Where to begin...
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Jamie Studio wutcha wunt tattoos Location alabama Well, I've been fascinated by body modifications for as long as I can remember. My mom doesn't mind them at all, but my dad is totally against them. That would present a problem for me. Since he wouldn't let me get anything other than normal ear piercings, my mom wouldn't let me get anything done. I told her I could find a way to hide piercings from him, but she wouldn't agree to it.
I finally decided that if my parents wouldn't let me get anything professionally done, I'd do it myself. Seeing as how I had no actual experience with piercings, I looked up whatever I could find on the internet and I asked my friends who actually had piercings about the procedures. When I thought I knew enough about piercings (which I definitely didn't) I decided I'd give it a shot and pierce something, kind of like a 'test'. Although I've never really liked navel piercings, I came to the conclusion that it would be the easiest to hide, and didn't seem too difficult to do.
So, two or three summers ago, I waited until my parents were asleep and put some ice in a Ziploc bag, and gathered up so so-called 'supplies' which included, a sewing needle, a gold hoop earring, and alcohol. After holding ice to my stomach for about 15 minutes, it became quite clear that it was pointless. I figured I'd just start pushing the needle through. It took a good 20 minutes to get the needle through, and then I tried to get the earring in, but the whole was too small. I tried to force it in, but that didn't cause anything but bleeding. My little attempt at a navel piercing didn't do anything but cause me to have a sore belly button for the next few days. I guess I should be grateful that it didn't work, since earrings are terrible for piercings, and I would have likely gotten an infection. Let me just say that even just attempting to do this was INCREDIBLY STUPID.
Okay, time to fast forward a few months. With the help of a close family friend, my mom agreed to let me get a small tattoo that I could hide. I did some research on the places around town, and decided to go to Wutcha Wunt Tattoos. I was very happy with the tattoo, and my mom told me I could get anything pierced that I could hide, so a month or so later, she took me back to Jamie, who did my tattoo, so I could get my navel done.
I was a nervous wreck, but Jamie was very nice and patient with me, which I was grateful for. I didn't have to wait long after we arrived before it was time to go into the small room in the back and willingly get metal shoved through my flesh. My stomach was cleaned with betadine marked. I was asked if I liked the placement, which I did, and I sat in what looked like a normal chair. I was told to scoot up to the edge of the chair, where the back went down. I now laid flat on my back, staring at the ceiling and attempting to forget my fear of needles as I listened to the music playing in the background.
Jamie was very clean, changing her gloves often and opening the sterile packages in front of me. She told me step-by-step what she was doing, which I appreciated. Finally, it was time for the needle to come out of the package. My eyes got wide with horror when I saw how big the needle was. She pushed it through, which was no easy task because of scar tissue. She went over the proper aftercare and I paid my $25 and left. It was no big deal. It didn't even hurt.
I wasn't good with the aftercare, and didn't take care of it the way I should have. The piercing didn't want to heal, which I can blame on no one but myself. It remained pretty red, but I figured it would heal eventually. A few months later, I went back to the studio and got a surface piercing along the bottom of my navel. Since Jamie wasn't there, another person working there, Chuck, did it. I don't remember why, but for some reason he told me he'd do it for free. He told me to use bactine to clean both of the piercings, and that it would clear up the redness of the other one.
The piercings seemed to be doing okay, but they ended up being ripped out, but we won't go into that. I was terrified of getting a split in my navel, but I didn't want to go to the doctor for it. With a little resourcefulness, it healed up fine, but it ended up pretty scarred. I don't know why I didn't give up then and there, but I was determined to keep that navel piercing since it was my first 'real' piercing. I'm too stubborn for my own good.
I was going out of town a couple months later, and I wanted to get my navel redone before I left. The scar had faded a lot, so I went back to Jamie. Since she has another business as well, the studio was closed that day. Therefore, I went to a different place, The Tattoo Zone. From the moment I walked in there, I didn't like it. I should've turned around and walked out right then, but I decided to go ahead and get it done since I was there. The girl who works there (I forget her name) tried to blame the fact my piercings didn't want to heal on my clothes, which was ridiculous, since I don't wear tight clothes.
A tall guy with several facial piercings and tattoos did my piercing. He was very quiet, which made me really nervous. I sat down in a dentist-like chair in a white room where I was cleaned and marked. He pushed the needle in very quickly with no warning. It was over very soon, and he told me to use betadine to clean it. I paid and left, vowing to never go back, since they seem to make people feel like an inconvenience to them. I did as I was told with the aftercare this time, and had a terrible reaction to the betadine. It ended up rejecting, and leaving me with an awful purple scar.
Eventually, after the scar faded, I decided, yet again, that I wanted my navel pierced. This time I was going to do it myself. I grabbed a huge safety pin that is about 12 gauge, cleaned my stomach, marked it, and pushed. It went through with no problems, and I immediately put in a 12 gauge titanium cbr. I've been doing two sea salt soaks a day for the last few months, and it's doing fine. However, yet again, THIS WAS VERY STUPID. I got very lucky I didn't end up with an infection.
So, was it worth it? I guess in a way it was, even though it's taken me two years and several piercing to get this ring in my navel to stay. The purple scar has faded a lot, and while this may have been my first piercing, it certainly wasn't my last. Right now, I've got two tattoos, my nostril pierced, my tongue pierced, and I've had quite a few others (mostly self-done, that I've taken out). To everyone considering any kind of piercing, please make sure you go somewhere you feel comfortable, make sure the studio is clean, follow the proper aftercare, and don't do it yourself.