Getting my tongue pierced wasn't along the lines of how I usually tend to go about things. Usually, when I plan to get a new piercing, I'll obsess over it. I research it and I think about it, and then eventually I'll just go one day randomly and get it done. However, this time things were a little different. Don't get me wrong. I still made sure I knew what I was getting into, but this was not something I had my heart set on for a long time. I just decided to do it. My cousin had been talking about getting hers done for years. And over the summer I told her, for her birthday we would go get them together. Of course, it happened in December rather than July, but I kept my word.
At A Glance Author maber Contact maber@bme.anon IAM maber When Three months ago Artist i forget. Studio 23rd Street Body Piercing Location OKC, Oklahoma
I was out of state visiting the family in Oklahoma, but I had heard amazing things about 23rd Street Body Piercing, so that's where I decided my cousin and I would be going. We went the day before I was supposed to go home, December 22nd, so we spent the entire time I was in town getting excited about it and such.
Honestly, I expected her to back out. But I was woken up to knocking at my window that morning, and so I showered and we were on our way.
The drive was sort of long, but uneventful, and we got to the shop and filled out our paperwork without incident. I had decided previously to get pierced at a ten gauge or an eight gauge. I ended up not feeling brave enough for an eight and went ahead with the ten, which as of now is the largest I've ever been pierced.
Kali went first so she wouldn't chicken out, and that was rather uneventful. She got pierced with a twelve gauge bar with hide it balls. I really liked the piercer, he was very nice, although his name escapes me at the moment. We talked about my upcoming move back to southern California, and he even recommended some shops in my area for me to check out, which was so great of him.
Then my turn. After seeing the needle, I was getting pretty nervous. I sat down (and took pictures) while everything was opened, and gloves were changed. He then dried and marked my tongue, and we were ready to go.
The piercing itself actually wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. It was more of a dull pain rather than the sharper kind I'm used to with piercings. I was expecting blood and gore though. The jewelry insertion stung a bit, and that was it. We were free to go. Closing my mouth felt really strange. The barbell seemed so awkward in my mouth, and definitely not like it should have been there.
Before I left, I went ahead and bought a shorter barbell shaft to change into, since I was moving and all, I wanted to go ahead and have it just in case. I also gave him a nice tip.
I had the bright idea to attempt eating right after the piercing (I was hungry!) which I know is not recommended. Plus the fact that I really couldn't chew very well, so my Arby's fries were left uneaten. I also hadn't told my grandparents, so I was forced to at least attempt to eat dinner that night. I know this was not a smart decision. I should have let them know what was going on, but I know they wouldn't have appreciated that I did it while i was visiting them. (although they do know about it now)
The next week was pretty bad. I could hardly talk, my tongue was so swollen. After that, talking just plain hurt. Overuse of my tongue, I suppose. I was pretty miserable. I definitely was not expecting it to be that bad afterwards. I didn't really want to not eat, so I slowly and carefully ate solid foods most of that week, although it's not recommended to do so. I made sure to rinse afterwards and keep things clean, and I really didn't have any problems with it. After the first couple days, chewing got progressively easier.
After a little over a week, I couldn't take the long barbell anymore (the lisp was pretty bad, not to mention the bar was really uncomfortable and felt so heavy), so I downsized my jewelry. Aside from a few issues screwing the ball back in, that went okay. After that, I cut down to just brushing it when I brushed my teeth, and things went well. The shorter bar was much more comfortable in my mouth, and I quit noticing it was there so much.
A lot of the things I did during my healing I wouldn't recommend. Follow your recommended aftercare. I have gotten used to how my body heals by now, and I knew that what I was doing more than likely would not be very detrimental to my own healing.
Honestly, I got this piercing just for the sake of getting it, to begin with. But it quickly became one of my favorites. I downsized the balls a bit too. I've had it for two months now, and I don't even notice it, but it feels like it's been there forever. I love it as much as I love every one of my other piercings.