About 3 weeks ago I decided I wanted my tongue pierced, after years of thinking I didn't want it done. So I told my boyfriend and he said "yes get it done". I went on Google and typed in tongue piercing and read all these horrifying stories of people having bad experiences but by that time I had also seen enough pictures of tongue piercing that looked so cool I really wanted it done.
At A Glance Author liz Contact liz@bme.anon When N/A Artist Marcus Studio Holier than thou Location Manchester A week passed an all I could think about was getting it done. My boyfriend came to Manchester to visit me and we were out shopping on the Wednesday and I decided to go and look into it, just look I thought. I went round what seemed like a hundred piercers knowing that i needed to get the change down bar done in a week before I went home next, because if my mum sees it I am as dead as a dodo. Anyway we came to this place and I went in and asked, the guy said 1 week for the change down and £25 I thought yeah ok ill get it done here. I left the shop and told Ben I wanted it done. We went to the cash machine and started walking back towards the shop. I remember it felt like the longest walk ever. So we got outside and I stopped and looked in. I can't believe I did this but I was so scared I started to cry!
We went in and I filled out the paper work and the guy comes into the shop and says right ok are you ready? In all honesty I wasn't but it was now or never. We went in and I sat on the bed. He checked my tongue for veins and stuff and got the clamps out. he put the clamp on my tongue and I got really scared an said I wasn't ready, so he took them off, I took a deep breath, re swallowed my stomach an he put them back on. The next bit was quick. He put the needle through and then the bar, it stung a bit with the needle but only the same as my cartilage piercings.
I paid and left and headed straight for the pharmacy to get mouth wash and ibuprofen. And a bottle of water. On the bus home I couldn't talk and I kept drooling, it was quite funny really. Ben was really supportive he kept telling me I was so brave.
That night after Ben went home I tried to eat custard knowing that I wouldn't be able to eat solid foods, except I couldn't get the spoon in properly so I looked really silly and kept having to wipe my chin
Day 2 and I woke up with my tongue taking up all the room in my mouth, I tried to eat a ham sandwich, it took me an hour!! I left eating for a while
Day 3 and I couldn't eat or talk properly; it was just awkward because i'm generally a chatty person
days 4 - 6 the swelling went down slowly after taking 6 ibuprofen a day and eating very little, a diet of soup maybe tasty but doesn't really fill you up
Day 7 change down day!! I was so excited by today; I had this huge bar in my tongue that was making a dint in the roof of my mouth! So we went in and I got it changed to a 16mm bar and it felt so good, I immediately went and had a MacDonald's.
Since then eating has been fine but my biggest hurdle was yet to come, going home with the silver bar in...
If my mum sees this she will go mental. Thursday night she wasn't in so that was ok I only saw her for a few minutes, Friday I didn't see her at all because she went to work and then straight out afterwards. Saturday, we were in and out at different times and you can't see it when I talk so that's ok but Sunday, the dreaded family meal, I sit opposite my mum for our Sunday dinner so this wasn't going to be easy. However, I did it! I got through the weekend without her seeing it! I wouldn't risk it all the time but 1 weekend was ok.
Its 2 weeks tomorrow and its all going well, I wash my mouth with non alcoholic mouth wash twice a day and salt water in the evenings. It doesn't hurt anymore and is hardly swollen now. I've just ordered some colourful bars and retainers (for when I'm home) off the internet.
to anyone wanting to get it done, go for it, just do your research, I made my decision on a. how clean the place was (v important) b. the change down time (not important unless u want to hide it) an c. how friendly the people were, this is very important to me as if the people aren't nice I won't feel relaxed enough to get it done.
And 1 more thing a lot of the stories on the internet because people don't look after them properly, if u do look after it properly u should be fine
Good luck