For those of you that have read the initial account of how I got my PA, you'll be familiar with the setting... for those that haven't, shame on you... go and read it forthwith, here...
At A Glance Author bearcub Contact bearcub@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Tails Studio Primal Piercing Location Edinburgh, UK
My original piercing was a stainless steel captive bead ring, with a guage of 2.6mm (10ga), and an internal diameter of 22mm (about 7/8 inch). I'd healed really well, with no infection and no real pain, just mild discomfort for the first couple of weeks. I'd bathed it every day in salt water, and used diluted lavender oil as an antiseptic (I used high-grade essential oil, bought from Napier's Herbalists in Edinburgh).
Now, the ring was pinching just a little when I had an erection, and so I thought it would be a good idea to go and get it changed for a bigger one once the piercing had healed enough to do so. When I was originally pierced, Tails showed me a piece of jewellery that he thought would ideally be the minimum guage I'd be aiming for, in order to get a nice settled stable piercing. I looked at it in amazement, and thought it would probably end up blocking my urethra so comprehensively that my kidneys would back up and I'd end up pissing out of my ears.
Now that I'd got used to having a piercing there, I did what any sensible person does, and trusted my piercer. Tails has probably seen more penises that anyone else I know, including a horrifically promiscuous (though latex-clad in the right places) gay friend of mine, and a female junior doctor whose sole reason for taking up medicine in the first place was so she could "see loads of willies".
After confirmation with Tails, we agreed that the diameter would have to go up to 24mm (15/16 inch), and while we were at it, instead of going from 2.6mm to 3.2mm (10ga-8ga) we may as well go straight to 4mm (6ga), as the hole looked healthy and the healing had gone so well so far. We also decided to ditch the CBR and go for a circular barbell. This suits me better, as I'm uncircumsised and this means my forsekin isn't retracted all the time, as it was with the CBR, and it's also much easier to put in and take out than the CBR was.
Okay, enough technical details, on to the gore...
The guy before Tails saw before me had just had his PA stretched from 6mm to 10mm (slightly smaller than 2ga to slightly bigger than 00ga!) and it had gone in as sweet as a nut, with no anaesthetic, and no trouble, taking two minutes from start to finish.
Tails thought it would be a good idea to see if the taper would go in without any need for anaesthetic. Seemingly this is what happens in the majority of cases, but alas, not me, "He of the Awkward Cock". The end of the taper was greased with vaseline, and slid into the hole on the underside of the head. With a gentle twisting and pushing, the taper was worked in until the half-way point on the taper (and the point of desired stretch) was only a couple of inches away. I could start to feel it hurting...
After trying to get the taper in another inch, and much sharp intake of breath on both our parts, we had to give up - it was just NOT going to happen.
Cue a liberal application of 10% novocaine, and a wait of 20 minutes or so, then back in to the piercing suite.
More vaseline, an assurance of "Ach, this'll no hurt at a', ye'll no feel a thing", and another gentle yet forceful taper insertion, and with a terrific searing pain, the taper was through and the hole was stretched... Fuck me ragged, this thing hurt.
We waited a minute or so for me to catch my breath before trying to put the new piece in. Now, I've got a fairly high tolerance for pain. Most people would say they do, especially guys, but I've smashed my collarbone (seemingly a pretty painful thing), and had it surgically repaired with a metal plate, and not needed any pain relief other than the general anaesthetic needed for the operation and 4 ibuprofen (tylenol). Not bravado, just I didn't feel the need for anything stronger.
Tails used a 4mm taper for my 4mm piece; this, I understand, is a little unusual - most piercers use a taper a fraction bigger than the gauge of the piece of jewellery in order that the end of the piece can 'slipstream' in behind the end of the taper as the taper is withdrawn, reducing greatly the risk of the end of the piece jarring free before it's through the piercing and impaling itself into the fresh, bleeding and damed sensitive raw walls of the recently strectched hole.
Which is exactly what happened.
Four times...
At the fifth attempt, and after a five minute break to lie down in front of a cooling fan (I was close to fainting), the end of the piece stayed flush with the end of the taper, and we got the damn thing through. After screwing the balls back on (the steel ones, though it wouldn't have surprised me at all if mine had dropped off somewhere during the procedure) it was wrapped in gauze, and bundled back up into my trousers. Tails was decent enough to give me a generous discount :)
Seemingly, I'd healed almost too quickly. There was a nice ring of whitish healed gristle around the rim of the inside hole (the one meeting the urethra) and it was this that had impeded the taper initially, and had become so much of a barrier to getting the piece through. I know this because when the piece eventually did come through, the gristle came with it. Not a pretty sight.
I'm very glad to say that the healing went really well... although the sretching was very painful, afterwards it was significantly less painful than the couple of days after the initial piercing. Saline soaks and more lavender oil, and it behaved itself wonderfully. It got a fully-fledged test drive a week or two ago(I'm not giving out too many details here, but if you're prurient enough to be curious, you can always email), and it was so sweet. A little uncomfortable on initial penetration, but after that, unbelievable... I can't describe it. Get yourself a PA and then you'll understand.
This was, without doubt, the single most painful thing I've ever had done in my entire life. Would I do it again?
Absolutely. I have my 5mm x 26mm (4ga, one inch) circular barbell ordered, and I'm going back to Tails to get it done sometime this week - I'll let you know how it goes...!