3 years ago I pierced my own tongue. I spent about 2 hours researching about it before I attempted it.
At A Glance Author Michelle Contact Michelle@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Myself Studio My bathroom Location Wisconsin I'd like to say before I get on with my story that anyone thinking of attempting this themselves should really rethink it. I was lucky. If you pierce it too far back you could shove the needle through a main nerve that runs down the middle of your tongue and paralyze it. Too far up and you could end up splitting your tongue. Then there are the veins in your tongue. You could bleed to death. Knowing the art of DIY piercing and the excitement leading up to it you probably want it done right away no matter what. If you forgo getting appropriate needles (standard 14g sterilized hollow needles) you may have many complications. If you trust the internet to provide you with proper aftercare procedures you may end up with an infected tongue or thrush.
Ok on with my story. I was 15 years old when I did my tongue piercing. I had already done my belly button the year before and was itching to have another piercing done. My father already not knowing about my belly button would not have agreed to a tongue piercing so I decided to do it myself while I was visiting my mom. I didn't have a needle so I went over to my cousin's house and asked if she had any. The only one I could find was a huge needle off of her mom's sewing machine. It was used for denim I guess. I returned home with my prize and brushed my teeth, then swished a bit of mouthwash. I held a lighter to the needle thinking it would sterilize it but just in case I soaked it in some hydrogen peroxide (by the way this process I used doesn't sterilize worth crap) I wiped the black off the needle from burning it and stuck out my tongue.
Another dilemma...How am I going to hold my tongue? I tried grabbing it with my un-washed hands but it kept slipping. Finally I found if I used paper toweling between my fingers and my tongue I could get a grip. I held the needle to the top of my tongue at an angle not bothering to mark anything. The top layer was thick and without a hollow needle very hard to push through. I pushed as hard as I could while trying to ignore the pain, but it wouldn't budge. I had already started drooling profusely. I pulled the needle out (as far in as it had gone) sucked up the drool and started in again. Finally the needle ripped through the top layer and a little bit further. I let out my breath and stop for a break. I re-gripped the needle and pushed it very easily through the rest of my tongue.
Pleased with myself I quickly ran out of the bathroom to show my brother the needle sticking through my tongue. "Eww" was his response but I didn't care. I went back and pulled the needle back out. I had one drop of blood on the top of my tongue and that was it. Then I grabbed the barbell and unscrewed one ball and tried putting it through. I swear that is the worst part. I took me a full 20 minutes to get it through but when I did I was so happy. I rinsed my mouth and went to bed. In the morning my tongue was twice its normal size...much expected. My mistake was not knowing that when you get anything pierced you have to allow room for swelling, which I didn't. My barbell was a little more than half the size of a normal "beginner barbell." Nothing real bad happened but it left an impression in my tongue where the ball sat.
My tongue never did get infected; I think because I have a strong immune system but what I did 2 months after I did my piercing...was horrible. I had been wearing clear balls so it would be less noticeable but I soon became paranoid of my father seeing it. I know he would've beat the crap out of me if he knew I had it done. He did with my belly ring. My schedule went like this: Coming home from school I'd take it out and shove it into the small pocket of my jeans-leave it out until I went to bed (by then the hole had started to close so I had to rip through a couple layers of skin to get it through-sometimes when I forgot to put it back in at night I would have to do it on the way to school and it hurt even more because it had healed up even more. I did this for 6 months straight with some other complications.
Because my father was abusive (and other reasons) I had started to cut my wrists and I was placed in "ground kohler" Kind of like a mental institution for at-risk teens. They said I had to take out all my jewelry but they only checked my belly button (how my father found out about that one) Scared I took out my tongue ring after I was settled but I decided to try to put it back in after a couple of days. That being the most pain I had ever felt in my life, at least up until that point. I got out of there in five days and after that my tongue piercing was a secret until my cousin (different one) told my father about 8 months later. He made me take it out but I just went upstairs and stuck my other one in. 2 weeks later the cops were called after a particularly bad beating and I was sent to live with my mom.
Now I've had my tongue pierced for 3 years and I still love it. Because of the constant closing up of my hole it is now slightly crooked but only noticeable to me.
As a warning to other DIYers out there...just wait, trust me it will be worth it to get it done professionally. I am currently in training to be a pro and I'll be getting my license in March after I turn 18. I've done almost 70 piercings without almost any complications save for those who were highly allergic to metal or didn't follow the proper aftercare procedures which was taken care of. I've heard many DIY nightmares and I knew a girl from Florida that choked to death on her tongue because she paralyzed it while trying to pierce it. Body piercing is not an everyday thing in the sense that anyone can do it. It can be very dangerous especially if you don't really know what you are doing.