I decided to get my tongue pierced because everyone told me not to. The reponse I got when I proposed the idea was overwhelmingly negative...so I was like, what the hell, I'm going to do it just to spite them! (I had also had a strong urge to get another piercing and wanted something I could hide).
At A Glance Author Carolyn Contact Carolyn@bme.anon When Six months ago Studio Comes a Time Location Fairfax, VA I got it done at Comes a Time/Marlowe Ink in Fairfax, where I'd gotten my belly button pierced the summer before. I really like the piercer there because he's very laid back and acts like he does 100s of piercings a day. Plus, he doesn't use clamps (which I think add unncessary pain).
So I walked in with my boyfriend, who was more nervous than I was. I gave them my ID to photocopy, paid $50 cash, and sat down in a chair while the piercer got his stuff ready. No matter how relaxed I think I am initially, I ALWAYS get this intense adrenaline-rush in the waiting room that makes me feel like I'm going to pass out before I get something done.
He called me in and I sat down on the edge of the table/chair (not gonna lie...I was shaking a little). I was told to rinse my mouth out with this really strong mouthwash that made my eyes water. He dried my tongue off with a paper towel and held it out. I grabbed my boyfriend's hand and squeezed really hard (he was looking the other way...psh) as I saw the needle coming towards me.
The piercer slid the needle through the bottom of my tongue and up. There was no excruciating pain as I had expected...the best way for me to describe how it felt was how you think a needle is going to feel going through your tongue (but without the pain). It was weird. Probably because the needle was so sharp and went through so easily/quickly? I don't know.
Then the needle came out and the barbell slid right in after it. He had a difficult time screwing the ball in because apparantly I kept moving my tongue around. When he finally did, I carefully pulled my tongue back in my mouth. It felt SO strange, but it looked awesome in the mirror even though it was bleeding a little. I was then given instructions on how to clean my new piercing and told to drink a few cups of ice water before I left, and was sent on my way.
My piercing was okay for the rest of that day and the day after. Amazingly, my parents didn't notice and neither did my boss. I had a little lisp that only I could notice.
When I woke up on day three, however, my tongue had swollen up pretty bad (it took up the whole length of the barbell...which was pretty freakin long). For the next few days, I kept expecting to wake up to a normal-sized tongue, but that didn't happen. I admit I didn't take care of it as well as I should have...I didn't rinse after EVERY meal and ate lots of hot/spicy food. Bad idea.
One week after I had gotten it pierced, I woke up in the middle of the night due with this really strong dull pain on my tongue. I stuck my tongue out in the mirror and almost passed out. The area surrounding the piercing on the top was covered in so much blood (it was all coagulated and gross) that I couldn't even see the ball anymore. I guess my tongue had swollen so much that the balls of the barbell had actually cut through it. I told myself I had to take it out, so I did. It took about 10 minutes because I kept flinching from the pain.
I cleaned everything up and was about to go to bed when I was like, "There's no way I'm wasting $50." So I decided to stick the barbell back in without screwing on the second ball (it's not like it would have fit anyway). I decided to wait until the swelling subsided enough to put the other one back on properly. I went back to sleep, feeling brilliant.
Not so much. The next day during lunch, it slipped out of my tongue and I swallowed the thing. I felt it go down. I freaked out and tried to throw it up because there's no way something like that can be good for your digestive tract, but it didn't work.
Nevertheless, I was STILL intent on keeping this piercing in. I sped to the mall so the hole wouldn't close up and bought a 1" long barbell, hoping it would fit. It did, barely. That's how much my tongue had swelled up.
It took another 2 weeks for my tongue to get back down to its normal size, and I've had my piercing in since then. Yes, I'm stupid for a). not taking care of it properly, b). swallowing the original barbell, and c). not going back to my piercer. But now I have a really hot piercing that I am in love with and I really regret the day when I outgrow it.