Since seeing my friends newly pierced tongue about three years ago, I knew I wanted one! It looked beautiful! My parents were totally against it, so I thought I'd wait until I was 18 to get it done...
At A Glance Author LittleL Contact LittleL@bme.anon When A week ago Studio Tattoo Man, Rumbridge Street, Totton, Southampton Location Southampton, Hampshire By the time I was 18, I kind of forgot about the whole tongue piercing thing... that was until two years later when my boyfriends, brother's girlfriend had it done and I started to think about it again....
Having put much thought into it for ages and ages I knew I had to get it done, but the thought of a large needle getting stuck through my thick tongue made my belly churn and my palms sweat... I don't like needles at all, although I'd had my ears pierced many times and my navel... but the thought of a needle going though my tongue... no way!! How could I go through that pain? That's when I came across BME web-site. I read many stories about how the tongue piercing was nothing to worry about and was pretty painless, so having convinced myself that it wouldn't hurt, I booked up an appointment at my local piercing shop to get it done in a week's time!!
I decided to take a week of work so that I could get over the worst of the healing... and i'm glad I did! (I well recommend booking time of work)
So anyway, the piercing date arrived very quickly and the night before I barely slept a wink. I was up most of the night worried sick about the piercing and whether I could actually go through with it!
So on the morning of the piercing, I had a big fry-up (as this could be the last meal I ever have!!!) and then got my boyfriend to drive me to the piercing shop. Once we arrived I was a bag of nerves! My boyfriend decided he would sit in the car and wait for me, instead of coming in with me and I agreed it was a good idea (he would only make me more nervous had he come into the piercing shop with me)
As I entered the shop, I could feel myself sweating and my belly turning, I even debated on running out at one point and leaving... but I knew it was now or never. If I didn't go through with it now, I was never going to get the courage to go there again to get it done.
So I walked over to the counter where one guy was sat, who was doing a tattoo. He told me to take a seat and explained that the guy who was going to carry out my piercing would be with me shortly.
I nervously sat and waited for about 5 minutes before this cute looking guy approached and asked me to follow him. I followed him into the back of the shop and went into a small room, where he drew some curtains behind us. He asked me to jump up onto a chair. He washed his hands, put on some gloves and showed me the equipment which he would use including a fresh, sealed needle. He asked me to poke my tongue out so he could check it and to see if it was ok to pierce. Once he was happy, he rubbed some clear gel onto my tongue which kind of numbed it and made my tongue tingle. He then drew a dot on my tongue with a pen and then clamped it (which didn't hurt at all. I just felt a bit of pressure) then he picked up the needle,i shut my eyes really tight and before i knew it he said 'here comes the fun part' and with that he stuck the needle through the bottom of my tongue and out the top!!!! I gasped as the needle went through, but it didn't hurt, I just gasped because I thought it would hurt!! The piecing was pretty painless, just a small pinch and a bit of pressure... that's it! He then put the bar through, screwed on the ball tightly and gave me a mirror to check out my new piercing. There was a little blood, but nothing to worry about. It felt really strange with this large bar in my mouth!
It was all over so quickly and I wondered why I had got myself so worried and worked up about!
I rinsed my mouth out with some liquid solution, whilst he explained the aftercare to me... (Rinse with salt water (not mouthwash), no alcohol or smoking in the first day etc, don't play with the bar too much, no oral sex, snogging etc)... I thanked him; paid, tipped him and left the shop... my boyfriend couldn't believe I'd gone through with it!
Once I got home, 15 minutes later, the pain kicked in... I had a dull, numbing, aching pain that was very uncomfortable. I took some ibuprofen and once they took effect, the pain sub-sided but it was still quite uncomfortable. I ate soap, ice lollies and ice-cream for the first two days as the tongue was so sore, swollen and uncomfortable and I didn't fancy eating much anyway, but after the third day I sort of had enough and was quite hungry and so decided to eat a bacon sandwich and some crisp! I found I had to eat on the side of my mouth (which caused ulcers on the side of my mouth) or I had to catapult food down the back of my throat and swallow without chewing... not easy to do and sometimes I would accidentally bite down on the bar.. Ooowwcchhh!! So the eating side of things is a BIG pain...so much of a pain that I even contemplated on taking the bar out.
Also you have to remember to rinse your mouth out with salt water/ non alcohol mouthwash after everything you eat/drink/smoke, which can be a pain sometimes... especially when our out and about (I carry a small bottle of non alcohol mouthwash with me)
It's been a week now and my tongue feels a bit better... it doesn't ache much now, except first thing in the morning... for some reason, my tongue is very sore in the mornings! the swelling has pretty much gone and i'm finding eating better now, but it still takes me longer than usual to eat things.. Hopefully that will end once I down-size to a smaller bar in a week's time?!
Anyway, all I would say is, if your having doubts about the whole pain side of things and this is the only reason stopping you from going ahead and getting your tongue pierced, I seriously ask you to reconsider this factor... the piercing itself is pretty much painless, but remember the healing can be a bitch at times... But all in all, it's well worth it. I'm very happy with my piercing, it looks lovely and it's so much fun shopping for my new tongue bars. Go on... get it pierced, you know you want to! Good luck