I must say.. one week later and I still can't believe I have these babies!
At A Glance Author kym IAM that_girl When A week ago Artist Matt Studio Divine Location Edmonton, ab, Canada
why venoms?
Well, my first body mod ever, was a tattoo. After the tattoo, I proceeded to get two more piercings and yet another tattoo. I thought I'd be satisfied, but oh how I was wrong. After my last piercing, I had been browsing around BME when I stumbled upon "tongue piercings" for the first time.
I have wanted my tongue pierced for about 3 years now, but the very first time I dropped by a studio to get checked if I was suited for a center tongue piercing, I found out... i wasn't =( Thinking about it now, i'm glad I wasn't because central tongue piercings are now so common. But anyways, that studio did say that I was suited for venoms. "What's that?" I asked, as I was new to body mods. I was shown a picture and immediately turned away. Nope, I guess no tongue piercings for me!
Fast forward about 2 and a half years, and here I am with two barbells positioned off the center of my tongue, in my mouth. I really couldn't say why I dismissed the idea of venoms at the beginning. Possibly because I had never seen it prior to that picture, which made me nervous.. or possibly because it looked damn painful! Doesn't matter really because now.. I've got 'em!
on to the procedure
A couple of my friends and I had been discussing various piercings for awhile, till finally, one of my friends & I decided to actually quit talking and finally set an appointment to get them done! We had originally booked it for Wednesday, March 30th, but I came down with a bad flu so I had to cancel. She did, however, go forward with hers and got a gorgeous little nipple piercing! Yay for you baby =)
Now as for me? My piercing as pushed to April 03, 2005. As the days narrowed in, I really didn't get nervous like I did with my previous tattoo appointments or piercing appointments. But on the day of, I was feeling butterflies, feeling.. everything!! Nervous as can be! I really am the biggest baby when it comes to my tongue. I bite it, and I whine like a brat. So I was definitely wondering if I could tolerate the pain my tongue was going to endure.
Woke up in the morning, had some delicious dim sum as I knew it was going to be my last decent meal for awhile, gathered my sister & my boyfriend and headed down to the studio. We got there about 20 minutes early, but caught Matt as he was just coming in from a coffee break I suppose (starbucks in his hands!). All forms were signed, he was ready at the back, so in we went. My boyfriend came in as support, as I felt I'd definitely needed a hand to hold haha and my sister came in because she just wanted to watch the whole procedure. Matt gave me a quick overview of the procedure and cleaning. His apprentice was there as well, watching and taking pictures, as this was the first pair of venoms he'd ever seen Matt do. So after about 20 solid minutes of talking and questioning, he gave me a cup of listerine original to swoosh around. That is some nasty shit! So after I spat it out, he began marking, checking veins, remarking, etc until he got it just right. I checked the marks & they looked great to me. So I hopped on the table, and the clamp is put into place. The clamp was uncomfortable, but definitely not as bad as I thought it would be (after reading some experiences here on BME). Deep breath in on one, out on two, deep breath in on three, and here we go on exhale four. Owwwwwwwwww! It was much slower than my other piercings!! It was the sharpest pain I had ever felt, especially right near and at the exit point. When he threaded the 14guage jewelry through it felt like another piercing, very sharp pain. The pain was almost like getting the outline of a tattoo done, sharp, but it was a sharp pain piercing through your tongue, not just tattooing a line. Yikes. After that, I needed a minute to sit back and get my composure back. I was feeling a little woozy (and I was told afterwards that my lips went pale so it was definitely a good idea to take a breather). Okay, time for needle number two. Clamp on, deep breath on one, exhale on two, deep breath in on three, and pierce on four. This one wasn't as bad, maybe becaus "\Ãwàëø e I knew what to expect? As well, Matt said he pierced this one through much easier than the first. Towards the exit point on the first hole, he said that it was tough and he had to push a little harder.
After the piercing, we all sat and talked for a bit. Me, my little sister, my wonderful boyfriend, the apprentice, and of course, Matt. First thing Matt had said to me? "Wow, i`m surprised you didn't drool" haha which made me laugh a little =) Before I knew it, I was out and heading home. What an amazing experience for me. When the night came however, my piercings really began to hurt. They were sore and they were fresh and it was just... a pain in the ass. I got through it though with lots of ice and cold water. Day 2-5 were also pretty difficult because my tongue was so swollen and sore. Talking was difficult, however I did manage to begin eating solid foods again in around day 2-3. I just peeled small pieces and threw them to the side/back of my mouth. Chewed, swallowed. Not too bad. Now, a week later.. the pain has drastically subsided. The swelling is still there and my tongue feels really dry most of the time, so I just keep drinking lots of water. So far, I must say the healing has been pretty good. I hope it continues healing well so I can finally downsize these babies and speak properly! To anyone trying to decide whether or not venoms are for them? I guess you never know until you try. But i must say that they were painful, but were tolerable. No pain, no gain, right? Good luck =)