This long journey for my tongue piercing started back when I was about 12-ish, almost 13. I have been interested in body modification for, really as long as I can remember, and had been looking around BME for a long while. I don't think my parents knew at all about how I felt towards mods. I had only had my lobes pierced twice when I approached my mom and asked her if I could get my tongue pierced for my birthday. I really didn't know what to expect since we had never talked about non-lobe piercings before. The answer was an automatic no. I guess you could say I was surprised about how fast her decision was made, and how strongly she felt about it, since it was the first time I said anything. I was devastated. After months of discussions that turned into arguments, I was talking to my dad about it, he made me a deal. "If you are still continuing to get great grades, you can get it done for your 16th birthday". I was ecstatic. I knew at the time he made that deal thinking that I would grow out of the idea with the next 3 1/2 years. So I kept my mouth shut about it and continued to get good grades. But over the few years I got assorted ear piercings, which my mom was fine with.
At A Glance Author Jennifer Contact Jennifer@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Jamie Studio Starfire Location Bend, Oregon In November 2006, when I was still 15, I gathered about 5 pages of information on tongue piercings from different sites, so the info wouldn't be bias. One day, my dad was home for lunch, and my mom was outside. I asked if I could talk to him about something that evening, and for him not to say anything to my mom about it, and he agreed. When he got home, the conversation started with me saying "remember when I was 12 and you said that I could get my tongue pierced for my 16th birthday?", the look on his face was priceless! It was one of those smiles where he was happy, but he knew his little plan had failed! He read the information and said his only worry was about what could happen to my teeth. My mom asked him what he was reading, and that's how she found out. She was furious. Over the next 6 months my dad and I tried to work the idea on her little by little, never pushing it. Now, my dad didn't want this done anymore than my mom, but he made a deal and said that he had to stick to it. Seeing that my most recent report card stated that my GPA is a 3.6, I think I upheld my end of the deal very well!
Over the months, my mom didn't warm up to the idea at all, but she, I think, got more used to it and accepted it. She said that she would not be there when I get it. So my dad and I agreed to go on Friday May 4th, which is 6 days before my actual birthday. The days leading up to it I thought about it a lot, but I honestly was not excited because it really felt like it wasn't going to happen. I was extremely happy to think about it, but no real excitement...yet.
Driving there was a completely different story. That's when it felt real, like it was really going to happen. I was excited beyond belief, I couldn't stop smiling. It was my dad's first time taking me to get something pierced, and the first time he has ever me to my piercing studio. My mom had taken me for all of the ones in my ears, but she refused this one. After I told them what I was getting their immediate response was "haha, where's your mom for this one?!". So we filled out the paper work and they photocopied my dad's ID, then I had to wait for Jamie to mess around with some strange lady's nose piercing which he CONSTANTLY touched, eek! (just watching her play with it made me cringe!). When she was done, it was my turn! I walked in the room with my little baggie of sea salt and after-care pamphlet and hoped up on the table. Jamie asked me if I was nervous and I replied "nope, but excited!", my dad, being funny replied, "oh a little bit". She laughed and said that he didn't have to be in there. I swear my dad was more scared for me than I would ever be. Jamie started explaining about the procedure/aftercare and gave me some Listerine to gargle for 20 seconds. Most people say that the Listerine is one of the worst parts, but it wasn't bad for me because I used mouthwash every night anyway. After I spit it out she dried my tongue and marked the spots (with the famous purple pen!) on where it would be pierced. She showed me the marking and explained how she angles the bottom to miss your frenulum, which I was pretty happy about. I had basically worried myself thinking that my frenulum was over prominent. Mine is angled off to the left. My tongue isn't pierced off-center or crooked as that may make it sound. It's straight and center all the way down, and then at the very bottom it's very slightly off to the left. After more bullshitting and explaining, she asked if I wanted any of the numbing lube put on my tongue, I answered no and my dad said "are you sure, Jennifer?". Jamie just laughed and jokingly said "do you want some?". After approving out the placement of the markings, she dried my tongue off again and put on the clamps, which I didn't think were uncomfortable or painful at all. Then she told me to keep taking deep breaths and she pierced it from bottom to top. It didn't hurt AT ALL! A lot of people close their eyes, but I really wanted to keep mine open to try to see. But of course, your nose is in the way of seeing your mouth! It was very quick and as soon as the needle was all the way through, I had a dorky smile on my face with my tongue stuck out. She slid the barbell in and screwed on the ball and let me take a look in the mirror. It was perfect! I also didn't drool at all. I pulled my tongue back into my mouth and it didn't feel that weird at all. It felt new, but it also kind of felt like it had always been there (a little contradiction?).
I could talk very well with it being brand new. Afterwards we stopped at the store to get some fresh tongue piercing foods and ibuprofen. I had no pain or trouble with it that night at all. I swished with salt water after every time I ate or drank, which was pretty much jello or yogurt. I gave up mouthwash while it was healing so I wouldn't be getting rid of the good bacteria along with the bad bacteria, and after it was healed I switched to an alcohol free mouthwash. The next morning, to my utter surprise, it wasn't swollen at all. I ate about 3/4 of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, then, ate some jello. It was very, very, awkward since my tongue didn't swell (and there was a foreign object in my mouth!). Over the weekend I was eating pretty well, but I was still eating foods like soup and yogurt. My tongue never swelled, making the barbell pretty long, so every time I would swallow, some food would get stuck on it, and also if I moved the food from one side of my mouth to the other side too fast it could jerk the barbell and cause a little pinch. By Sunday I was able to eat some steak!
A week after I got it pierced I went in to have the barbell changed to a shorter one. My mom took me in for this. When we walked in Jamie said "has it been a week already?!" then went on telling my mom about how funny my dad was the week before. We went into the room and I hopped onto to table and told her about how my tongue never swelled or hurt at all. She switched out the long bar for another much shorter. It was very nice! Now I had room in my mouth again! I could eat like I had never had my tongue pierced. We went out for my belated birthday dinner and I could eat perfectly. I'm not much of a very large gauge person (depending), but I will one day gauge my tongue to probably a 10 gauge, which I know isn't big, but bigger!
It has now been 6 weeks, and I guess I could say my experience was 100% better than what I could ask for. I was completely prepared for it to swell and be painful, but I got the exact opposite. I think I was pretty lucky considering that most people have more trouble than I did. My mom has said that she's "over it", and it doesn't bother her now (I still can't get any more facial/oral piercings until I'm out of the house, though!). I'm very happy I got this done, and stuck to it for so long. It's one slight modification where I showed my parents, and proved to myself, my level of commitment.