I've never really been a fan of ear piercings- until I grew up and got a "real" job, one where people actually care about how many holes you have in your face. (Bummer.) Needless to say- over the past few months ear piercings have become more and more alluring, starting with my tragus, and ending now with my new industrial.
At A Glance Author fitofhonesty Contact dingyxstar@yahoo.com When A week ago Artist Joey Studio Inksmith & Rodgers Location Jacksonville, Florida
It started as a whim, my husband was going to get his chest tattoo coloured in and the night before he suggested I get a new piercing as I whined (yes, I'm a whiner) about not having any new tattoos or piercings. So of course I googled ear piercings, found a bunch I thought looked neat, we talked and agreed the industrial would look good in my left ear, as well as balance them out, since my right ear has the tragus. I skipped over reading experiences on this site, mostly out of fear because I knew if I read too many negative stories I'd end up backing out. (I'm also sort of a wimp.) Looked at a few pictures and decided, Yes. Yes, this is the piercing I want.
We get to Inksmith and a couple of crazy things happen; The piercer had changed, it was a different person than I'd been pierced by before there. I was used to Margo, who is an EXCELLENT piercer, but she no longer works there. Joey, however, won me over really quick with his sarcasm and easy-going nature. He takes me to the back and starts measuring, then comes to the realization that he doesn't have a bar that is long enough. He asks if I'll come back the next day, I agree, sort of relieved that I didn't have to go through it.
I convinced a 15 year old not to get pierced. (I don't really agree to anyone under 18 getting pierced. To each their own!)
Then I met this older lady(40yrs+) in the waiting room and ended up holding her had for her first tattoo and piercing, because no one was there with her.
My husband gets his tattoo(s) filled in, and we head home.
We go back the next day and Joey had forgotten to get the jewelry, so he puts a note in is phone and promised to "hook me up" the next day. (It was really okay, we only live a couple minutes away, plus it's on the way home from my work.)
Again, we return and I'm officially nervous, but of course, act cool and say my favourite thing, "Oh I've given birth, this is nothing!" (Haha. Right..)
I lay down on the table and say "Why the heck am I so nervous?" "Possibly because I am," replies Joey, which made me laugh. (Oddly reassuring. Maybe if the piercing gig falls through he can get into stand-up.) He marks my ear, cleans, and mentions that "Yeah, this is a pretty painful piercing." (Well at least he's honest.)
He lines up the needle, says "You're going to feel a pinch."
Yeah. Definitely.
Then he pushes it part way through.
I'm starting to cuss.
He pushes it the rest of the way through. And I hear an awful pop, while ejecting a string of curse words that'd make a sailor blush. I immediately feel my face and ear grow warm. He lines up the second, I brace myself, and again "You're going to feel a pinch." The second one was slightly less painful than the first. I think I cursed again, under my breath. The pressure was unbelievable until he got the jewelry fitted in. I had to lay there a little longer while he applied pressure to keep the top hole from bleeding. I got up, admired my new holes, paid him the "hooked up" price, plus tip and was on my way.
It literally throbbed up until I took some Motrin and settled down for the night. (A teething 8month old screaming into my ear didn't help with the throbbing, either!) The top hole bled onto my pillows and I woke up with a nice bit of blood pooled into the cartilage of my ear, but significantly less pain.
I haven't noticed myself hitting it or my hair getting tangled around it. My entire upper ear is pretty sore, but with Motrin it's not as bad as you'd think.
I will never. ever. get this piercing again. I love it, I like the way it looks, it's fitted perfectly and as of two days post-piercing, it doesn't hurt. But compared to all of my other piercings, this was the most painful. I honestly convinced myself that no piercing could hurt more than getting your nipples pierced twice, and I was wrong. (Though as Joey said "this piercing is way cooler than those are anyway.")
As of two days ago, I'm done with ear-piercings. I think I ended on a high note.