So I had been deciding to get a new piercing for awhile. I didn't know what to get, since I'm not too familiar with piercings (only having my ears and belly button)but I was talking a to a friend and she suggested getting venoms. I saved up enough money, which was 60 dollars, and during the afternoon, my friend Mike and I, we drove to the shop. I knew it was a clean shop and that the staff was friendly, because I had been there to get my navel ring changed for the first time, since my regular shop owner was out of town.
At A Glance Author Ka Contact Ka@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Vanessa Studio Artistic Creations Location New york Anyway, there were already some girls who were getting something done, so I just looked at the tattoo pictures on the wall and waited my turn, nervously. When they had left, I went up to the counter and told Vanessa that I wanted to get my venoms pierced. She handed me a form to fill out, all the necessary stuff (name, address, phone number, allergies, etc.) and then I gave her my driver's license for proper identification and to prove I was 18.
When everything got the a-okay, she gave me a cup filled with mouthwash and told me to rinse for a minute and then spit it in their bathroom. I did as I was told and I came back, she led me to the piercing room in the back. She had me sit down, and Mike was allowed to hold my hand, while I waited. She put a bib thing on me because she said I would drool a lot. Then she put this cherry disinfectant on and under my tongue. She had gloves on and took out a clean needle (I watched her closely, I'm paranoid) and she had her assistant mark two dots on my tongue. Then she held up a mirror and asked if it was alright. I nodded, and she proceeded to get out a clean clamp. Her assistant put the clamp on my left side. It didn't hurt at all, which I was surprised about. Then Vanessa came over with the needle, and by then I was shaking so much, she had to wait a couple minutes before I was "ready" to be pierced. She told me to close my eyes and take a deep breath. I inhaled, and when I blew out, she pushed the needle up through the bottom of my tongue. It hurt a little, but not much. She got the jewelry and put the ball on. Then she let me spit some drool into a cup, and she went back and got out a clean needle. She moved to my right side, clamped it, and after she joked that my mouth was too small, she stabbed the needle through. This hurt more than the first one, but not as much as getting my navel. Vanessa put the jewelry on, and she let me spit again. She asked me if I was dizzy, and since I said no, she took me to the counter to pay. I paid the 60 bucks, and she gave me an aftercare sheet and a free bottle of H20 ocean. I thanked her and left happily.
The next couple days were HELL. My tongue swelled up so much, I was having trouble breathing. I couldn't eat anything for 3 days, and I could barely drink water without having it drool out of my mouth. Not pretty. I started my aftercare on day one, which was to use a non-alcoholic mouthwash on everything I ate and drank that wasn't water. Plus no alcohol or cigs, which was kinda hard to get past. I also bought a bottle of gly-oxide and applied it to the holes, letting it sit for a minute, and then spitting. The second morning that I woke up, I had bled so much, it was all over my pillow. I freaked and went to see Vanessa. She said it was normal, and I was just a little bit of a bleeder, and to come back and see her if it didn't stop in a couple days. Thankfully 3 days later, there was no more bleeding, and my tongue was back to its normal size, so I could finally speak and eat, but only soft things like cheesecake...which was fine with me :) A week and a half later, I stopped using the gly-oxide, but I was still doing mouthwash and checking the balls to make sure they were screwed on tight. Clean hands of course.
And by week two, I was fully healed. The right one is a tiny bit further back because of a blood vessel that Vanessa had to avoid, but it's barely even noticeable. I thought it looked a lot more crooked when it was healing, but I guess it settled in its place. Things are great now, and I still mouthwash occasionally and try not to play with the barbells too much, because I don't want to chip my teeth or get scar tissue.
Overall this experience was definitely worth it. Vanessa and her assistant are wonderful, kind, knowledgeable, and super friendly. I recommend going there if you live in the orange county area! I think I'll be going there for my next piercing...or piercings ;)