At A Glance
Author	Jakub
Contact	Jakub@bme.anon
When	Two years ago
Artist	Jeff
Studio	Le Rox
Location	Akron, OH

It was the summer of 1996, I was sixteen not legal to get a tattoo or piercing without consent of a parental guardian. I was going to summer school at that time for biology. My parents were both worried that I may be held back a year in school. My mother asked me what it would take to get me to study hard and pass summer school. It took me a few days and after giving it much thought decided to get my septum pierced. Anyway, I told my mom that it was O.K. that if she didn't like it that I would gladly flip it up in my nose so it would be out of her sight. I told her what the price was like $65 dollars.

All she had to do was come with me and say it was all right for me to get it pierced, that would be it, all she had to do on her part. I passed, so my mother and I went to the tattoo parlor in the neighborhood. I didn't know anything about gauges or the whole healing process for piercing, I asked the guy at the shop about getting my septum pierced and he asked me what kind of jewelry I wanted. I looked in to the jewelry case. I pointed to the four gauge, something huge and barbaric, thats when my hopes and dreams came to a miserable end.

The guy started telling my mother and I that to get pierced at that gauge or any gauge you could risk a bad infection that may cause death, that is when I knew it was all over. I was so mad. I started pleading and begging my mom to let me have it but no she didn't and we left.

Three long years passed by, I was legal now and had the money, nothing could stop me. Up until the time of getting it pierced I wasn't very worried about what it would feel like getting it pierced, but the day I decided to get it done I started to worry a lot that it might be extremely painful or I might faint. I was so worried when I sat down in the chair, but I figured hey, theres no going back now so I might as well expect the worst. As the piercer pushed the needle though my septum I heard an audible pop, but it wasn't too gross of a sound, and it really didn't hurt as much as it pinched. I didn't faint but I had tears running down my cheeks, the piercer said this was to be expected and not to feel afraid of it.. There was a little bit of discomfort as he put the 14 gauge cbr in my septum, but by that time I had so much adrenaline in my system that I didn't even care.

As he gave me a mirror so I could check out my awesome new piercing. I was so happy with the way it looked and I relized it was worth all the years of waiting.It also paid off to have aknowledgeable piercer who actually knew what he was doing and made me feel at ease through the whole procedure.

I was so hyper afterwards I was running around in the parking lot jumping on my friends. The next day is when I started feeling pain, my nose was swelled up and Ihad these little horrible crusties all around my jewelry in my nose. I cleaned it with the sea salt the piercer gave to me three times a day, and man, if you've never used sea salt soaks,your missing out, they feel so good!. After awhile the crusties started going away and it was still sore but not as swelled up.Eventually I could start rotating the cbr without much pain. I showed my cousin what I had gotten pierced that night he smacked me in the nose thinking it was fake and it was a horrible excruciating pain. It swelled up real quick and got sore all over again. Then I went through the whole healing process all over again.

I wasn't very pleased about it. Two days after the incident I decided to take my jewelry out so that I could really clean my nose out. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but thats when the problems started. It started bleeding a little and the hole began to shrink so had to push it back in. It hurt pretty bad but I had to do it. I didn't want to go through all of this for nothing and lose my piercing I had wanted so much. I could only take it out for a few minutes before it started shrinking again. My septum healed finally, but when I would sleep it would fall out, since I didn't wear the ball in the jewelry. I had to force it back in almost every morning. One day I was cleaning the ring and I forgot to put it back in for work. I didn't realize it until later in the afternoon I couldn't find anything at work to use to keep the hole stretched until I found a dry wall nail. I figured I'd be damned if I was going to get it repierced and spend more money. So, I sho ved it in my nose as delicately as I could and managed to put it in with out splitting or messing up anything. when I went home I gently took it out and put the cbr back in. after that I learned my lesson and I kept the bead onthe ring. I guess I have to learn lessons the hard way.

I know that putting a nail through my nose wasn't the most sanitary thing. Learn from my mistakes and hopefully you'll have better luck at healing your septum piercing. Since I have had the piercing, I have gauged it up to an 8 and plan on stretching up to a four. I haven't had anymore problems, since it healed, and now that I have had it for so long I can take it out at night without it healing shut. Dont be afraid to get it pierced, it doesn't really hurt, and dont be afraid to shop around for a piercer who knows what he is doing. You can even ask if you can sit in on a septum piercing so you can see what the ordeal will be like. Good luck, and have fun!