At around the age of 10 I had decided that I wanted to be "cool" and get a navel piercing. But I was always afraid to ask my parents, because it was a sort of, taboo around my family. A few years, later, at around the age of 13, my bestfriend got her navel pierced, and this really burned my butt. So I desided that I should work up the courage and ask my parents. At first, they highly disapproved, and wouldn't let me... Well, mainly my mother wouldn't let me. My dad didn't care. He was actually kind of excited for me to do it.
At A Glance Author pixiedust1501 When Two years ago Artist Jimmy Studio Zen Factory Location Blytheville AR After a couple of monthes of looking for the right place, or at least a studio that would actually pierce a someone of my age, even with parental consent, my mom took me up there to check out the place. It seemed to be very clean, and the people were really nice. It turned out that they were people that we knew a long time ago, when I was about 5 or 6. I was so calm and collected. Jimmy and his wife kept making comments about how the child is usually all excited and amped up, and the parent all nervous. But my dad was so excited, it didn't leave much room for me to be nervous. It was amazing. I felt like I was actually bonding with my dad for once. But that's another topic.
I looked through the case of rings that I could get. I chose a cute little bar bell, with a smiley face on the end. And they told me it'd be a few hours because they needed to sterilize it and such. So my mom signed all of the papers and we left to go get something to eat, and get my dad. When we came back, my mom left me with my dad and he desided that he wanted his cartilage done also.
So when Jimmy called me back, my dad walked with me. Jimmy put the cloth on my pants, and cleaned my stomach, and then marked it. I actually felt very uncomfortable, due to my age. I wasn't comfortable with my shirt pulled up just under my breast, and my stomache exposed so much. But I delt with it. I looked at the marks, and they seemed foreign to me. I lied back in the chair and felt like I was going to have a panic attack. I was so affraid. I wasn't exactly sure as to what I was going to experiance. I saw the needle, and that didn't make me feel any more comfortable, but they reassured me. Then, he put the clamps on, and I knew that there was no turning back. The clamp was the most uncomfortable thing about the whole thing. I felt no pain when the needle went through. The huge cork at the end of the needle made me laugh at it. He then, put the ring through and had so much difficulty when it came to screwing the top ball on.
The following week it was a litle difficult for me to sleep, because I'm not the fittest person, and my skin was being pulled and the piercing was tendor. But otherwise it was alright.
The healing process on the other hand, didn't go so well. It continously got infected for about a year afterwards, despite my efforts at cleaning it. I thought I was properly taking care of it, but obviously not. I kept getting this huge pocket of puss behind the ring, at the top, and it took forever before it's finally healed up completely. I was getting so frustrated with it. But I refused to take it out. My friend, whom also has her navel pierced, suggested the sea salt soaks. Even though I had already done those, I tried it anyway. And she poked the puss pocket with a needle, and bleed it all out. It was so disqusting! I wanted to vomit. I had to holes for my ring now. I could deside which hole to put my ring in if I wanted. After that, I followed a strict regimend of washing my hands with dial ant-bacterial soap, and then washing the piercing, every day. And to this day, 2 years later, I haven't had another infection. I am so relieved.
I can't imagine myself with out it. I've always heard that after the first time you get pierced, you always go for more. Well, they were right. I'm getting my tragus pierced soon. But first, I'm getting my first tattoo. I have plans in a few weeks for that one. I'm so pumped up about it! I can't wait. Hopefully things wont be so rough with that one. I'm sure I'll be a lot more calm and relaxed. But I am so amped up about it. My only doubts about it are the healing process. I really hope I don't have such a rough one this time around.