I guess I can give a bit of background to set the mood . I had my right nipple done horizontally when I first turned 18, it was one of those spur of the moment things. I just felt the need to celebrate my birthday with something a little more daring then an ear ring. Sadly it didn't last long, it just would not heal. So it was retired, but I wasn't all that attached to it at the time.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Ralph Studio Atomic Location Largo Now here I am four years later. I had gotten really comfortable with who I was and I was proud of everything about me. I wanted to decorate my body. As part of my plans I wanted both my nipples done vertically and with 10 gage barbells. Problem was I was gonna have to do them one at a time. For the simple fact that I was incapable of saving money, and I only seemed to have a enough for one at a time.
Things happened during my left one, and I ended up with a 12 gage. So in order to keep everything even I had to go with a 12 in my right as well (just my personal preference). Since I had such a not so nice time getting my left one I chose a shop I knew had a good reputation. Not only did I have many friends get work done there, but I had been tattooed there. So I called ahead and made sure the pierce was in and all that good jazz. The price here was a bit more, but sometimes you gotta pay a little more to get something done right. I am not saying that higher price means better service, just in this case it happens to be true.
When I got there I was super excited. I don't really get nervous about being pierced, it just doesn't affect me like that. Ralph handed me all my paper work and took a copy of my ID. I told him I wanted a 12 gage as opposed to the standard 14. The size difference was no problem at all. Once all things had been put in order we made our way back to the piercing room.
Ralph busied himself with getting all the proper stuff out and ready to be used. I was definitely bouncing with excitement inside, I hope I wasn't literally doing it as well though. That would just be silly. He was opening packages and placing them neatly on his tray. The needle was set in whatever lubricant he was using. The jewelry was set and ready for inserting for afterwards. He told me he was set up and I could go ahead and take off my shirt and bra. I did. I had to stand while he marked placement. It was a bit more tough since there was already a barbell in the other one to line up with. The other one was a little off, but I told him to just make them match, even if that meant they would both be a bit off. I guess that sounds weird. I honestly didn't think the first one looked bad, otherwise I would have chose to take it out and get it redone. Besides they were being done for personal reasons, not for other people to look at. So as long as I was happy, and I would be if they were even with one another.
Once I was marked I had a seat on the chair. Then I had my poor little nipple stuffed into the clamps, which I found only slightly uncomfortable. Then I was told to take a deep breath in and on the exhale the needle would be pushed through. So in went the breath on that exhale I felt a pinch. I was so prepared for extreme pain that the little pinch almost made me giggle. I was so happy with everything I almost jumped up with the needle still in me. I was reminded that the barbell had to be put in before I could get up. The insertion of the barbell went smoothly. As soon as I was given the ok I got up off my butt and went over to take a look in the mirror. They looked great together. They were almost perfectly aligned, which means a whole lot to me. I was very pleased.
I thanked him very much. Paid my dues and tipped my wonderful pierce.
The very next morning there was a small amount of dried blood down my breast. I didn't really find that to be a big deal. It did however start bleeding mid day on the second day and that freaked me out a little bit. Since it was a very small amount my worries went away quickly.
Aftercare was simple. Sea salt soaks twice a day. I made sure it got rinsed off really well in the shower so that no soap or shampoo got in it. I did salt soaks for about 3 weeks. I was good to go after that. I was impressed with how well it healed and the pain was very minimal in the following days. All in all it was a wonderful experience and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if the need raised.