I think I'm still in shock!
At A Glance Author tyK Contact tyK@bme.anon When It just happened Artist ME! Studio my bathroom Location Alberta, Canada
Something snapped in my head this week, and I finally got serious about a piercing I've been thinking about for three years or more. It seems that every spring I get the yen to put another hole in my body. Two years ago it was the upper ear cartilage. Last summer I got my nose pierced. This spring, it was the outer labia. I don't want to know what I'll be thinking next year around this time.... but back to my.... err... lower lip....
Now, that presented a problem. I'm actually a reasonably demure girl in some respects... that is to say that while I'm quite uninhibited and have no real issue talking about some pretty "out-there" topics, the idea of having a stranger poking around where only intimate partners and doctors have been was more than a little disconcerting! So, what to do? Stuff down my pride and propriety (or reasonable facsimile thereof) and go to a reputable studio, or throw caution and common sense to the wind and do it myself. (Actually there was a third option, a friend offered to do it for me, but that was just sooooooooo wrong!) Little by little I realized that if I was actually going to make this happen, I'd have to suck it up and do it myself.
Now, that presented a second problem.... I am really sqeamish. I nearly black out if I even have to get a blood test, and a simple visit to the doctor's office can give me shaky knees. Pathetic, eh? So not only would I have to do the piercing myself (and let's face it - forcing a large gauge needle through your own tender flesh isn't the most natural thing to do), now I would also have to overcome the fact that I would be more likely to sit there and giggle nervously about the whole affair than actually follow through.
Well, there comes a time in every life where you face up to your fears and either let them own you or you beat them. I stopped at a body jewelry place and bought myself the cutest little surgical steel CBR - about a half inch across and in 16 gauge. Next, I went to a veterinary supply pharmacy and bought a sterile 1.5" 16 gauge disposable needle. It's very easy to talk about piercing with a 16 gauge needle until you actually really examine it and realize that the thing looks as imposing as a length of sharpened rebar. I had originally wanted to use a 14 gauge (because the jewelry was 16 gauge), but after seeing the 16 gauge needle, I decided to just go with that.
Now comes the disclaimer. Despite anything that follows and my own decision, I still recommend that anyone wanting a piercing of this nature goes to a reputable professional to get it done. My methods are probably just fine (so far so good), but they don't measure up to the tools and practices that professionals use. In other words, what you are about to read is the work of a crazy person - do not try this at home.
I got home, got brave, and dumped all the things I would use (various pliers, forceps, and the jewelry) into rubbing alcohol for about an hour while I figured out exactly where I wanted the piercing and bolstered my courage. I placed a clean towel on the floor of the bathroom, got myself a glass of cool water, and took a few deep breaths. Next, I carefully cleaned the skin with rubbing alcohol (burns a tiny bit on that tender skin, but wasn't actually uncomfortable) and pinched the skin immediately below where I would pierce with the forceps so that it couldn't shift when I pushed the needle through. After dotting the skin on both sides of the would-be pierce with iodine, I grabbed the needle firmly with some pliers and placed it against the spot. Taking natural breaths, I counted to four the way I'd learned when I had my nose pierced: in on one, out on two, in on three, and as I breathed out on four, I pushed...... OUCH!.... uh-oh..... I wimped out and I just couldn't do it.... there I am with it partway in and my ears starting to ring.... I pulled it back out and nearly blacked out (I know I know... wimp!). I bled like a stuck pig and giggled like a maniac for about 5 minutes until my vision completely returned and my ears stopped ringing.
Now I was mad! I wasn't going to have gone to all that trouble for nothing. The needle and everything got plopped back into the alcohol and I got ready for round two. Once again, I cleaned the area carefully, got the forceps in the right spot, grabbed the needle, and this time on four I pushed. I think it surprised me a little just how much force was required to push even that extremely sharp needle through. I didn't do it fast enough so it was a little unpleasant, but I cannot describe the heady rush of accomplishment when I saw the needle come through the other side. Success!
The victory lasted only a moment - I couldn't just call it quits with a 1.5" sharp hanging out of my privates. I hadn't figured out how to remove the plastic end from the needle, so I just back it out using the jewelry ring to push it. That worked fabulously - in a second the ring was in place and that part didn't really even hurt. The hardest part was using flat pliers (so as not to put any scratches in the jewelry) to get the captive ball in place. Eventually I got it, and then I just sat back and sipped my water and calmed down. It's not 100% perfectly straight, but it is really close and the way it sort of angles seems logical (does that make any sense?) It bled a fair bit and I carefully cleaned the area again, rinsed it all with saline, and applied a piercing healing spray I got with tea tree oil and other natural ingredients - it is a gentle disinfectant, is good for the skin and won't dry the area or promote scarring.
That all happened about 23 hours ago, and in all honestly, it doesn't hurt too much. I wear my jeans tight, and as long as I am careful to get the ring lying flat against me in a comfortable position, I can move and sit without it hurting. I am walking a little slower than usual, and I took the stairs a little gingerly last night, but overall this piercing isn't so bad. I love it! It's like I have this cool little secret now, and I feel ten feet tall and bulletproof knowing that I overcame all the obstacles and did it myself. I told two friends about it (one called today just to make sure I wasn't passed out in the bathroom or anything like that! haha!).