My first navel piercing happened, literally, the day before I got pregnant with my first child. The ring weathered the pregnancy well and the piercing survived intact. In 1997, I got the lower portion of my navel pierced. In 1998 I got pregnant with my second child and in my 5th month took both piercings out for a routine sonogram and was only able to get the newer one back in.
At A Glance Author Monica (MinervaJane) Contact Monica (MinervaJane)@bme.anon Artist Dave Studio Primitive Path Location St. Joseph, MO, USA I began stretching the newer piercing at the beginning of 2001 and had recently accomplished a 10 gauge stretching, so when I decided to get my original piercing re-pierced I wanted it to match. I had a 10-gauge ring in hand when I went to Primitive Path last night, prepared for a little struggle and a little pain. What I got wasn't exactly a nightmare, but was a little more than I had bargained for.
I've known Dave for quite some time and really trusted that he was professional, experienced and could serve me well with this piercing. I knew there was a scar and sheath from the 4 years I wore the first ring but despite my worries, he assured me everything would go well and it would be done in no time.
My good friend Amber was on hand to take pictures and witness this experience, for which I am immensely grateful, for without her account I would have not known the cause of my intensely painful piercing.
I lay down on the thing and he examined the location. He originally planned to go through the old piercing site, but decided to exit a little higher because there was some stuff coming out of the original site (gross, huh). Clamps went on and I closed my eyes, mentally preparing myself for what should have been an almost routine piercing. The 10 gauge needle went through and it was a very sharp pain. This was fine until he began to put my ring in the piercing.
This is where things got really fucked up. I am lying on the bench, eyes closed, trying to cope with what is going on, but I have no idea what is truly taking place until later. Amber said that instead of fitting the ring in the hollow end of the needle like logic would dictate, he drew the needle out a bit to where the needle was still in my body but the end had barely gone through the original entrance. It was no longer easily accessible to guide the ring. Why he did this I have no idea. He puts the ring through the raw hole and *digs* around for the fucking needle end, trying to literally make ends meet. He fails. As he is digging around in my fresh piercing, the needle pops out, landing on my belly.
I am aware of none of this, only an intense feeling of shit being fucked up in this new hole. It felt like it was tearing, which it probably was. It makes my skin crawl to type this because it's such a vivid memory.
He begins to pinch my flesh together, making an attempt to clamp it with his fingers, and then to Amber's horror, tries to stick the needle *back* in the exit hole, after it has lain on my unsterilized stomach, with the hollow end digging into the fresh piercing. Now he is digging at one end with the ring and at the other with this blunt and hollow end of a needle, trying to put the two together.
As I said, I had no idea any of this was going on. I was aware only of extreme pain. Dave then says, "This isn't going to go through, babe." He then tells me that when I wiggled and breathed the needle "popped out." At the time, of course, I believed him. Amber swears that I did not move. She was amazed at how well I was taking this torture. The only thing that was going through my mind was to get through the pain, get through it, it's worth it, it's worth it.
My eyes never opened once. He re-clamped, re-pierced, both of which were very painful, and sent through a 12-gauge ring. He also blamed part of the problem on the fact that the "ring was bigger than the needle," which I question. Aren't piercers supposed to see if the fitting is correct before going through with the piercing? Also, the other times I've been pierced the ring is in the end of the needle and follows through somewhat easily.
The day after, my piercing site is red, it is sore, it is angry. So am I. I am 27 fucking years old and I expect procedures like this to be done easily and without further harm being put upon my body. Of course it's going to hurt, but I believe I experienced a lot of unnecessary suffering. Amber said that if we had videotaped it instead of taking photos he'd probably be out of business.
I will not let anyone from this store touch my body again. I don't have the time, patience or pain tolerance to put up with this bullshit. I expected it to be a little more difficult than a standard piercing but I never expected anything like this to happen. I'm sure it will heal up fine and look great once I am able to stretch but the experience was terrible. I'm glad I know now to not go back there again.
It's hard to justify paying money to someone who caused you unnecessary pain. I hope the next piercing (and piercer) I get will be much better, if I get any more at all.