About one year ago I made the decision to get a pa. After lengthy research, questioning people who had pa's and reading articles on this site, I decided to start out with a 6 ga stainless circular barbell. A number of the articles I read suggested starting with a larger ring for comfort and to aid the healing process. It would also save the time and money or repeated stretchings to achieve the same ultimate goal. My piercer suggested a 5/8" circular barbell to start since the smaller diameter would be less likely to get bumped and be more comfortable until the piercing healed.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Brian Studio Black Hole Location Portland, Oregon My goal was to stretch up to a 2 or 0 ga circular barbell. After nearly 6 mos my ring was quite loose and I decided it was the right time to stretch to the next size. I also had decided I was going to go with a larger diameter ring as well since the 5/8" was too small. It was uncomfortable when I became erect and the ring actually pinched against the head.
One afternoon I dropped by my piercing studio, Black Hole, to talk to one of the piercers about the procedure. Brian was very helpful and answered all my questions and told me I could drop in anytime and he would be glad to help with the new jewelry. Later that evening I drove to a store which sells good quality jewelry at very good prices to pick up my new ring. I might add here that it is important that a person knows the size of his jewelry. For some reason I was mistaken about the size of my original jewelry and didn't think to have the studio confirm the size for me. Consequently, when I went to pick out the new ring I was looking at larger sized rings. There was a very nice stainless circular barbell in 4 ga that was a 7/8" and only $28 on sale so I bought it. Now, I was mistaken and thought that my original ring was 3/4" and I was only going up about one size.
I then drove over to Black Hole to see if Brian was available to help with the new jewelry. There was a short wait while he finished helping another customer before he called me upstairs to the piercing room. After washing his hands and sterilizing the jewelry he set out a tray with all the necessary items for the procedure. The first thing he did was to remove my old jewelry. Fortunately I had soaked it that afternoon in saline to be sure it was loose and would come out smoothly. He then lubed up a taper and inserted it into the hole to stretch the hole to receive the new 4 ga ring. OUCH! The stretching was very uncomfortable and actually hurt more that the piercing had! When Brian drew the ring through there was a very tight and sharp painful sensation! Apparently the hole was not as stretched as I had imagined so things needed to be stretched more than I expected.
When he was through, I sat up and looked at the new ring in the mirror. I looked huge! And there was considerable more weight hanging from the end of my member! I thanked Brian and went back downstairs to pay and then drove home. The rest of the evening I had problems with the pa getting bumped in my pants, the ring getting caught in my shorts and just feeling different. It was then that I really realized that the 7/8" ring was too large. I pulled out the old one and then realized it was a 5/8" ring and I really needed a 3/4" instead. Oh well, I figured I could just live with it until such time as I had it stretched to the 2 ga.
That night I found things were not working very well and it was uncomfortable to sleep with such a large ring. Everytime I turned over it was like a boomerang on the end of my dick! The next day I decided I was going to have to downsize to a 3/4" ring. I called the store where I bought the 7/8" the night before and they were sold out of a 3/4" 4 ga ring! So, I decided to call Brian at Black Hole with an SOS call to see if he could help. I was afraid he would say I should wait before I changed the jewelry. He said it was no problem to swap the jewelry and I could drop in and see him anytime. I didn't waste any time getting down there. It turned out to be a good decision too since the shop began filling up quickly shortly after I arrived.
When Brian came down to call me upstairs it was like a repeat of the night before. He removed the ring, but instead of using a taper he lubed up the new 3/4" 4 ga ring and inserted it carefully. I had been expecting another painful stretching like I experienced the night before, but to my surprise felt nothing! He surmised the added weight of the 7/8" ring stretched things enough to make it unnecessary to use the taper and to be able to insert the jewelry without any pain. What a relief! Not only did the 3/4" ring feel alot better, it looked better too. It was definitely more proportioned. Now, the next time I have my pa stretched I will be careful to note the ring and gauge sizes to avoid a repeat of that kind of experience!
It's been over a month now and I love the larger diameter and gauge jewelry. It certainly feels better to go bigger! Size does matter, but only if its the right one!