So, my belly button piercing. My wonderful Navel jewelery. It took a lot of work to get done, more than it usually would take. I'd been wanting to get something else pierced, as by this point I had 2 in each lobe, and a helix. I figured, hell, even if it IS common and kind of trashy, I don't show off my belly anyways. Not a whole lot of people will HAVE to see it, and I'll be happy with the edition of more metal. I'm glad I did do it, cause now I love the little curved barbell. Even though getting it done was a hassle.
At A Glance Author Stephanie T. Contact Stephanie T.@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Maria Studio Sandra's Ink Location Nanaimo, BC, Canada I'd made an appointment to get it done with my regular piercer, Maria at Sandra's Ink, a few weeks before. A few days prior, I'd had a really bad stomach bug, and didn't eat very much for three days. Now, not eating + standing up + piercing? Who ELSE thinks this is a bad combination? Trust me, to this day, and three piercings later, I ALWAYS make sure to eat before. Although that hasn't always saved me from fainting, but that's a different story.
So I go in to get it done, a little lightheaded already cause getting pierced always freaks me out a bit, and wait quietly for her to finish setting up the room. Everything's pristinely clean like always, and the stuff is all set up and ready to go. Great. By now I'm really nervous, cause I as I said, I always get that needle anticipation effect. Heheheheh..... But anyways. I'd foolishly chosen that day to wear stiletto boots, which, in hindsight was wearing flat shoes I MIGHT have been able to get it done in one sitting. But we'll never know now.
So Maria had me stand up and rolled my shirt up under my bra. Standing was a little tricky for me, cause of the three day unintentional fast, and the teetery shoes. Usually I can stand on any kind of shoes with perfect ease and balance, but not when I'm dizzy as hell and seeing in pastels. I get a bit wobbly and she tells me to stand straight and still. The straighter I get, the woozier I nearly pass out, and she has me sit for a few minutes and drink some 5-Alive. Oh, that trusty 5-Alive.
I assure her that I'm okay and that I just needed something to drink, and I stand up again. She starts marking me, trying to be quick, and it goes downhill from there, literally. I get dizzy, and the room starts spinning. I grab on to the tool cart, and Maria tells me to relax and remember to breathe. I'd been holding my breathe, which didn't make the situation any better. I start seeing in pastels again, then in white, then in black, and the next thing I know it's WHOOSH hello floor! She said I was passed out for a good five minutes, and she was starting to get worried. I was so embarrassed. My mum (who'd signed my permission sheet, she's so understanding bout piercings) came in and said I hadn't eaten for three days, and Maria instantly told us to make an appointment for a later time.
So, I left embarrassed, sick, and with no new piercing. That sucked a lot, I was really disappointed. Maria still teases me about it to this day, nearly 3 years later. I always wear flat shoes now.
When I go back for my navel for the second time, I'd been eating, and I ate a good size, sugary meal an hour before the appointment, and I wore my flat trusty converse. We buy Maria a box of chocolates for her amazing kindness and understanding, and head back to Sandra's Ink.
This time it's no fuss and no hassle at all! I stand, she marks (which actually felt quite weird. I've never had a sensation like that before or since), and I lie down on the reclined piercing chair. She give me the usual aromatherapy cotton pad, with peppermint and lavender, and it calms me down a lot. The music on is Nine Inch Nails. She tells me to take a big breath, and then in goes the needle. Most painful piercing ever! It hurt even more than my nipple, which came a few years later. I actually flinched a bit, which resulted in it coming out a LITTLE TINY bit crooked, but nothing to complain about. It's hardly noticable.
She puts the jewelery in, during which I groan and moan in mock-agony, which she just laughs at. I'm such a loony.
After a few more quips about my little fainting ordeal, we give her her chocolates, a nice fat tip, and leave with a VERY happy me. Three years later, it's healed perfectly, and although I haven't changed the jewelery from the simple stainless steel curved barbell Maria pierced it with, I'm perfectly content with it. I like the simplicity.
I'd recommend this piercing to anyone, male or female. I find it really sexy on guys, actually. -wink- It'd be really good for a first-time piercee, because it's easy to heal up. With the proper sea-salt soak and witch hazel swabbing, of course. Witch hazel is a blessing for people with piercings. It's a natural antibiotic astringent, which doesn't sting, and it soothes and helps a piercing heal oh so wonderfully.