Getting my navel pierced has been something I have wanted to get done since I was about 13. So I asked my parents and they said, "Absolutely not until you are 18!" Well, little did they know that I would hold them to their word. When I finally turned 18, I told them I was going to get it done – that was back in October. For three months, I have been doing research trying to figure out if it would hurt, how it was done, what it was like, and all that stuff. A couple of my friends have gotten their belly buttons pierced at Silver Moon Adornments and said it was very sterile and they were very nice. So finally I called to make an appointment for January 20.
At A Glance Author Rachel Contact hyper_cafe@lycos.com When It just happened Artist Patricia Studio Silver Moon Adornments Location Brattelboro, VT
A few days later, I almost cancelled it because I am not at all tolerant to pain and I heard that it was very painful. But I have been waiting so long to get it done, and wanted it so bad that I would not let myself back out.
On the 20, I went into work with my mom since she works just a few buildings down from Silver Moon. I was so nervous that I could not eat, so I had to force myself since Patricia told me to make sure to eat before I went to get it done. Since the appointment was not until 4:00, I had all day to do nothing but wait and prepare myself for the pain I thought I was in for.
Around 3:30, two of my friends came and picked me up. Because we got there half an hour early, I had time to look at the jewelry, sign some papers, and talk to some people who have gotten piercings. They all said it did not really hurt that bad it was just a few seconds of pain and feeling dizzy afterwards.
Ok, so now it's 4:00. My friends are placing bets on me on whether I was going to pass out or not and trying to scare me. So I just kept rubbing it in that they are these two big guys scared to death of needles and here I am about to get one shoved through my stomach. Anyway, I went in alone since they can't even look at somebody change their earrings but that's ok because they probably would have been picking on me the whole time anyway.
Patricia had me tuck my shirt up under my bra and she looked at my navel and took a bag of sealed rings out of the closet and I chose a light blue double jeweled barbell. After putting on gloves, she cleaned the area around my navel with alcohol and marked the entrance and exit holes with a purple marker. Then she took all the equipment out of their wrappers and set them all up. She had me lie down on a table and unbutton my pants so she would not get caught on them.
Then she put the clamp on, which I heard hurt the most. It did not at all – all I felt was a little bit of pressure. Then came the needle. She lined it up with the mark, and told me to count to three and she would push it through. I could feel it go through, but it did not hurt at all. Like the clamp, I just felt pressure. She removed the clamp and said it was time to put the ring in and it would probably feel a little weird. She was right about that – that part did sting for about 5 seconds.
After taking a few more deep breaths, she asked me how I was feeling and to stand up slow. When I stood up, she asked me again how I felt and if I needed to lie back down. I did not feel dizzy, faint, or anything like that which really surprised me. So I walked back out to the waiting room and saw my friends playing with Patricia's daughter's Barbies and my mom was there, too. Dan was the first to see me come out and he said I looked a little dizzy and asked me if I would need someone to carry me out to the truck. Jesse just said it looked weird because he's not used to seeing things going through my stomach like that but my mom actually said it looked cute (and I agreed with her of course).
Anyway, I went home with my mom and could not stop telling her about how much easier it was than I thought it would be. Also how much I liked Patricia because she talked to me throughout the whole thing and made me feel really comfortable. I just got it done yesterday and I'm feeling great and I'm so glad I did it. I advise anyone in the Brattleboro area who wants to get any piercings done to go see Pat at Silver Moon Adornments. And the pain level really does depend on the person, but for me, there was just a little bit of pressure. But nothing that made me uncomfortable in any way.