I don't have a lot of piercings. I was sixteen before I even got my lobes pierced, and it wasn't until two years later that I got my second holes done, more out of practicality (I had started stretching my lobes and wanted to still wear regular earrings) than a desire for multiple piercings.
At A Glance Author The Captain Contact The Captain@bme.anon When N/A Artist Shannon Ollis Studio Empire Tattoo (though Shannon has since moved on) Location Asheville, NC That isn't to say I have anything against piercings, however, as I find body modification in general very attractive and have accompanied most of my friends to their piercings. I have a fairly high tolerance for prolonged pain – I have a tattoo that extends up to my ribs and was laughing for the entire session – but seriously doubted my ability to withstand the sharp, shocking pain of piercing. I mean, I'm a whiney baby about my ear lobes, for chrissake. Toss my puritanical mother, who I am very close to, into the mix and you get someone not likely to modify anything visible.
Then along came the idea of a VCH. I remember the first time I heard about these was through a magazine article written by a woman who had gotten one, though I barely remember anything she said about it. I never really considered it, until one day when we were in our favorite piercer's room, getting my friend's daith pierced, and talking about going through metal detectors. Shannon, our piercer, mentioned that she had no problems even though both nipples and her hood were pierced. I latched onto the idea, for it sounded incredibly courageous to me. I mean, the idea of letting someone take a needle and... well, you know. But she told me there wasn't that much pain, comparative to some of the piercings my friends have done, and that there was no way I wouldn't be able to handle it. I went home and jumped into research mode. Three hours later, I had made my decision. I went back to Shannon the next day.
For those of you considering this piercing, I can find no reason to dissuade you, but strongly urge you to find a piercer you trust implicitly. Shannon has pierced all of my friends, and I've watched most of those piercings. I knew she was good, and had lots of experience: after all, I live in Asheville, NC, where people tend to have more holes than is biological. So once I got over the initial revulsion to the idea, there was no question that I trusted Shannon to do it.
Mostly I had to get over my own fears about it. I mean, it's a pretty sensitive area, and that's a pretty big needle, and there is, of course, the chance that something could go wrong. I was mostly terrified that I would flinch. But I wanted the piercing, and so made myself believe I could do it.
Trusting your piercer, or better yet, actually being on friendly terms with your piercer, is important because of the sheer vulnerability of the whole thing. Yes, you de-pants and then lie back with your feet in stirrups like at the gynecologist. And, no, you don't want them to rush, and therefore will be sitting like that with your knees as far as you can get them for a really long time. Mostly I was cold, but I did have my one serious fit of nerves while I was waiting for her to finished marking me and settle all her equipment. Of course, at that point, I had told all my friends I was doing it, already paid, and wasn't about to back down.
It hurt. I've had to describe it repeatedly, and all I can say is that it was the sharpest, most intense pain I'd ever felt. For maybe five seconds. I know I pretty near bucked off the table, and let loose a couple of expletives I won't repeat here, one for when the needle went through and one for when the jewelry went followed it. But once the jewelry was in, the pain just went away. I hopped off the table and pulled my pants back on, drank the orange juice I'd brought in case of shock, and chatted with Shannon while she set things up for my roommate's industrial. I went to a party later that night – no alcohol and no sex, of course – and felt almost no discomfort, even though I kept expecting pain and walking oddly as if to compensate.
I didn't bleed at all except for the first time I cleaned it, and after about four days I felt completely normal again. It's been two weeks, and the jewelry slides around without any discomfort. I love my piercing. It's a constant secret, which thanks to it's location I'm almost always aware of, and I love the expressions people make when they hear about it. I answer lots of questions about it, and take a lot of compliments on my bravery, but really, there wasn't much to be afraid of.