Equipped with my 19-year-old sister's ID (I was only 17 at the time, and you have to be 18 in Utah to get any piercings or tattoos), I decided one day that I would go get my tongue pierced. It wasn't exactly an act of rebellion, but rather something to do on one of my days off to counteract my boredom. I wasn't sure if my fake ID would grant me access to one of the piercing rooms, but there were no problems there. So the piercer, "Doc" Holliday (the owner of the shop) took me into one of the rooms and gave me some really strong Listerine to swish around in my mouth for 30 seconds (though it seemed like longer - my mouth was burning!). Then out came the needle and the tongue pliers, and after a count of three, he pushed the 12-gauge needle through. It honestly didn't hurt as much as I expected it to...probably due in part to the Listerine, and the area that was being pierced. It felt more like a strong pinch.
At A Glance Author angelicdevil_77 Contact angelicdevil1981@yahoo.com When Two years ago Artist "Doc" Holliday Studio Doc Hollidays, Blue Boutique Location Both are located in the Salt Lake City area I went home that afternoon and was checking it out in the mirror and moving it around a bit, when all of a sudden I felt really faint. I had forgotten that I didn't have too strong a stomach with these kinds of things, and I barely made it to my bed before I passed out. I think I left it alone for a while after that, save for the daily saline solution rituals. I also was careful about what I ate, because any kind of sucking motion, like through a straw, hurt, and eating anything just felt awkward. I think my tongue swelled up more than most do, so I couldn't talk very well for a good 2 weeks. Eventually, however, the swelling went down, and I didn't have any problems with the piercing after that.
Fast forward a year or so...I was at home making some food, when my brother came home looking kind of beat. I asked his girlfriend what was wrong, and she said that he had just gotten venom piercings (I think that is what they are called), the kind where two smaller piercings are put on either side of the tongue, sort of pointing inward, so they look like "fangs." I thought the piercings looked really cool, so I kept it in mind that I'd get them done sooner or later.
I had a bit of trouble with the law later on that year, and landed in an outpatient rehab center for addicts and alcoholics (I would be there from 9 am until 4 pm 5 days a week, with an hour lunch break in between) - that's what happens when you get too into the Lortab, folks. My parents also took away nearly all of my privileges, including my rights to go out with friends, my car, and basically my freedom in general...so things got sort of mundane after a week of doing the rehab thing. It actually wasn't that bad, because I met a lot of nice people who were a lot like me, and who understood what I was going through. Anyway, on Wednesdays we had a longer lunch break (2 hours) for some reason, and since I needed to inject a little excitement into my life, I took off and went to Blue Boutique to get the venom piercings done. The piercer (I don't remember what his name was) was really nice, but the actual piercings hurt much worse than the first one I got done. But I got m y "natural high" for the day, and went back to my rehab group, pretty silent because I didn't want to even attempt to talk. Tough luck - we were required to share our experiences with substance abuse all the time, so I couldn't get around it. When I first attempted to talk, my tongue was already pretty swollen, so I sounded like I was drunk or something (we had to stay sober the whole time in the rehab center, or else we were in danger of getting kicked out). So I fessed up to my counselor and the other people in my group about my little trip to the piercing shop, and then I showed everyone my tongue. One of the guys got up and left because he couldn't look at it! I guess he had a weak stomach, too.
Maybe 3 months later, I decided that I'd get a fourth tongue piercing, because I knew a few people that had 3 of them, but I didn't know anyone that had 4. One of my friends from work came with me to Blue Boutique, and tried to calm me down because I was really nervous, mostly about how much my tongue was going to swell up. I went through it anyway...not gracefully, though - I drooled all over myself because of the position that my tongue had to be when he pierced it. This one was in the middle of the last two piercing episodes on the pain scale. So I left there feeling quite unique, and made sure to gulp down a bunch of ice water afterwards. My tongue didn't end up swelling up as much as I thought, and I was back to speaking normally after only a week or so.
During the year or two that I had the 4 piercings, it was fun to show people because really, I look quite innocent on the outside, so it came as a surprise to most. Sadly, though, my dentist recommended that I take them all out because he felt that they were interfering with my ongoing treatment (I was having a lot of problems with weak and broken teeth, and I swear I had to get a root canal about every other visit). I don't necessarily regret doing so, because I would much rather have a nice outward appearance and a nice smile, than have 4 barbells in my tongue that nobody could see unless I showed them. I also got a breast augmentation in late October of 2002, and I had to take out my nipple rings for the operation - I still have these weird-looking scars from the rings, but I'll take scars over A-cups any day. And not to worry, I still have my belly button and my industrial done, too, so it's not like I have let ALL the holes in my body close up.