I have wanted to get a piercing for a while now, and it was something that has been on the books for some time. I finally got around to getting it done about a month ago. It was no-where near what I had envisioned in my head, by that, I mean it was a very pleasant experience.
At A Glance Author Chris When A month ago Artist Dan - http://www.piercerdan.net/ Studio Sacred Balance - http://www.myspace.com/sacredbalance Location Calgary, Alberta, Canada I got to the studio sometime in the afternoon and had to wait just a few minutes as Dan was piercing someone else. It was a really cool studio with two levels. Very clean, and the people there were nice. I had also seen work done by Dan on some friends and gone to view his portfolio which was impressive.
Soon enough, after filling out the consent form, I was upstairs sweating bullets (I was really nervous at the time, it being my first piercing and all). He was incredibly professional, and definitely knew his anatomy (I'm a biochemistry major, and looked up all of the pertinent information about the anatomy of the tongue well before deciding to go ahead with the piercing, call me paranoid if you want, but knowledge is power). He asked me if I would stick to drinking water everyday (1.5-2L min/day), I replied "definitely". He informed me, that if I did, he could use smaller jewelry which would be WAY more comfortable for me. I agreed.
He talked me through the process in detail; which entailed what he was going to do and why he was going to do it. I was very impressed, and definitely felt a bit more at ease (I was still pretty nervous). He had me stick out my tongue, and used some dye to mark the spots above-and-below the tongue where he would pierce. I took a look in the mirror, and was satisfied with the positioning so with my approval we went ahead.
He told me that he didn't use clamps for his piercings, clamps damage the surrounding tissue which impairs the healing process. He massaged my tongue, to loosen up the muscle fibers, and then told me to take a deep breath. *ZANG* a quick sharp pain, which began to dull just as quickly as it had come on. Jewelry was put through... and I kinda brought my tongue back in a little quick. He had me stick it out again to make sure it was tightened. I was done. It was an odd feeling, and I kinda talked like a goof at first but quickly readjusted to sound semi-normal. He told me to drink TONS of water for the next week in order to aid in the healing process. Also the usual; no sharing cups, oral sex, sharing cigarettes, and no drinking alcohol for the first week and a half. In addition, after eating/drinking anything to wash with a saline solution (he recommended a tablespoon of sea-salt dissolved into 500ml of water). I thanked him, paid him and was off.
That Day :: I noticed a little swelling as day went on, but nothing too crazy. I was still able to talk reasonably well. I tried to eat noodle soup, but ended up just eating the soup base, cause I wasn't used to eating anything with the piercing yet.
Day 1 :: No additional swelling. The drinking LOADS of water worked or I just don't swell that much. In addition, he's a really good piercer and the lack of clamps probably helped with the lack of swelling. Still only drinking water/milk/juice and soup base. I had half of a hot-dog, but it took me like 30min to eat it haha.
Day 2 :: Swelling had not changed, and I was getting better at talking normally as I adjusted to the piercing. I was able to eat toast (albeit slowly), which was awesome cause I was hungry 24/7 as of late.
Day 3 :: Swelling has gone down slightly and I continue to be able to eat more things, at quicker speeds (haven't yet bitten down on the piercing yet, yay!).
Day 7 :: Swelling has gone down significantly (I'd say it is back to normal size), I can talk fine, eat everything except foods that require me to bite into them (burgers, subs etc.), can't do anything with the piercing yet, still kinda tender when I play with it.
Day 12 :: No longer any perceived swelling, can eat anything and everything (some things still take a bit of time to eat), begin to play with the piercing more without any tenderness.
Day 19 :: Can play with the piercing, eat everything (at my normal speed of eating), and have only bitten down on the piercing once.
Day 23 :: Everything is normal, the piercing is great!
Notes:
-- At no point did my tongue ever do anything funky, aside from swelling (no discharge, no discoloration, and negligible pain)
-- My healing was incredibly quick, when I compare it to other stories. I don't know why that is. There are four possible reasons (which may have overlapped); my biology, drinking crap-loads of water, the lack of a clamp used, and the skill and technique of the piercer.
=== Conclusion ===
I was nervous and reluctant to get this piercing done, I figured the swelling would last for a week and I'd be in pain. The reality could not be further from the truth. It was quick, relatively painless, and my recovery was wicked fast. In the end, I LOVE this piercing and am looking to get another done soon. If you are thinking about getting it done, do it. But I recommend you find a good piercer (ask questions, do your homework, look at portfolios), and don't let them use clamps on you. I hope this has helped!
~ Chris