When I was about 16, I decided to get my nose pierced. I'm not sure exactly why, I just always thought it looked good. So one day when I was at college, I decided to go into town and have it done. My boyfriend at the time came with me. I was really nervous but excited too. My mum had always told me not to do it because she said that it looked horrible but don't all parents say that?
At A Glance Author Emily Contact Emily@bme.anon When Five years ago Artist unknown Studio Devil Bitch Location Rotherham, UK I walked into the tattoo parlour and looked at the tattoos displayed on the walls for a while. I was trying to keep calm because at this point I was still wondering whether to go through with it or not. The tattooist came out of the back and asked me what I was wanting doing. I told the guy what I wanted done and he took me into the back and asked if it was alright if a girl he was training could do it. It was fine by me as long as she knew what she was doing. Everyone has to learn. So he let the girl do it. I sat on the chair that is used for when people have tattoos and the girl cleaned my nose with an anti-bacterial cloth. I presumed that it was going to be numbed but to my surprise it wasn't. She kept me chatting to take my mind off it as I guessed she could tell I was nervous.
People who I knew that had previously had it done told me about their experiences with having it done with the ear piercing gun and with a needle. I was preying that they would use a needle. I'd heard stories like if they used the gun it can displace tissue in your nose and make it have a bump on it. All these thoughts kept going through my head. I was so worried that I was going to look like a freak.
My prayers were answered and out came the needle with the plastic tube over it. I didn't want to watch it being done, so I closed my eyes. I can't remember it hurting that much at all. Just was uncomfortable when she was trying to force the needle through. It kind of felt like some was just putting their finger up my nose.
I opened my eyes to see the tube sticking out of my nose and feeling blood running down my face. I started to feel very light headed but I managed to prevent myself from fainting. The guy who was teaching the girl, who did it, said he'd never seen anyone's nose bleed as much. That wasn't much of a comfort. I was panicking inside but I tried not to show it. I was just concerned it wouldn't stop.
She found it very hard to get the ring through my nose and the get the ball on the end, tugging my nose. It was painful at that point. My eyes were watering. Once I got out of the parlour I went home and my mum went crazy because I'd had it done. There was a lot of dried blood on my nose but I was too scared to touch it for a while in case I either set it off bleeding again or I got it infected. I didn't quite realise, at the time, that I would have to take it out a few days later because I was working in a kitchen at the time.
I spent about one hour trying to get the ball off the ring using pliers and tweezers. I've never felt pain like it when I tugging with the pliers and the slipped and pulled my nose. My nose started bleeding again. My mum helped me get it out joined with a lecture about having it done. She actually likes it now.
I ended up having to wear an ear stud in my nose with a butterfly back on it so it wouldn't fall out. That didn't last long as people started complaining about me wearing it and working with food.
Five years on, it's perfectly fine. It didn't take long to heal at all. Only problem I ever had was waking up in the morning to find I had lost my nose stud in bed. The best ones are the ones with a back that kind of twists. They never fall out. I was also a bit disappointed that the hole isn't as big as it was when I first had it pierced. I've been wanting to put a ring in it for a while but it's hard to find any nice rings that aren't quite thick. I just wear my stud all the time now even though I have got a huge collection of different ones.