I have wanted a tongue piercing for as long as I could have remembered. I turned 18 two weeks ago, and I knew that a piercing was a very real option. I already had five piercings, so I said why not. My other piercings were my navel, ear lobes and cartiledge. I couldn't remember if any of these piercings really hurt because they happened so long ago. I was sort of scared of the pain, but I knew i had a pretty high pain tolerance because I gave blood every time I could, and I knew I really wanted a tongue piercing. I read some stories on bme.com and this really convinced me that it wouldn't hurt that much. So I decided to go through with it.
At A Glance Author Lauren Contact laurenap618@hotmail.com When It just happened Artist Christina Studio Acme Tattoo Location Charlottesville, Virginia The next problem was deciding where to get it done. Living in a college town, there are many piercing places, but only few are very good. I knew Acme had a good reputation, but it wasn't until my sister met the piercer of Acme through her singing teacher that I decided I was really going to do it there. I work at a lake, so I had to carefully plan the date with my work days, making sure i had enough days off to recooperate. I had off a Wednesday, Thursday, and a Friday in a row, so I decided to do it on a Wednesday.
My mother wouldn't let me drive to the place myself, so I had to get my friend Shaya to do it. And, of course, my sister had to come along with me. My sister is 15 and my best friend. Then my other friend Shana decided to come and watch too because she wanted to get hers done later on down the road. So we went to the place and I signed all the papers. Christina was a girl in her early twenties and had piercings, and she had a very good vibe coming from her. She made me at ease. I asked her tons of questions, and she made me feel confident that I could go through with it. The studio had a very homey feel, the energy was very good and calming. I was nervous but all my friends there made it easier. It didn't feel like a hospital room, but I knew that it was as sterile as one.
There was no one else there, so she took me back and got out all the instruments. I asked her if she used an auto clave to clean the instruments and that I just wanted to double check and make sure everything was sterile. She said they used an autoclave for the tools and all the needles are discarded after use. I have volunteered at a hospital and i saw the little "defend" mark on the bag that had a the tools in it, so i knew that it was clean and sterile. This comforted me more. To anyone getting a piercing of any kind, make sure the tools are sterile.
Then Christina marked my tongue with the purple stuff. This took a good while. She said I had a good tongue for piercing. Then she put the clamp on my tongue. It kinda hurt, but I dealt with it. My friends were all gathered around me and supporting me. Shaya was holding my hand, Shana was rubbing my back, and my sister was saying random nonsense to get my mind off of the needle. Then she put the needle through and pulled the bar bell through and then she put on the bottom ball to it. My sister made me laugh when she was doing this by saying "well think of it this way, you will always have 2 balls in your mouth." It hurt more than I expected it to, but it wasn't unbearable. It felt like a needle going through your tongue. But it is fast, and i love the end result.
The swelling isn't too bad, but I just got it done yesturday. It may get worse tomorrow, but I got my Ibuprofin and ice chips. To anyone getting it done, make sure you have ibuprofin for the swelling, and ice chips for right afterwards. I went to get a Starbucks Frappacino afterwards. It isn't too hard to eat. I'm just eating mushy foods for now. Yogurt is good, and so is cottage cheese and slurpee type stuff. My talking isn't messed up at all, but i'm a very big talker.
For anyone who wants a piercing, think about it carefully and weigh the options. Do it safely, and follow the aftercare instructions. I can't wait until college next year with my new piercing. The only slight drawback is the no kissing/oral sex for 4-6 weeks, but I think I'll live.