This is a story about moving on with your life, and becoming who you want to be. This is a hard story to begin, because it details a hard time in my life. To begin, I'll give you some back-story. Roughly two years ago, I met someone who soon became very important to me, we got together and had two amazing years together. We were so close to one another on so many different levels, and things seemed perfect. I then went through a rough spot in my life and my financial situation was pretty bad off. This lasted for about two months, and one day at the end of these two months, as I'm talking on the phone to my girlfriend, she tells me we "need to talk". Now everyone knows that's the universal code for "I'm dumping your loser ass." I then proceeded to cry like a baby for a few days straight. Three days afterwards I get a call telling me I've been hired somewhere I had applied. I never was a fan of irony.
At A Glance Author MuNkMuNk Contact MuNkMuNk@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Randy Gaines Studio Addictive Images Location Englewood, Ohio Now, I know you're wondering what the hell this has to do with septum piercing, so I'll get to that now. My girlfriend had always dissuaded me from getting my septum pierced, same with my bridge. She would tell me she "didn't like the way they look". So, in an attempt to keep my girlfriend attracted to me, I decided not to get either of the procedures done. Well, time goes by, a relationship falls apart and things change. I realize I no longer have to limit myself to please someone else. This revelation was remarkably comforting. So as part of the healing/grieving process I had begun, I made an appointment to get my septum pierced after my first day of work.
First day of work was horrible and I found myself anxious to get out of there. The day crawled by and I was finally on my way to the studio. Just my luck, I began getting sick on the way over there, motion sickness. Oh well, I decided, I had come this far and wasn't gonna back out. I got to the studio a little early, Randy was still busy with another customer. I waited as he finished up and then he asked if I had eaten or drank anything that day. I told him no, so he sent me off to go do that while we waited on the autoclave. When I got back he had just gotten done setting the room up. I paid the lady working at the counter and then followed Randy to the room. I was nervous and it showed. I had asked if I could get it pierced with a retainer and he told me I could and that a lot of people use retainers when first pierced. He had me sit down, he put some gloves on, and starting examining my septum. He was really good at keeping me relaxed by talking to me the whole time. Afte r feeling around he decided to go with 14 gauge. He left and came back with a black titanium 14 gauge retainer. He explained the color helped conceal the piercing. He did some more probing around in my nose, and then finally the fun stuff began.
He put a bit of a product called Satin on some tissues and cleaned my nostrils and the outside of my nose. He discussed a lot of the aftercare and such with me, most of it I already knew. Then he started getting lined up for the piercing, he did some probing with the back of the needle until he decided where he was to pierce it. He then lined up the receiving tube and told me to began the breathing procedure I was far too familiar with.
He told me to take a deep breath in, and let it out. At this time I was extremely nervous. He told me to take another deep breath in. My nerves went even crazier, I think I started shaking a little bit. He told to breath out. The moment of truth! .....or so I thought. At this time all the resolve I had built up crumbled. He asked me to breath in again. Oh no, I thought, this is it. And one last time he told me to breath out. OH MY GOD. I was right! It felt like a punch in the nose. My eyes teared up a little. I felt a bit disoriented for a second, but it passed. The pain disappeared and my breathing returned to normal. He asked me to watch as he disposed of the needle. Then he brought me a hand mirror to check out the piercing. We talked a little longer, he showed me how to flip it up for work, and went over aftercare again. I thanked him, tipped him, and left.
The next few days went by easily. I was doing sea-salt water soaks and cleaning it with Satin antibacterial cleanser (he gave me a free bottle). Flipping it up for work is easy, and everyone is still oblivious. I loved the way this piercing looked and couldn't believe I didn't do it a long time ago. The piercing helps me by building up some self confidence that got tore down in the break-up I went through. It makes me feel as though I'm becoming once again who *I* want me to be. I plan on getting my bridge done eventually, but I can't where I work. I also plan to get many more body mods as I feel I don't have hardly enough. I guess the moral of this little story is that nothing can make you feel better than being true to yourself, because you are the only person you can really ever depend on.