I was a little hesitant about submitting this experience as what happened with my VCH is so very not typical of the experiences I have read and heard about, but I decided to post this as a warning to other people, although it's unlikely that this will happen to anyone else.
At A Glance Author namesofthedead Contact namesofthedead@bme.anon IAM namesofthedead When Six months ago Artist Simon Studio House of Wah Location London Anyway. Six months ago I was in London visiting some friends, and Simon, one of their flatmates is a professional piercer. I'd been thinking about getting a genital piercing for a while, but did not feel comfortable getting the guy who normally pierces me to do it as I've known him for years and it would have felt a bit awkward. I knew Simon a little, and had seen his portfolio, and he had all the stuff at home to do the piercing, so I decided to go ahead with it that weekend.
The first mistake I made was to ignore the mild case of cystitis I was suffering from. I get urinary tract infections from time to time and they tend to clear up on their own quite fast, so I went ahead and got pierced.
The piercing itself was pretty easy, no big deal. I got up on the bench, Simon marked me up, and then the recieving tube was inserted. This was uncomfortable, and the worst thing by far about the procedure. The piercing itself only hurt for a split second, and then it was done, I finally had metal in my knickers.
I was really pleased with the way the 10ga CBR looked, it was so pretty and feminine, and the ease of getting the piercing pain-wise was a pleasent surprise, as before I had it, the thought of getting a needle shoved through my sensitive girly-bits filled me with terror.
What happened next is in no way a dig at Simon. He did a great job, and the issues after were entirely my own fault.
It hurt a little to pee on the fresh piercing, so I did something really stupid: I restricted my intake of fluids so I would not have to go to the toilet so often. This, obviously, made my urinary tract infection a lot worse. I followed the aftercare instructions he gave me regarding cleaning the piercing, and that part went fine, apart from within about 3 days it hurt so much to pee that I had to bite down on my hand when I went to the toilet to stop myself from shrieking out in pain. The area around my hood was also very sore and swollen.
I gave in and went to the chemist, who gave me some powders to mix into water to clear the infection up, and I started drinking lots of water. It was a case of 'forget it hurting to pee, you don't want to lose the piercing and make the infection any worse'. But it was too late. The glands in my groin swelled up and I started to suffer from pains in my lower back, as well as feeling generally ill.
I went to the doctor, who fortunately did not mention the piercing. I was in such a state that the piercing was the least of my worries. It turned out that I had possibly managed to give myself a kidney infection due to the urinary tract infection going untreated. I felt like a complete idiot. I was given a course of strong antibiotics and after a couple of weeks I was as good as new, and fortunately the piercing was fine.
Since then I stretched the piercing to 6ga, but due to the weight of the jewelery, my final gauge was more like 1ga. This was just too big and I have downsized to 10ga, in the hope that it will shrink some more. I'm reluctant to lose this piercing after what I went through to heal it, but if it does not shrink I will remove it and get a triangle instead.
I know this story is more to do with the infection than with the actual piercing, but I hope it serves as a warning to other women: If you have an urinary tract infection, it's probably not the greatest idea to get a genital piercing. Also, if it hurts to pee on the piercing then drink LOTS of water to dilute your urine, do not do what I did. And the obvious: don't let a severe urinary tract infection go untreated as it's a real risk towards your health.
I feel like a bit of an idiot writing this, but I hope that at least somebody reads it and pays attention.
As far as my healed VCH goes, stretching issues aside, I have nothing but good things to say about this piercing. It's not painful to have done, looks really pretty, and enhances sensation! If you want one, go for it, just don't do what I did.