I had recently posted a story about my new snug, which was accepted but for some reason unfortunately not posted.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Three months ago This is my frightening story, after getting my snug pierced I fell in love with it I thought it was awesome! There were no complications with the piercing, not to much blood loss and everything seemed to be going fine.
After my fresh new snug I had purchased 4small earrings, 2 for my lobe and 2 for my cartilage which was on the same ear as my snug. After viewing them carefully I asked the lady if they were too small for my ear, as they were nose rings, she said they would be fine. After coming home and flashing around my funky new snug, I decided to put in the new earrings; they came in nicely but were difficult to tighten. The next day after spending time with my friend, my ear was sore itchy and red I had asked her if she could see the new earrings, she said no, I panicked ran to the bathroom and because the earrings were to small they had sunk into the holes, so I had to slowly push them out from the back, all was well once again. I placed in my old earrings and tightened them nicely, about 2weeks had passed and my lower cartilage piercing had gotten a very bad infection, and my skin had actually started to heal over the earring! It was a disgusting site, but nothing compared to what happens later. My dad took me to the piercer the next day, and she took one look at it and said that it was the worst infection she had ever seen (mind you she's been a piercer for over 15years) she took me to the back room to clean it up and remove it. After cleaning it up nicely she placed another earring it, her explanation 'because it would drain out the puss better', I trusted her word and said ok. When I came home I showed my mum, and she told me to take out the new earring cause no way will it ever fully heal with it, I shrugged my shoulder and said she's the piercer not you. It was healing perfectly for the first week! Until silly me got tempted and picked off the scab, and it all just went down hill from there... My ear started pussing like crazy! I got feel the pass running down, I know GROSS! And I had also lost hearing in my ear, due to the infection or the puss? I don't know, and now all of the piercings in my ear were now infected. I went to the piercer once again, she told me that 'somehow' I had burnt the skin on my ear, and told me to get antibiotics and bath it in sea salt for half an hour every night. I started soaking it religiously but still no change, it seemed to have gotten worse, it got to the point were I was to scared to show anyone it was disgusting, my hole ear was infected, it had dried up puss everywhere!
So I went back to the piercer once again, this time so she could remove the earrings, she refused and said keep doing what I told you, and because I remove the earrings the infection will get trapped inside the hole. Once again I went back for antibiotics; I think my doctor was starting to think I was some sort of druggie! He told me to take out the earrings because it won't get any better; I thought pft... are you a piercer? There was nothing more I could do I was leaving for Europe in one week, and I surely didn't want to go with an ear looking like this! It looked infected, burnt, and mutilated! So I kept on soaking it. A few days before I was to leave I felt a lump on the side of my neck; I got worried but thought it was nothing.
Then edging closer to my holiday a rash started to appear on my neck it was huge! Now my neck and ear looked burnt, and not to mention I had a lump on my neck! All this time I had refused to show my mum or anyone, that week I left for Europe. My first day was spent in Germany, were people began to notice my rash. A day later we were in the airport waiting for our next flight. While it was a long wait, I went to the bathroom to glance at my rash, my mum came in, and asked me if I was ok, I said yes. She then asked me if she could see my ear and the rash, I refused but she made me, after she saw it she burst into tears! And my dad and mum rushed me to emergency in the hospital. They cleaned my ear, took the earrings out, and I got an injection straight into my veins. They put me on chromosome treatment, which meant every 3hours I had to put some cream on my neck and ear, and I got some of the strongest antibiotics, which I had to take once a day. He told me I was very lucky I didn't lose my ear, and I was allergic to metal which caused the rash and the sea salt bit away at my skin, and the result of not taking out the earrings when the doctor tells you a very bad infection which spread to the glands in my neck, resulting in the lump I had previously found, and if I had waited a few hours longer a blood infection. 6 weeks on and im proud to say my ear is looking great! As they could not get all of the infection out, it spread to both of my eyes, but with another dose of antibiotics im proud to say im infection FREE! I don't think that my ear will fully recover from this, well at least not for a long time; it's a little bigger and fuller then the other one, nothing too noticeable. I regained hearing in the ear, the lump is gone and everything is just normal and fine. After thinking long and hard about these events I decided to take all of my earrings out, piercing free. In a few months I'll place nice pearl studs into my lobes, when my ears are ready in case of another allergic reaction. But I've decided for a long time, most probably forever to go without piercing; it would be nice and simple, and I don't feel that urge and rush for piercing as I did before, it doesn't interest me, I believe it was a phase for me, and I have nothing about people who are into body modifications as I was once before, just be careful and remember it doesn't matter how much you trust your piercer always listen to your doctor and your mum, because your doctor didn't go to med school for 5years to no nothing, and believe me your mum knows best! Take care of your bodies and your body will do the rest!