At A Glance
Author	fuckheridid
Contact	fuckheridid@bme.anon
When	A month ago
Artist	Kelly Brookes
Studio	Westcoast Piercing
Location	Surrey, BC

For as long as I could remember, I have been fascinated with tongue piercings. As a youngin, I remember loving the way a single tongue stud looked. When I went to get my first piercing, I was debating over either my lip or my tongue. However, since I was turning 14, my mother deemed tongue piercings as 'unattractive' on a young girl.

When I arrived at the shop to get my lip pierced that day, I remember my piercer showing me his tongue... which had 5 piercings in it. I was amazed! I knew I never wanted that many (clutter much?), but nonetheless I thought it looked incredible, and decided that soon after my lip piercing, I would (no matter what my mother said, I would convince her) get my tongue pierced for the first time.

Time flew, and eventually I got my center tongue pierced at age 15. I had convinced my mother. Everything went fine with that piercing, I healed up incredibly well. Time went on.

As I got older, I was more involved in the piercing community, and piercing became more of a mainstream thing. I then met a guy who said at one point, he had had his "venoms" pierced, as well as his center tongue piercing. At the time, I wasn't aware of what "venoms" were, so I asked him. When he pointed to the two sides of his tongue, I was in awe. "That would be the most perfect and beautiful tongue ever" I thought. Immediately I was thinking of the possibility of having mine done.

However, at the time, I was dating this immature guy, and he told me not to get it done because he wanted to get his re-done. I reluctantly agreed (the stupid things you do when you think yer in love, eh?).

I pushed the thought from my head, and a few months later, he re did his venoms with 12g internally threaded barbells. I was so jealous! My one single tongue piercing did not adequately match up to his. I tried to once again push the thought from my head (to keep him happy. We already had matching lip rings and eyebrow rings- we had to keep it to a minimal).

Months later, we broke up. Immediately after, the venoms were all I could think about. I could get them done! But the more I thought about it, the more I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through with it. In the time lapse of the first time hearing about them and this point in time, I had gone through a number of other piercings (including my outtie-naval, yuck). Remembering the swelling and discomfort my single tongue piercing had caused, I was unsure of piercing my tongue again, twice.

I debated and debated. Weeks, months, and then a year passed.
I started dating a new guy, and we were talking about our piercings. We both wanted to get our venoms done eventually, but we were both out of money. Despite my earlier lack of confidence, we agreed to get them done.

So, I tried setting up an appointment with (one of) my piercer(s). Finally we decided on a day and a time, so I quite litteraly skipped up to the shop.

However, this guy took a look at my tongue and noticed a big-ass vein on my left side of my tongue, which not only freaked me out, but delayed my appointment until the following Monday because my regular piercer, Kelly, needed to take a look at my tongue.

Now, nervous as hell, I spent the next few days doing the "Do I really want to do this?" to myself. Of course I did, but what if the vein was problematic? What if I started to squirt blood out everywhere? What if, what if, what if.

In those few days while I was waiting, I got a call from my boyfriend. "Guethh what I juthh did!" He said into my ear. "Damn you!" I said. "I`m jealous!" That`s when I knew I was gettin` mine done on Monday, no matter what.

I tried to push the "what if's" out of my head and Monday after school, I ran over to the shop. I had to be at work at 5, and time goes quite quickly. I was so nervous I was shaking. I filled in the release forms and went over aftercare then hopped right onto the piercing table. Kelly took a look at my tongue, and apparently the vein wouldn't be a problem. He told me that it is possible to maneuver the vein when he has the clamps on so that the clamps sit on the vein to hold it out of the way while he pierces. "Awesome!" I thought.

Many markings later, we were set. We were to pierce them just behind the existing center tongue piercing, with the exit holes on the bottom just about in line with the center one. Perrrrfect.

Not only was I nervous as hell about the piercing, but I was anxious as well. I couldn't be late for work! Hurry hurry hurry! I know it's never a good thing to rush a piercing, but in this case, I honestly couldn't care. All I wanted was those beautiful beads sitting perfectly on my tongue.

Kelly clamped my tongue, right side first, and I took a deep breath. On the exhale, he pierced. Phew! Tears slid from my eyes and I relaxed the he-man grip I had on the piercing table. He inserted the jewellry and I pulled my tongue back into my mouth. I rinsed with some mouthwash and my piercer asked me if I wanted a few minutes before the next one.
"Hells no!" I said as I spat out the mouthwash, and I stuck out my tongue again. This side was a little more difficult seeing as how I was bleeding slightly and my spit was making his gloved hands slipperly. Finally he had my vein tucked under the clamps, and he pierced again. Only a few more tears slid from my eyes, and again I rinsed out my mouth.
My tongue didn't even hurt! I gave him a million thanks, paid, and rushed off to work.

It was fine for the first few hours.
At my job, I am a cashier, so I do a lot of talking. By the end of the night, my tongue was pretty swollen and sore.

My tongue stayed pretty swollen for about a week and a half or so, but eating wasn't difficult. The swelling then reduced and I could speak normally again.

A week or two later though, I noticed a bump forming around the bottom of the right side. Ewe, but I didn't think anything of it. Then my tongue started getting sore, and the bump grew. And then, when I pushed my tongue back, a white pus liquid would ooze out. Not much, but enough to know that somethings wrong.

Since then, I have been doing sea salt soaks with tea tree oil 2-5 times a day. The bump is gone, so is the tenderness, although now the left side has a little bit of the white pus-y stuff. But since my soaks fixed the right side, I`m confident the same will happen for the left. So I will continue doing my soaks, because after all this, I'm not taking them out!