A year ago Artist Vic Studio Permanent Addiction (now closed) Location Peublo, CO Adam and Kevin were both relatively drunk which worried me a little, but once again vic was Adam's brother so I knew he would be ok and his inebriation was a non-issue. Adam sat down, got both his nipples pierced, and we all got a small laugh out of his apparent pain. Vic told Kevin he was up, but Kevin was being a sissy and insisting I get my venoms done. I maintained that I really shouldn't do em, but since it got all worked up that I should and deep down I really wanted to, with the help of the beers I had earlier, I gained enough courage to say "why the hell not" and took a seat in the chair.
Shanda, the main piercer at the shop explained a little bit of the procedure (this was my first mod ever and I was nervous as hell) and she took a minute to remind me that in instances like this, not everything is perfect. I agreed that it wouldn't be a big deal if alignment weren't perfect seeing as this was essentially an experimental session and I wasn't going to be paying a dime. I showed Vic and Shanda the bottom of my tongue so they could map out some placement that avoided the predominant veins. Dots were placed on my tongue using a toothpick, I checked off that the placement looked all right, and on went the clamps. The clamps were significantly uncomfortable, but I forced myself to relax and took breaths on Shanda's command. *pinch* and the needle was through, followed by the jewelry. I was surprised that it didn't hurt that badly and the clamps were the worst part up to that point. However, after a minute or two I could definitely feel the rush of endorphins and the swelling and throbbing started in just as they were clamping my tongue for the second piercing. The clamps were even more uncomfortable now that my tongue had already gone through some trauma. Right after they clamped my tongue the second time my tongue even twitched a couple times trying to pull back in to the sanctuary of my mouth. I immediately gathered myself and relaxed my body and tongue to prepare for the second piercing. Breaths followed by a little worse pinch than the first time and I was done.
As vic removed the clamps and tightened the balls on the barbells, he warned me that it was going to feel really awkward and in the way for a while. He didn't even finish his warning before my tongue plopped into the bottom of my mouth anchored down by all the new weight I acquired. It was definitely awkward feeling and it didn't help that my tongue was quite swollen. I got some cold water to drink which felt quite good, and had to proceed to the grocery store to get the needed aftercare items Shanda told me I would need before I left. I knew beforehand what kind of aftercare I would probably use. I didn't have any idea where to find bactene or any of the specific recommended mouthwashes, so I opted for some Listerine (which I diluted with water whenever I used) and of course sea salt.
Eating was a chore for a while due mainly to the swelling. The piercings themselves were pretty easy to control and keep out of the way with just a little practice. I kept the longer jewelry a bit longer than normal due to being poor, but it wasn't an issue cause I never bit one of the barbells and having longer barbells allowed me to pull on and slowly stretch the piercings from 14, where I got them pierced, to about 10 or 8ga. I opted for the 1/2 inch 10 GA, seeing as though jewelry gets heavy at larger gauges.
After about 7 or 8 days the swelling had completely subsided and the only things that really irritated the piercings were constant toying with them and the ever-dreaded spicy foods. Overall this piercing experience was an adventure, especially because it was my first mod. I couldn't be happier that I did this and I can't believe that I almost walked away from this opportunity.
As they say, I looked the gift horse in the mouth trying to find faults and excuses with this oportunity. I think a lot of people look into the piercing procedure too much and make a huge deal out of nothing, resulting in a lot of aborted piercings that should have been done. The advice I can give based on this experience is that most if not all of the negative hype about piercing is just that, hype, and it has to be pushed into the back of your mind and ignored. Get educated, but don't procrastinate, I almost did and I know I have changed for the better because I didn't.