Having been in college for several weeks and needing something new and unique in an attempt to set myself apart from other freshmen, as well as something to express my new independence, I had decided that a nostril piercing would be the perfect accessory to my life. At the about the same time, my roommate had come to a similar decision regarding her lip.
At A Glance Author elex Contact elex@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Michael Studio Tribal Ways Location Boston, MA Being right outside of Boston, we had a plethora of piercers to choose from, but the majority of people that we asked recommended Tribal Ways downtown, which was known for being run by a registered nurse. A quick call got us both appointments for a weekday after classes, about 5 PM.
We walked a mile to the shop, and signed in for our appointments. I will admit that I was more than terrified – needles scare me. I can't get shots without trembling, I pass out when I attempt to donate blood, and I fainted right after getting my navel pierced earlier in the year.
However, after I was ID'ed and paid for the piercing, Michael explained everything to me, had me sign a waiver, and gave me several care pamphlets. I had originally just been intending to get a stud, but he firmly suggested a ring, which I could change in for a stud within 3 months of getting pierced, because it would be much easier to clean due to its rotation. I was sold; I wanted no chance of infection or rejection, especially since I knew I wouldn't take as great of care of it as I would be expected to, being as I wasn't greatly responsible with my navel piercing.
My roommate and I were then lead into the room where the actual piercing done – I was to be done first, but it was permissible for us each to have another person in the room which being pierced, so we were going to stay in the room for each others' piercing. It had to have been the cleanest looking room I had ever seen. Michael told me that the room was washed in its entirety daily with a bleach solution, and the individual piercing station was washed similarly between each client. Although I was terrified about the actual piercing, I felt safe in the room and with Michael as my piercer.
In retrospect, I probably should have told him that I had a tendency to faint before beginning the process, but it never came up; when I had my navel pierced, the waiver included a question on whether I had fainted before. However, once I was in the chair, I was concentrating too hard on the needle that would soon puncture my skin, which had been taken out by Michael and was sitting on a stack of paper towels, still individually wrapped. It was huge! I didn't remember my navel needle being that large, but I suppose that it because I had my eyes clenched the entire time.
Before I could blink, he had placed a marked spot on my nose and was handing me a mirror to check placement. I wanted it a little farther forward on my nostril, and he quickly readjusted it for me. Then, we were ready to go on. Next step: he clamped my nose. There was a pinching pressure, but it wasn't horrible.
Without warning, the needle was through my nose! He capped it off with a small cork to keep it in while he got ready to put the ring in. It barely hurt; the pinching of the clamp probably caused more pain than the actual puncture. However, adrenaline rushing, my sight began to get fuzzy, and dark purple swirls came in from the edges of my vision. All of a sudden, I was hit with that rush of pseudo-dreams of the unconscious, and soon came to. There was a paper towel damp with cold water on my forehead, and my roommate looked at my awkwardly, asking if I was all right.
I was fine, but I was given a chair to prop my feet on so that I could recline a tad, and was handed a basket of suckers and told by Michael to take one. I was also handed a glass of water, as Michael said that he would re-glove and move to the other piercing station to do my roommate while I recovered.
Looking down at my nose, there was still the needle and the cork sticking out of my left nostril! Just seeing the needle, I began to get light headed again, but I unwrapped the sucker and put it in the right side of my mouth so that it wouldn't interfere with the needle. My roommate's lip only took about 10 minutes, probably because she is much better at taking needles than I am.
When Michael re-gloved and returned to me, I was finally re-hydrated and re-electrolyted, and was ready for the ring to be put in. The ring took about three minutes to put in. I was given the option of him turning the ball up into my nostril, but I was done with the nose being touched for a little while. My roommate and I left, both with out piercings, and walked back to campus.
Over the next month, I was surprising diligent (for me) with the washing, cleansing with sea salts, and application of bactine as I had been told. Now, the piercing is completely healed, and is ready to be switched to a stud. Although the needles petrified me, I am so glad that I went through with the piercing, as I have come to view it as a definitive part of me.