At A Glance
Author	Kaycee
Contact	crazyriotgirl@yahoo.com
When	Two years ago
Artist	Chris
Studio	A1 Tattoo
Location	Gladstone, MO

I have always been fascinated by piercings and other body mods. I remember questioning my grandpa endlessly as a small child about the kitten tattooed on his arm. I got my ears pierced when I turned seven, but this was the end of it, as my mom and dad refused to approve of any other unnatural holes being punched in me. This didn't bother me until I got to high school, when I noticed other girls had multiple sets of earrings in their ears and were getting their navels pierced.

I can't tell you exactly what it was I was so intrigued by. I loved the look of any piercings, and just thought there was something beautiful about a piece of metal being held in place underneath the skin. A little strange, maybe, but I loved them.

I begged my mom to let me get my ears pierced again, to no avail. I was extremely unsatisfied with her reasoning: "It's socially acceptable to get your ears pierced ONCE." Clearly, she had not been outside recently, because I am fairly certain we live in a society where it is "socially acceptable" to die your hair safety-orange and put multiple holes all over your face and still only receive a few strange looks from your friend's grandmother.

However, due to a misunderstanding between her and my dad, I was allowed to get my navel pierced for my 16th birthday. (In the state of Missouri, you have to be 16 to get your navel pierced, even with a parent's permission, at most reputable studios.) The agreement was originally that my mom would get hers done as well. She thought my dad would say no to that, but he said it was ok, because he thought she would never go through with it. Someone got confused along the line, however, because Mom's navel remains puncture-free.

The big day came and my mom drove me and two of my friends to A1 in Gladstone. Mom had taken care of all the arrangements, making the appointment and choosing the place, so I have no idea as to her reasoning. It may very well have just been the first place in the phonebook.

My mom thought it would be a good idea to numb my belly button with ice on the way there, so it would hurt less. This sounded like a fabulous idea to me, so I held an ice cube on my navel all the way to Gladstone. It was red and frozen by the time we arrived. We walked in and Mom told the guy behind the counter that we had an appointment for me to get my belly button pierced. Another guy came over and asked to see my belly button. I held up my shirt, revealing the red, frozen patch on my stomach. Looking at me like I was a complete idiot, this guy asked me, "What did you DO to your belly button?!" I said, "Ice," and he kind of rolled his eyes with that, stupid-little-girl look to him. I was feeling really stupid at this point. He went on to explain, "You know how in the winter time, when your fingers get really cold and then it hurts even worse when you smack them on something? Well it's a lot like that."

Wonderful. I wasn't really worried about it hurting more at this point, I was just feeling really embarrassed and clueless. I was offered my choice of jewelry, a curved barbell or a CBR. I expected them to tell me which would be easier to clean, which would be better for healing, anything like that, but I was left in the dark. I chose a barbell, because I liked the look of them better and figured they would be less likely to catch on clothing. I had also read that barbells were better for healing. I would like to thank BME for helping me make this choice, since my piercing studio did not.

Eventually I made it back to the little room with my piercer, Chris, and my friend, Amanda, who wanted to watch. (Chris said I could bring one person in with me, since the room was small.) I don't remember much about being back there. It's been two years ago, and I was in a very nervous, shaky state, as I do before I get any piercing, even my ears.

I held my shirt up while Chris marked my belly button with a toothpick and violet. I had read a lot of experiences on BME and expected him to ask me how I liked the placement of the dots. He did not. He seemed satisfied with the marks and told me to get up on the table. As I turned around, I glanced at them in the full-length mirror, but didn't have much opportunity to inspect the dots.

I remember being told to lie down on the bed-like table (like the ones in doctors' offices with the crinkly paper on them, minus the paper). He was getting things out of a cabinet on the opposite wall, all the while explaining the aftercare procedures to me. I don't recall being shown the needle or jewelry before I was pierced, and I didn't know to look for an autoclave. I cringe, looking back, and I know I should have researched much more before going to get pierced, instead of just looking at the pretty pictures.

Chris told me to pull up my shirt and tuck it into my bra so it would be out of the way. Then I had to take off my belt and put my feet up on the table with my knees bent. He clamped my belly button, which I don't remember hurting at all. He told me to breathe in and out twice, and on the last exhale, he would pierce it. In, out, in, out, poke.

Honest to God, I am terrified of needles for medical reasons. I thought I was going to hyperventilate waiting to get my shots for school. I almost passed out after getting blood drawn for tests. Needles make me cringe up into a little ball in a way that no threats of torture ever could. This did not hurt.

The needle going through my skin felt exactly like when I get a shot, in a non-terrifying kind of way. I felt the poke, but it wasn't painful at all. After the poke I felt on entry, I didn't feel it going though or exiting. No pain. I was thrilled.

My friend Amanda was amazed that I didn't even flinch at the needle. As Chris put the barbell in, I felt a sharp pinch for about a second, and made a face. That was it. It was done. Chris explained the aftercare to me again. No swimming for 6 weeks (I had just gotten a new in-ground pool, great.), wash with Provin soap twice a day and soak in Saline solution (the kind you soak contacts in) once a day for ten minutes.

My new piercing was not covered with anything. I adjusted my clothing and went out to show my mom and other friend. We paid, I believe it was $45 for the piercing and jewelry and $5 for a bottle of Provin soap. I was given a pamphlet about my aftercare that reminded me what to do and what not to do and for how long. We started to leave, and Chris walked back to the back of the shop. My mom turned to me and asked, "Are you supposed to tip for a piercing?" I had seen a Please Tip Your Piercer sign back in the tiny room, and told her so. She handed me a $5 to give to Chris. I didn't want to chase after him, so I handed it to another guy who was still out front and asked him to give it to Chris.

We left and did a little shopping after that. I wanted to look at my new tummy-adornment in any mirror I passed. It stung a bit every now and then, but other than that, didn't give me any major trouble. It was too tender to sleep on the first night, so I slept on my side. After a couple of days I had no problem sleeping on it. The first time I cleaned my navel with Provin, the soap stung when it was rotated into the piercing. This stung less and less each time I cleaned it, though. I cleaned and soaked it religiously for the first couple of weeks, especially after going swimming in the pool (I wasn't about to pass that up. The water was always very clean, though, and I cleaned my piercing after swimming.)

The only time I have had any trouble with my piercing was when I got a bit lazy about cleaning it a few weeks into the summer. I was washing it with Provin about once a day in the shower and had given up soaking it. I noticed the holes had become red and sore and a lump had developed inside my navel next to the lower hole. I had a lot of crusties and pusy discharge when I cleaned it. I found when I squeezed the lump that it was a pus pocket, which emptied through the piercing alongside the barbell when I squeezed it. Gross, I know, but I want you to know that you HAVE to keep up with your aftercare procedure if you want a healthy piercing. I returned to the suggested cleaning schedule and the infection cleared up in a couple of days.

I have since discovered that the bottom hole of my piercing is not centered. It is placed more to the left than the top hole. This seems to cause my curved barbells to lay to the left, but I can turn them back around and they don't look crooked, so really it is only noticeable to me. This is still a little irritating, though.

Also, I cannot wear top-drop belly rings. The weight of the decoration hanging from the top hole causes it to become red and irritated, as it pulls the barbell forward. This could be due to the piercing being a little on the shallow side. I have a standard length barbell in right now and I can see about half of the barbell, as well as the balls on the ends.

If nothing else, you should remember a couple of important things from my story. The first is to check out the place you are going to get pierced. Make sure the people are friendly! If you don't feel comfortable there, why would you let one of them put a needle through you? I have recently decided to get my nipples pierced (I will add that experience when it happens) and called several different studios asking about prices, camera policy, and jewelry types. I narrowed my search while doing this by noting the friendliness and helpfulness of the people I speak to. I decided not to go back to A1, as I felt belittled and was not impressed that my piercing was left uncovered and I was not asked to approve the placement. I opted not to go to another studio due simply to the fact that the person I spoke to on the phone was rude and sounded like a large scary biker. He acted like it was an incredible inconvenience to answer a few simple questions. Not someone I want piercing me.

Also, I'm sure most experiences on here say this, but if you are simply worried about pain, you really just have to go for it. Everyone has different reactions to pain and different thresholds. If this piercing is something you want, the two seconds of pain will be well worth it. I am glad I went through with it, because it has led me to bigger and better things. Good luck!