This is the story of how I went from having a self pierced inverse to an average navel in a little over a week.
At A Glance Author Pixie Contact ecstasycreatures@yahoo.com When A week ago Location Miami, Florida **Warning: Anytime you choose to pierce yourself it is not a good idea unless you are a skilled professional. Do not copy my mistakes. Learn from them. And as always, be careful**
Well, on August 5, 2005 ((about a week and a half ago))I was at my friend's house, and seeing as we both know a piercer well, we have seen many piercings, my friend had gotten any, and we both took a 14 gauge hollow needle, still in the package, for later use. We felt like using them then. Both sealed and sterile, we opened them, and broke out the alcohol swabs and the marker. First I pierced my Christina ((a genital/surface piercing)) and put in the only curved barbell we had. Then I pierced my cartilage and put in a horseshoe ((14 gauge)). I still wanted one more thing pierced so I had to decide.
We had lots of jewelry, and were pretty bored, and semi-influenced from fumes of hair dye in her closed in room from about an hour before, so I felt good, and went for my belly. Though I have pierced a few things in my time, my belly has always been uber-sensitive to me. Finally I decided to pierce my inverse. I marked it, and though it looked good laying down I didn't to think to check it standing/sitting up, so it was actually pretty deep. I pierced it, and decided to put in the horseshoe ring (since the only curved barbell we had I put in my freshly pieced christina (genital/surface)). The piercing looked great at first.
I was in love.
Then things got a little ugly. The piercing got slightly irritated and started hurting over the next couple of days, and got infected.
I took good care of it though. I washed it with diluted Dial and water in the morning and at night, and did a salt soak once a day after school (I didn't do the salt soak the first or 2nd day though) for 5 days straight.
Wednesday came and my whole belly was in pain. It hurt badly, and I got random pains through my belly every once in a while. My belly ring was burning. I showed my friend (who also has her inverse and regular navel) and we decided that it was beyond help. I took the piercing out in lunch that day. That Friday (2 days later) the holes were almost healed, and I was itching to get poked, since I also had to take out one of the 2 vertical traguses I did that Saturday, because of bad placement.
So I broke out one of the needles again, and marked up my navel. I remembered to check it sitting up, and standing up this time. My friend pierced it for me (because my belly has always been my soft spot and my navel is the one place I find hardest to pierce and couldn't do myself), and it came out horribly positioned and crooked. So out came the needle and in it went again, and this time it was perfect. Not too deep, not to shallow, and wonderfully straight. Just how I wanted it. Once it was pierced, and I got in a curved barbell, I cleaned it and went home. The bar was slightly too short, which caused a problem because I developed a bruise, so I switched it with my week old christina's barbell, yesterday (Sunday) and the piercing is healing fine. Not even irritated.
The only worry I have would be the infection from the inverse spreading, but that piercing is long gone and as far as I can tell, healed now ((I'm a fast healer)).
Currently I have a curved surgical steel barbell in with an ample amount of room for movement, and 2 surgical steel balls on the ends. My piercing is healing well, and with the occasional scab, looks perfect.
I have always pierced myself, and have never been professionally pierced. When I pierce, I do it cleanly and take good care of all the piercings, so I don't believe that was the cause of the infection. I think it was just from the position and the jewelry. The jewelry I had was always getting pulled on by my clothes or it would bump into a table or something. That inverse was simply not meant to be.
I hope in a month or so, once my navel heals I can repierce my inverse with better results, but what I've learned from this experience is be careful of placement and of choice of jewelry.
Those two things can make all the difference in the world.
For anyone who's read this, my suggestion to you is if you plan to pierce yourself know what you are doing and I put all my faith in salt soaks for healing. And always remember to be careful what you do to yourself. Even I have to stop and tell myself sometimes "I'm not a professional."
Good luck with your mods!
~Pixie~