When I was about twelve, I was noticing my friends getting their ears pierced, namely their cartilages. I begged and begged my mother to take me out and get it done, finally after about six months I was finally able to. It was amazing. The fear and anxiety and the content feeling when you've finished hooked me. It wasn't the pain that excited me, it was the effort and adornment that came with it. That's when I decided I wanted another.
At A Glance Author Aristes Contact aristes@gmail.com When Three months ago Artist Gary Studio Gary's Tattoo Studio Location Odessa, TX I immediately asked my mother if I could get another piercing. This time, I figured I could push the limit and I asked her for a tongue piercing. I got "no" after "no." Finally, she gave in. All I had to do was research the procedure and find a parlor. At this time, I was between homes and I ended up in Texas for a short time. This is where I found Gary, a kind, older man with nothing but stories and experience under his belt. I figured this would be as good a time as ever, so I did it. I just walked in one day and asked, and I was presented with one of the more enjoyable experiences you could imagine under the circumstances. He followed the procedure I had studied, so I figured he'd be alright to come back to.
Eventually, I had come back for a lip piercing, but that's a completely different story. When I was 16, I moved back to Texas from Kentucky to stay, which is alright with me because my favorite piercer is here! By the time my birthday rolled around, I had had a job for just a bit when I quit. This had given me just enough money to pierce both me and my mother with what was left over. Anyway, I woke up one morning and decided to go to see Gary.
Now, I had known this man for years and he amuses me every time. He takes the bite out of the fear of needles, which I am so unfortunately prone to. It's a terrible phobia. He told a couple jokes and amused me while I sat there for four hours trying to decide on what two piercings to get. He always run a good sale, so it's easier for me to get another. I ran through dozens and dozens of piercing and tattoo magazines and finally decided: A monroe and a second tongue piercing.
I sat down in the chair which so terribly reminded me of a dentist's chair and relaxed while he explained to me the procedure. He then handed me a small cup of mouthwash and told me to rinse good and long as we'd be doing both piercings in the same sitting. When I returned from the bathroom, he put on his gloves and set out the purple marker and cork. He changed his gloves after washing his hands and pulled out a prepackaged needle. He marked me on the lip first and ran the needle through and the jewelry no problem. Next came the tongue.
I relaxed again, with my eyes closed. He took his gloves off again and washed his hands. Then he put on another pair of gloves and explained to me, for the millionth time, what's to happen. He marks my tongue in a place that shouldn't interfere with the other and I look in the mirror. It looks great! He checks the top and bottom of my tongue, looking for any veins to push aside, unwraps the needle, and sets the clamp to my tongue and the cork to the bottom. "One.. Two.. Big breath. Slight pinch, putting the jewelry through, releasing the clamp. You're done!"
I sat there for a moment and I cleaned the bit of blood that had dripped down on my tongue and stood to go look in the mirror. Quickly I had noticed that both bars had gone in at an angle, like they should, only more towards the sides than anything else. When I stuck my tongue out, I saw that they made an X right through the center of my tongue. They're almost side by side.
I think this second one rubs up on a nerve though, right at the front of my tongue. That's the only drawback I've experienced. It feels like I've been running sewing thread tight through the center of my tongue when I move it wrong. Nothing major has come up, so it still stands. The second time around it took longer to heal, but that's to be expected when you're constantly tapping it on the other. The first took about three days to stop swelling, but this time it took a good two weeks to go down. It was difficult to eat, since I had them pulling and rubbing on each other.