It all started when I was a teenager (back when dinosaurs walked the earth) and I started piercing my ears. My mother had never let me pierce anything until I turned 12, which probably explains why I like them so much now! Even though no one I knew had any exotic piercings, and I had multiple ear piercings, I had always fantasized about piercing things besides my ears, and this is the story of one such piercing.
At A Glance Author fishywoman Contact fishywoman@bme.anon IAM fishywoman When N/A Artist self-done I had wanted to pierce my nipple (horizontally) for years, I really don't know why. I don't know if I had seen it somewhere or what, but I knew I wanted and needed to have it and so one day in 1995, I took a notion in my head to go for it. I really had no idea that studios existed for this purpose, and in all honesty, I don't think I was comfortable enough with my own body back then to have someone else do it anyway. Emboldened by the fact that I had pierced my own nostril in 1988, I figured this would be no big deal. HA!
Well, I got out the "tools" I needed: rubbing alcohol, ice, washcloths (for mopping up any blood), a sewing needle and peroxide. I froze my nipple, and set the needle in the alcohol to "sterilize" it. Mind, I had NO concept of procedure, I was winging it! After my nipple was numb, sort of, I pour alcohol over it, and I took the needle and pushed it in the nipple - but it didn't want to go in. I scrounged up a pair of pliers, took hold of the needle, and pushed hard. OW. Then success! The needle was through. Yay! I left it in for a half hour before I pulled the needle out and forced the thin gold hoop through (ow again), and voila! one pierced nipple. I loved it! I cleaned it with some peroxide, to get the small amount of blood off, and that was it.
Too bad it wasn't that easy. I had no idea of body jewelry, so I had a 22ga earring hoop in the nipple hole. One day a few weeks later, the earring rotated, causing the hook&eye closure of the ring to move inside my body. LARGE OWIE! I removed the earring. The next day, I noticed that icky puss was oozing out, so I decided to put the earring back in so as to let the wound drain. When i inserted the earring, it stopped about halfway through. I gave it a big push, and instead of going though the rest of the original hole, it came out the end of my nipple! OW. I know, cringe! I left it in there, and cleaned it up.
The next day I went the the downtown jewelry store, to find a different earring to go in it. That is when I discovered the wonderful invention of BODY JEWELRY! Woohoo! I purchased an 18ga ring and left. I stopped in a public bathroom to put it in. It went in with no problem, I assume because it was so inflamed and oozy. Wow! I loved the way it looked and felt. I liked it so much I had to show my friend who went with me! She was not as enthusiastic as I was!
In the years since then, I have had no further problems with it. I still have the piercing, with a 16ga cbr in it, and have since had the same nipple vertically pierced by a professional, which I definitely recommend. Please do not be insane as I was! I was extremely lucky not to have developed an infection the first time. Also, don't worry about numbing the nipple if you have this done, it wasn't hardly painful at all if a pro does it. Anyway, it healed nicely, and I can go weeks without jewelry in, and it stays open fine.
Even though my first nipple piercing is a bit shallow, and people have asked me why I don't have it re-done, I worked too hard to have this piercing, and I wouldn't give it up for all the world! I have also had many complements on it, and I think it helped me in some small way to be more accepting of my body. I feel more in tune with myself the more modifications I get. I have also discovered the joy that piercing brings me; I have 26 at last count, with no forseeable end in sight. I do plan to have the other nipple pierced in the next year, probably twice! And yes, by a professional piercer.
I hope my experience has helped. If you want to, and have IAM access, you can view a picture of my piercing. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.