Two weeks ago, I wrote the story of my actual piercing: when, where, why, who (and the piercers name was ROB, I accidentally put Tom..). This is the day-by-day of my admittingly rather uneventful aftercare.
At A Glance Author Becca Contact Becca@bme.anon IAM Beccita When A week ago Artist ROB not Tom Studio Ian's NYC Location St. Mark's Place, NY If you're looking for gruesome horror stories, merciless taunting by co-workers and classmates, or angry parents, it's not here. If you're looking for a Worst Case Scenario story, this isn't it. Nope, my healing went about as nicely as anyone could want it.
Now, on to the timeline!
Day 0: I walk out of Ian's and realize that I can't say "th" at all because the barbell gets caught between my gums. I try to practice but within 10 minutes, the entire back of my tongue in my throat began to ache. The right tip of my tongue also stung a bit. For dinner, I had mashed potatoes and chowder but I had to wait a while for it to cool. My tongue felt very uncoordinated and I couldn't yet figure out which way my barbell was or if I was about to bite on it. Very strange. I rinsed with Cepacol afterwards. I sipped cold water all night. Also, I bought a new toothbrush and have be
Day 1: I woke up to find....hardly any swelling. A bruise had formed on the right tip and it still stung. I brushed my teeth, used a little Cepacol, and had cold soup for breakfast. Kept sipping cold water. Continued using Cepacol after every meal & non-water drink.
Day 2: Bruising is slightly darker, and one is starting to form on the left tip. A small gunk of traumatized, dying taste buds collects in front of the top ball. I clean it off w my toothbrush. I'm worried that there might be some damage inside that'll keep getting worse. I went out for pizza with friends that night and not one of the 5 people noticed anything different about my speech. The pizza was difficult to chew but I managed.
Day 3: Wake up to a weird feeling in my mouth: my lips are crusted with blood. I go to my bag to get the Cepacol and - whoops, I left it in the restaurant bathroom last night (I wonder what the person after me must have thought?). I brush my teeth, do a sea salt soak and spit out all the blood. I used dry Q-tips to remove a jello-like gob of blood completely surrounding the bottom ball. The bruising is still there as well.
A few hours later, I decide to give Rob a call. He assures me that the bruising is normal and will go away within a few days, as will the bleeding. I decide to go out and buy Biotene to use in the place of my lost Cepacol. It tastes much better anyway.
Day 4: Rob is right; bleeding stopped, bruising is fading slightly. Continue to rinse with (diluted!) Biotene and do a salt rinse every time I shower. I show my boyfriend, who is mildly grossed out by the bruising. He dubiously wonders if he'll like it..up close and personal.
Day 6: Hot coffee feels really strange. The metal conducts the heat through my entire tongue. Don't try it, you might burn yourself! The top ball has also begun to leave an indentation in my taste buds from pressing the roof of my mouth.
Day 8: St. Patty's Day! My tongue had begun to ooze a light whitish gunk, but multiple after-care sites assured me that it was only dead white blood cells. I'm not using Biotene as much, about 2x a day. I rinse my mouth with cold water after every meal regardless.
Day 10: Oozing isn't as bad. I'm still cleaning it regularly with dry Q-tips, just to prevent it from sitting there. It still hurts slightly when I tighten the balls.
Days 11-16: The oozing has gone down significantly. All in all, it's so comfortable that I have to remind myself to cover my mouth when I yawn. Chewing is going fine and doesn't hurt. Really hot foods will probably be on hold for as long as I have a piece of metal in there.
For those of you who suffered through several weeks of swollen tongue agony, here are my suggestions as to why mine went well. Because I had donated blood a week prior to getting pierced, I had been taking multi-vitamins almost daily for an entire month. I also got pierced with a 3/4" 14 ga titanium barbell. I think the lightness of titanium helped greatly, it's very comfortable. I also started using a brand new toothbrush and drinking water from disposable cups & new bottles whenever possible. Mouthwash with alcohol is very harsh & might upset the pH in your tongue, killing off useful bacteria. I recommend Biotene :)
Of course I suggest that anyone should get this piercing because I'm in love with it. Do yourself a favor though, read a few horror stories as well and take care of your body in the week(s) leading up to the piercing. Good luck!