So far I have had: eight lobe piercings, two cartiledge piercings, three tongue piercings, tragus done twice, and navel done once. For various reason, many of these piercings haven't lasted and I was down to six lobe piercings and one in my tongue. Each and every one of these piercings hurt. Which was fine with me, it was a part of the experience... usually an enjoyable part.
At A Glance Author melissa Contact melissa@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Rusty Studio West Coast Tattoos Location Florence, AL Since stumbling across BME about eight years ago, I had admired tongue web piercings. They appealed to me. The discreetness of them, the rareness in my area of them.
Last week, I went with a friend was getting some ink at West Coast Tattoos. I was considering getting a tattoo on my back added to, but I wasn't positive of what I wanted. I'm one of those people who figure out what they want, walk around with the idea for at least a year, then get the tattoo. Since I was there anyway, and had decided against the tattoo, I decided to get something pierced. I allow myself to be much more spur of the moment with piercings because I know that if I end up not liking it, I can just take it out with minimal scarring.
With my job, I cannot have visible piercings other than one in each lobe. I also have no interest in getting a genital piercing and I like my breasts/nipples just the way they are. (Just a personal choice.) So I decided to get my tongue webbing done. I asked my usual tattooist about it, and he had no idea what I was talking about. So I asked the piercer/counter guy about it, he also had no idea what I was talking about. He went off to ask Rusty, the owner, who finally had heard of this. We talked about jewelry because I was hesitant to get a cbr due to the fact that I have my tongue pierced. I was afraid the two piercings would catch on each other. He said that since I have had the tongue piercing for almost three years, it would be fine. (Due to the fact that I've had the piercing for so long, I can take it out for a couple of weeks at a time without fear of losing it.)
Finally it was time for the actual piercing. I have visited this studio in the past for piercings or tattoos. I know that they are extremely professional. They are also extremely clean and use an autoclave for everything possible. Rusty handed me some mouth wash, which I used immediately before and after the piercing. He had me spit a few times to get rid of excess saliva and we began. Due to the small area he had to put his hands in, I don't believe any clamps were used. I opened my mouth, closed my eyes, and focused on breathing. I could feel the needle as it went through, and I could feel the moment it was replaced with jewelry, but I experience no pain whatsoever. It was extremely weird and shocking, for your body to be expecting and readying itself for pain and then nothing happens. He had me spit again then he put the ball in the cbr. It took a moment and at that point I did experience a little pain. I understood completely though, that it was a small area and he has big hands. So it took a little tugging to get it in.
Afterwards, I was waiting on my friend to get his tattoo, and I noticed that my tongue was swelling. I went ahead and bought a longer barbell while I was there to put in my tongue piercing.
As far as healing goes, it was just fine. My tongue swelled some the first couple of days, but my speech was not impaired in the least bit. It would get sore after eating, but that's about it. As for aftercare, I use mouthwash in the morning and at night. That's all. At exactly a week, I went back to get the jewelry changed to an extremely short straight barbell. (Yes, when I went back, they advised against changing it so early, but I insisted.) It took some work, but Rusty changed it just fine. While I was getting the jewelry changed, he told me that my brother was in the next room getting his full sleeve finished. I had had no idea he was even in town as he usually travels with his job, so I was able to see my brother for a little while at the same time. This jewelry is much more comfortable. I was experiencing problems with the other as it irritated my gums and I didn't feel comfortable wearing my tongue barbell with it. Overall, it was a great experience and so far, my favorite piercing. I'm even considering retiring my tongue piercing and just having this one.