I was at work one Saturday and we were talking about piercings, it got me thinking that it was about time I got another one (I already had my earlobes pierced once and my navel pierced), so I thought about it all day and eventually decided on my tongue as I had been vaguely thinking about getting it done for a while and I was feeling brave (I thought it would be very painful) so after work I went to the only piercing place in town.
At A Glance Author beanz Contact sophieweems@hotmail.com When Three months ago Artist not sure! Studio Dragon Tattoos Location Bideford, Devon, UK I had never been to Dragon Tattoos before but it seemed clean and professional and I couldn't be bothered to go somewhere else as this was near to my house. I paid my £20 which seemed very reasonable and waited about 5 minutes for the guy to become available.
When I went into the piercing room I sat in the chair and he told me to stick out my tongue so he could clamp it. I was quite nervous so it took me a while to get the courage to stick my tongue out far enough! When he finally got it clamped he asked if I was ready then counted to 3 and stuck the needle through. He then put the long plastic bar in which allowed room for swelling and said he was all done.
Although it made my eyes water it wasn't nearly as painful as I'd expected and I can honestly say it didn't hurt anymore than having a needle stuck in your arm, which most people can stand. He told me to buy some Oraldene mouthwash and use it twice a day and then to come back in a week when the swelling had gone down and he'd change the bar for a standard sized metal one. It was all over very quickly and I didn't actually get the guy's name but I was pleased with the way things had gone.
It didn't bleed very much but my tongue swelled up a lot, I couldn't see hardly any of the bar which had seemed really long before he'd put it in. I could hardly talk for the first few hours but by the next day people could understand me, although my speech was slightly slurred. Eating was nearly impossible for about 5 days; I lived on very mushy Weetabix and fromage frais! Once the soreness had lessened I slowly started on solid food and after the bar was changed I could eat more or less normally again.
For the first week there were several times when I wished I hadn't had it done, especially when the top of my tongue went white and furry for a couple of days, which felt very weird, almost like I hadn't brushed my teeth in a while, although the piercing guy reassured me this was normal when I went back and asked him about it. I stuck with it though and once I'd had the bar changed for a smaller metal one eating and talking normally got much easier.
Having the long plastic bar changed for the smaller metal one felt very weird and it was quite tight until the swelling went down completely a couple of days later, although it didn't hurt at all. The ball did fall off a couple of times the first day I had the new bar in, but I put it on really tightly and it hasn't come off since.
It's been about 3 months since I had it done and I'm very glad I did, although I have noticed it's slightly off centre, though it's not very noticeable unless I stick my tongue right out. I haven't had any problems with it and talking and eating are completely back to normal now. I do find myself playing with it when I'm bored, twiddling it between my teeth etc which I promised myself I wouldn't do but it's hard to resist!
To anyone thinking about getting their tongue pierced I would say go for it as it's not as painful as it looks. I would recommend people eat their favourite food before getting it done though, as they won't be able to eat it again for about a week! Also if people have a job that involves lots of talking I'd get it done when you have a day or 2 off afterwards so you have time to get your speech understandable again! Oraldene mouthwash worked really well, so I'd suggest people used that. I still use it once a day, just to be on the safe side, although it is completely healed now.
Having such a good experience with my tongue piercing has inspired me to get more piercings; I've since had my ear lobes pierced again and am planning on getting my tragus done, it's true what they say that piercings are addictive!