At A Glance Author Padraig Dubh Contact darke@indigo.net.au When Three months ago Artist Fee Studio Steel Candy Location Subiaco, Perth To start with I had only been faintly considering more piercings. I had the tops of my ears done back when I was 16 or 17. I had my nose pierced a few years ago but let it grow out recently, and had my tongue pierced last year. I prefer my skin to be pierced by the tattoo gun rather than piercing needle.
However, on and off over the last few months I had been thinking about what piercings I could get that would be hidden from the workplace but my lovers would enjoy looking at.
After flicking through some magazines, books and reading the BME site, I had mostly made up my mind to get a Prince Albert. Although it was a close call between that and an ampallang (I think the potential difficulty of healing put me off that one).
I had been talking to Fee at Steel Candy about a week before I went in. Discussing what sort of piercings she has done, and seeing photographs of her works, while I waited for a friend to finish being tattooed next door. She impressed me with her knowledge of different piercings, healing factors, and general 'advancement' in piercing technology.
So, a nice cheery sunday afternoon my girlfriend and I wandered into Subiaco, had a quick coffee and then made our way to the studio. I quickly explained to Fee what I wanted and she got to work finding suitable jewellery. We decided that 10ga would be a good start. Into the clean room and asked to drop my pants. At this stage I started to get a bit nervous and also realised I should have worn pants that were not quite as fitted as my usual jeans. Fee made an glad comment about my lack of pubic hair (I wax), suggesting that it makes life easier for both healing and piercing.
The end of my penis was measured with a rather nifty measuring-thing (callipers is not the right word. But its something like that). She got the right sized ring from the autoclave and started laying everything out on the rolling surgical platform.
With gloves on she put out some globs of medical / sterile lubricant. The needle, which at this stage looked huge, went into one glob, and the end of a steel tube went into the other. She asked me which side I wanted it on. Left or right of the 'little gristly bit behind the head'. I decided right. Seemed to be a good choice.
We got started. I had to lie there on my back, pants around my knees, my penis exposed to a very attractive girl that was about to stick something very sharp through it. It alters your perspective on the world. A lot. She dabbed on something to numb the surface a bit, and I had to sit there for about five minutes while it took effect. She explained the procedure to while we waited. Thankfully reading over BME allowed me to accept the idea of someone pushing a tube part way up my urethra better than if I had never heard of the idea. The tube was to catch the point of the needle.
It was numb enough. A few quick pokes with a toothpick proved that quickly. In slides the lubricated tube, which made me wince a bit, not in pain, but it was a feeling of oddly sinking discomfort.
With barely a fraction of a sting the needle went in and through to the tube. Didn't feel it at all. Pushing the jewellery through and putting the ball on the ring didn't hurt either. I looked down, and there was no blood, just a shining ring coming from the head of my penis. Fee asked me nicely if I would let her photograph it for her portfolio, which I agreed to without hesitation.
Then started the bandaging. She made a tube of surgical gauze, which was carefully put around my now bleeding penis (oh, was too good to be true thinking I wouldn't bleed), taped it up and to my shaft. I had to have a quick laugh at how it looked. She let me sit for a minute to make sure I wasn't light headed or anything as she explained the procedure for care and gave me a bag with sea salt and more gauze in it.
I got up, pulled my pants on carefully, paid and headed home. And unfortunately I had to do a few hours of driving that afternoon, which, in tight jeans and a recently pierced PA became very uncomfortable very quickly. But I got home that night, survived going to the toilet and rebandaged the new piercing.
It bleed quite a lot that night and for the next few days, but within three days or so, it was fine, with only minor bleeding with it got banged. I treated it with salt wash often, drying it off properly every time.
Unfortunately, just as it was fully healed I removed the PA. It got in the way of certain sexual positions with my girlfriend, and caused her pain during insertion and removal. But soon I am going back, getting it repierced and be patient for it to heal properly again, and then looking to swapping with a barbell (hopefully less painful for her during sex) or a slightly smaller ring. I miss the way it felt hanging there, the slight weight was comforting.