Throughout my entire life I have been insanely terrified of needles...the whole idea of something piercing your body just made me sick to my stomach. Ironically, I also had a strong want for a tongue ring. When I was 16, I asked my mom if I could get it done, and she said that I would have to ask my Dad, and if he said "yes" we would go right then...So I was excited. Haha, well, my Dad said there was "no way in hell" that "I could get it done while I was under his roof!" it was kind of depressing. So, I figured I would just wait it out. No big deal. Well, I did.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact Scandaloussenior05@yahoo.com When A week ago Artist Danny Studio Twyzted Imagez Location Alexandria, VA On the night of my 18th birthday (02/14/05), my friend, Emily, and I were going to go to Exposed Temptations in Manassas around 5pm so I could get pierced. Well, my parents wanted to take me out to dinner for my birthday at 7:30, so I decided to wait a little longer, because there was no way I would be able to eat with them. (And I didn't want them to know about it, because my Dad would've seen it as a form of disrespect, so its whatever!) When we got back from dinner, I asked if I could leave, and he and I got into this big argument about me being a rebel...but that's a different story...
OK! Eventually (05/06/05) I moved out of my parent's house, and moved into my best friend's house. I figured that after I got settled, I could do my own thing...and her dad is really laid back, so it kind of worked in my advantage.
On the night of 05/20/05 Emily called me and told me that she wanted to get her lip pierced, and I had some extra cash, so I decided to get my tongue pierced. I was still really nervous, because of the whole needle thing, but my want for the piercing was enough to overcome my fear...or so I thought. When we got to Twysted Imagez, Danny (our piercer) was working at the front counter. We told him what we wanted done, and he gave us all the paperwork, and asked for IDs, and all that jazz. Emily made it a point to tell him that I was afraid of needles, which turned out to be a good thing, because he made deliberate attempts to shield the needles from my view. (I LOVE DANNY!!) We went into the piercing room, and I took a seat in the chair, and it was then when my nerves REALLY kicked in. He ignored it, and put the clamp on my tongue...which DID NOT hurt at all. He asked me if it did, and I shook my head no, so he was going to re-position it, so it numbed my tongue a little more than it was. I grabbed his hand, and told him that it was fine. :o) He laughed and told me that he was getting ready to pierce me. Emily told me that she wasn't going to watch because she would probably chicken out of getting her lip pierced. Danny asked me if I was ready, and I shook my head no, so he backed off. He reminded me that if I thought about it too much, I wouldn't go through with it, and he knew I would regret it. Danny also told us about how that we all must have SOME pain tolerance, because we had our cartilages pierced, and getting pierced with a piercing gun is much more painful than a needle, because with the gun, there is a blunt object going through your ear at a high speed, and with a needle, it was a sharp object going through at a relatively moderate speed. (It made sense!) I knew he was right, but I also convinced myself that by the time I felt the pain, it would already be done. Once again, Danny asked me if I was ready, and I didn't answer. I closed my eyes so I could relax myself, and about that time, I felt the needle "\Ãw€ë going through my tongue.
It was the weirdest feeling that I have ever experienced, because it didn't hurt at all. I expected it to be excruciating, because it hurts so much when you bite your tongue, but it was totally contrary!! I opened my eyes, and Danny apologized for doing it early, but he said that he could tell that I wanted it, and he didn't want me to back out. I was really relieved that he did so! He was talking to me about after care while he was threading the barbell through, which didn't hurt either. After he took his hands out of my mouth, he started asking me questions, "are you dizzy? Do you need to lie down?" that kind of thing. Instead of shaking my head, I verbally answered him, which apparently shocked him because my speech wasn't slurred and I didn't have a lisp.
After I got home, my tongue started to swell a little bit, but not too much that it was uncomfortable. I ate a Popsicle to make the swelling go down, and then took some Advil just in case there was pain during the night. The next morning I woke up, and my tongue was fine. I could talk, the swelling was gone, but my tongue was still a little bit tender, so I knew eating whole foods was out of the question. Advil will truly be your favorite thing after you get your tongue pierced, because you never realize how much you use your tongue while talking, eating, etc. It's been almost 2 weeks, and it looks great. I went in to see Danny when my friend got another piercing, and he was amazed at how fast I healed.
I would definitely recommend getting your tongue pierced if you really want it done. It's worth it! Even with my overwhelming fear of needles, I would absolutely go through it again!
P.S. My parents still don't know I have it done, and I saw them the day after I did it! :o)