At A Glance Author amanda Contact amanda@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Hillary Studio Cherry Bomb Location Martinsburg, WV I have become quite addicted to body piercings lately. So, when my roommate said that she wanted to go get her tongue re-pierced my face started begging me for a new hole. Even while we were there waiting in the front of the shop, I couldn't decide what to do. I've wanted my septum pierced for some time now, but I knew from reading and talking to people that it was quite the painful piercing. I also wanted to get my eyebrow re-pierced where I'd had a retainer slip out one night and the piercing grow over. I finally decided on the septum because I could hide it better if I needed to for any reason.
My roommate went first, because she was even more nervous than I was and I didn't want her to chicken out. Watching the needle go through her tongue added to how freaked out I was because A. I'd had this same piercing done to myself twice, but never seen the needle go through someone's tongue. It was and odd, freakish thing to see; and B I was next in line to get a needle stuck through my body-- and in a way I knew would be painful at that.
Once the piercer was done with my roommate and had cleaned all of the surfaces and gotten out the new supplies for me I was starting to actually get scared. This was new for me. I had always prided myself being calm and collected in the face of piercings and pain, but something about my nose, and the fact that this was being done freehand, and that I had just seen a needle go through someone else's flesh, I was much more nervous than usual. According to my roommate, my pupils were the size of dinner plates.
I tried to calm myself down as Hillary, the piercer, arranged all her tools on the tray, told me how they were all clean, sterile, the needles were one use only, etc. etc. etc. I was to nervous to listen and had heard it all before. I asked, "Will this hurt?" Hillary answered simply, "Like a bitch." I simply nodded, because, well, what do you say to that?
Then it was time to clean the area. She felt up in my nose for the right location, which, by the way, was, in retrospect, completely weird. Having someone feel around up your nose-- both sides at once, mind you-- is rather awkward. Frankly, it took my fear down a notch out of sheer surprise and strangeness. Hillary then told me to breathe through my mouth as she cleaned my nose with rubbing alcohol. Tell you what, even breathing through your mouth, that will open your sinuses right up. My fear was steadily rising as it got closer to piercing time.
Then Hillary asks, "Do you like to see the needle?" I say, "No, makes me really nervous." So she just flashes the needle to show that it's packaged instead of really really showing it to me. But I get almost all my piercings here, and I trust the place. Then she comes up and get ready to shove the needle through, asks if I'm ready and I say, "Uh-- No..." I have to take some deep breaths and go back to the calm center of my mind, relaxing all my muscles. Then I just nod my head and try not to think. Just calm center, deep breathing, then BAM it's like an explosion of pain in my nose. My eyes snap open. This is the worst pain I've ever had being pierced. This really, really hurts. Noses don't take pain very well, mine especially. Then, suddenly, the pain is over. Just a dull ache. "We're done."
It bled a little, but not a lot. I got quite lightheaded and had to eat a sucker to make sure I wouldn't pass out. The ring (a cute little retainer) sat crooked for about three days because of the swelling. (It took about a week for it to lay down straight, but now it looks great.) I found that for the first few days it was more comfortable up inside my nose than down, but now it's fine both ways. After the initial huge pain, the piercing settled down to a dull bruising ache which is pretty much where it stayed for the next week and half, unless I hit it. The first night I hit my nose on my pillow, and it hurt pretty bad. A lot of times my boyfriend will hug me and hit my nose, and it still hurts when that happens. I also hit it in the shower, trying to get water out of my face, more than I did with any of my other piercings.
The aftercare is easy, just wash with dial foaming soap on the outside of the piercing then twist it with saline. It didn't really hurt afterward, but for just one moment, it hurt like a bitch.