So, there I was, under the needle for the first time, getting my navel pierced. It was most definitely not going to be my first, or so I had planned. But when opportunity comes, I always take it.
At A Glance Author kittiekorn Contact kittiekorn@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Cheryl Studio Celestial Ring Location Dublin, Ireland I'm from good old New York City, and in July into August of 2006, I was invited to go on a student exchange program. As part of my trip, we went to Dublin, Ireland. My friend was looking around the city for some retail therapy. My sister and I tagged along; maybe we'd spot a good deal. We ran into another group member, who told us that she had gotten her navel pierced in the mall, Stephan's Green Shopping Centre, which was nearby. My friend was excited, as she wanted to get her navel pierced for a while, and asked if I would go with her. I said sure, and my sister was excited.
I didn't exactly realize that at the time saying "sure" to someone getting a piercing done meant you'd go with them, and just might get one as well. Boy was I in for a surprise.
We arrived at Celestial Ring at about 1:30. My friend went to reception and asked the receptionist if they took walk-ins. They did. Then, we were asked what we wanted. Before I could give a word of protest, we received 3 forms. My sister couldn't get a piercing due to her age, but I realized that I was perfectly fine, being 17 and the oldest of the group. Panic soon set in, as it hit me; Piercings are done with needles, and I have a phobia! When Cheryl (our piercer) said that she was ready, I volunteered my friend to go first, as I really needed to use the toilet.
After I came back, my friend was already finished. Even more panic sets in, because now it's my turn. Unable to accept the fact that I'm way too chicken to do it, I went down into the room. The room looked a lot like a doctor's examination room, but in a good way. Everything was laid out upon a movable tray sort of thing. I told Cheryl of my (extreme) phobia of needles, and she told me exactly what she was going to do as she continued to prepare to pierce my poor little petrified navel. I didn't think that being told how I was going to have my piercing done was going to help, but it did. She made her first marks, which were a bit slightly to the right. I asked her to redo them, and she aligned them perfectly. I approved, and she liked them as well, so that was how it was going to look. Even more panic sets in: I realized that I was about 3 minutes away from having a hole in me. What would my parents say? (They liked it when they saw it.) Even worse, what would my boyfriend say? (His reaction is NC-17 rated.)
I was then told to lie down. Uh oh. Here goes. She clamped down on the dots (I know that "clamped down", sounds painful, it only felt like a slight tug.). She then told me to breathe in and out on a steady count. "Breathe in through your nose, Breathe out through your mouth." The next time she said "Breathe in" I felt the needle go through. It didn't hurt more than a mosquito bite does; it felt more like a pinch than anything. She then inserted my jewelry, and gave me some instructions on how to take care of the new piercing.
I was elated, and all of a sudden I had this rush go right through me when I saw the new ring inserted. She applied a gauze pad to it, instructing me to clean it twice every day for the next 2 weeks, to rotate the ring when I'm cleaning it, and, since she knew I'm from the States, that if anything went wrong, to contact a local professional piercer back home.
It didn't start to bother me until a ferry ride later that day. My body finally realized that it had a new hole, and some blood, which is normal if minimal, I was told, showed on the gauze. Cleaning it, or rather learning how to do it properly, took some time on my own to get the hang of. It had some discharge, and after a few days started to lose some redness.
Today, exactly 9 days after this happened, it's still going well. There's more discharge than before, but the redness is now more of pinkness, and I've called a few places over here to make sure I was doing ok. All in all, I would recommend this piercing to others, especially those who've never been pierced before, or are just starting into body modification. If you are in the Dublin area, I definitely would recommend Celestial Ring and Cheryl. They are reasonably priced, and do excellent work.
Happy Piercing!