It was the week before my eighteenth birthday, and having seen such beautiful smileys on BME (and it being a piercing that wouldn't be easy for my boss to notice), I decided to go get it done along with a friend of mine who also loved the idea.
At A Glance Author Amanda Contact fight.to.survive@gmail.com When It just happened We agreed to go to a shop that we had both been to before: one that although I've heard of a few bad piercings from there, had never been one that I personally had a bad experience at.
Being a pansy, as always, I let my friend go first. She chose a 14 ga. barbell so it would be hidden from her parents. (Warning sign number one: the piercer did it with full knowledge that her parents didn't want her getting it done.) She laid down on the piercing "bench", held up her lip, and it was done with only a small squeal of pain and watery eyes.
Then it was my turn.
I told him that I wanted a smaller ring, because I liked the way they looked, but still wanted it to be hidden from my boss. I then changed my mind and asked for a barbell, but I don't think he comprehended my idea of "smaller", because he did it at an 18 ga. (I didn't know this until he was finished).
I lay down on the "bench" and hold my lip up, shaking with fear. The needle felt like a tiny pinch and didn't hurt at all going through, but then came the jewelry. The barbell went most of the way through, yet as he put it "wouldn't go through the last bit of membrane". I think he scratched at it with the point of the needle (which was the only time I felt pain throughout the procedure). I wanted it to be over and done with.
After we were finished, I felt wonderful. It was done and I was pleased, despite the fact that it was such a small gauge. I lifted my lip constantly to show off my new addition.
Two days later, though, I began to notice a problem. The barbell was too short and the end of it was being pulled through the hole on the right side (which was, of course, the side that the barbell had to be forced through originally). Ouch!
My friend had the same problem and had her barbell changed to a longer one, and the swelling on hers went down quickly.
I went to a piercer (not the one I had originally got it done at, but one that had a much better reputation) and had him take a look at it immediately.
He explained to me that the gauge was much too small for any oral piercing and that if I were to have a barbell, the balls would have to be oversized, so as to not be pulled through the holes. He removed the embedded barbell, tapered the piercing up to a 14 (which surprisingly didn't hurt one bit), and put a lovely new ring in it for me, only charging for the new jewelry. It felt wonderful.
In the next few days, I was a little worried because my mouth was sore where the new piercing was rubbing on my gums and lip. I waited the pain out and it soon felt much better, despite when I'd wake up in the morning and it would be stuck to my lip.
Within the next couple weeks, I noticed that it was beginning to migrate quickly. When before, it had only been noticeable when I would make a silly face, it now showed when I'd talk or smile. I made a mental note to get a barbell put in it as soon as possible, because the ring was perhaps too heavy for the webbing to handle.
It began making my mouth sore (especially on my gums) again almost a month after it had been done. I should have taken it out then.
One morning, I woke up to find dried blood on my lips and stuck in my teeth. The piercing had rubbed disgusting holes in my gums. I went to the piercing shop immediately and had the CBR taken out. I assumed that my gums would get better when it was removed, yet they still seem to be getting worse. Perhaps they're infected? Its been two days and they still hurt like hell and I'm still waking up with a bloody mouth. I'm going to visit a dentist soon and will probably be told that I'm stupid. (Too bad I have no more dental coverage!)
The moral of the story is: if your gums start getting irritated, see your piercer for different jewelry. You may wake up in the morning and need $1500 worth of dental work.