Two Mistakes

At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon Artist a friend Studio at my home Location Michigan

I've only been exposed to the idea of body piercing for a short time now, since maybe last December, but once I got over the general surprise that people poke needles "there," the idea began to grow on me. The same friend who first told me about piercing (and showed me his) suggested a triangle for me. So, after doing some research on BME and anywhere else I could find info, I was convinced, the triangle was for me.

The next question was where to get it done. I went to the "good" studio in town, where my friend had his tongue pierced, and told the piercer I was interested in a genital piercing. She asked me what kind, and I told her a triangle, but she didn't know what it was. So, off she went, to get a little rubber "body part" so I could show her what it was and where it went. Well, the triangle kinda looks like a horizontal hood, so I said, "Kinda like this (pointing to the hood), but under the clit." And she looked at me like I didn't know what I was talking about. So I thanked her very much, and went to Plan B.

My friend (who is a very good friend), had pierced his own nipple and I figured I could get the clamp where it needed to be, so I asked him if he wanted to do it. After a couple of months, I finally got up the nerve and bought the jewelry, needle and a clamp off the internet. A week or so later, we headed to my house to do it. We didn't use the best sterile technique in the world, but we washed up and soaked everything in alcohol (the needle at least came sterilized in a packet).

I clamped where I thought it should go (after two or three tries), and laid back for him to do it. I have this needle phobia. I get this sick, I'm-gonna-pass-out feeling, sometimes from just seeing a needle, so there was no way I was going to watch, nor was I any help at all. At this point, I guess he expected that I would change my mind, so after a minute, he asked if I was ready (how can you say you're ready for something like this?). I said yes, anyway, and he still waited a minute, thinking I might change my mind. When I was finally starting to wonder where the pain was, there it was.

One sharp pain on one side (not where I thought it should be) and then another one out the other side (again, not where I expected). But just for a split second. Once the needle was through, the pain stopped, and I didn't feel the jewelry go in at all. He had trouble closing the ring, and slipped once, which hurt just about as much as the initial piercing, but finally got it closed and a bead in it. Did I want to see it? Well, I was still waiting for the sick feeling to start, so I was afraid to move, but finally, after about 1/2 hour, I sent him downstairs for a mirror.

It was beautiful. There wasn't a single drop of blood, and it wasn't as swollen as I expected it would be. In a few hours, though, it swelled up quite a bit, and for the next several weeks, the swelling on the left side wouldn't go down. I finally realized that my ring had a scratch on it, which was irritating the hole, so I went to the studio to buy another ring. Also, by this time, the ring was starting to turn sideways, so it was front-to-back, and the right side, which wasn't puffy was starting to tear. Ouch!

I bought a 14 ga 1/2" ring to replace the 14 ga 5/8" ring we initially used, but when we went to put it in, realized it was too small. So I ordered a 9/16" online, and decided to size up to 12 ga. When the ring came in, I was in a hurry to get it in. The tearing was getting worse, and I wanted to get in a smooth, larger ring so it would heal faster. We tried to put the 12 ga in, but couldn't get it through. After about 6 hours of trying to get it in, I gave up, but I wasn't about to lose what I had, so I stuck the one end of the ring in the right side, and the other end in the other side, and clamped them together using ring pliers. I thought for sure I would be able to get it through the next day.

Well, it's three weeks later, and my ring is still in upside-down. The 12 ga does feel so much better than the 14 did, but I think the hole through the very center is gone by now. I just ordered an insertion taper and a 10 ga ring, and I'm hoping the taper will go through the part that closed up.

I made two mistakes in doing this, I didn't have ring opening and closing pliers for the initial piercing (which is where the scratch may have come from), and I didn't have an insertion taper for putting in the larger gauge ring. Other than that, it's been a great piercing. There were only a few drops of blood here and there over the first month, mostly from the tearing, and although it was pretty swollen for a while, it never really hurt. I'm still a little careful during sex, especially since it isn't in right, but even that was never painful.

Sizing up to the 12 ga made all the difference in the world. I can't wait to get a 10 ga in there, but I'll probably leave it at that for a long time, until it heals completely. The surface holes seemed to heal quickly, but triangles are really deep, and I think it'll be a long time before there will be actual skin all the way through. I still get some moisture coming out of it, but I never got crusties, I guess because it stays so moist down there.

I also never had trouble with infection, but soaking in salt water feels really good, and an eye cup works great for soaking in bathrooms. I carried a 1 cup plastic bowl, with 1/2 tsp of sea salt, and added hot water at school, then headed to a bathroom stall to soak. I used neosporin a time or two if it felt dry just to be able to turn it, but found that I didn't even need it if I soaked in the salt water, which lubricates. I also use dial antibacterial, moisturizing, because I heard that the regular was drying.

I guess the main thing your should take away from this, is that if you decide to do something like this yourself, you should at least make sure you have the right tools. I'm sure you're better off going to someone experienced, but when that person doesn't know what you want, it's probably time to rethink that idea, too. I had a great experience overall, even with the current problem. I'm really happy with how it looks and feels, and when I have it out, I feel naked without it (and it hasn't even been in that long).

Good luck, and happy piercing!