I have been thinking about getting a piercing for about seven years now. For many reasons I did not do it, but I was very intrigued about it. The first reason I didn't get a piercing was when I was married, my wife told me to never get my ear pierced, second I worked for a large company where it wasn't very acceptable to have any male piercing, and last, I am in a wheelchair. I was not sure it would be the best thing for me to do. I was worried about infection and I worried about what other people might think. I know I should not worry about what others think but I am working on that issue. Anyways, February 15, 2002 I received my first piercing and wanted to share it with everyone.
At A Glance Author Wheels Contact Wheels@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Paul Studio Inkvision Location Boise, Idaho Over the years, I used the Internet for most of my research on piercing. I found websites like BME very helpful. The stories and experiences helped me a lot. For every bad experience, I found a lot more good experiences. I started asking some female friends about there piercing and where they got them done. I would open the yellow pages and call the tattoo shops about being pierced. Most people told me that males got their ears, tongue or nipple pierced first. I knew a tongue piercing was not what I wanted. An ear piercing has always intrigued me but you need to keep it in for at least six weeks before you can leave it out for any length of time. Therefore, I was down to my nipples. I really like the way they looked pierced but I still had nurses and doctors to contend with. If anything, I could always have the piercing taken out if I did not like it.
I went out on the town on a Wednesday night when I meet a young lady who had both her nipples pierced. I talked to her about them and she suggested I get mine done. She told me they look sexy on a man. I thought about her pierced nipples and what would it look on me. I asked her if she would accompany me when I get my nipple pierced. She told me to call her when I was ready. Two days later, I decided to face the situation, called Inkvision Tattoo, and talked to Paul about getting my nipple pierced. Paul was very helpful on the phone. I explained to him I was in a wheelchair and that he would have to pierce me in my wheelchair. He said that would not be a problem. He also told me it would not take very long and he was open until 7:00 PM. It was about 5:00 PM, I was on my way to a hockey game that night, and it started at 7:00 PM. I felt I had enough time to get my nipple pierced and still make it to the game on time. I tried to call my friend to accompany me but could not loc ate her. I decided to go down anyways and check out the shop.
I entered Inkvision around 6:00 PM. I was very nervous and kept second-guessing myself. I was happy to see there was only one other customer inside at the time, as I wanted to be alone. Paul meet me at the front counter and introduced himself. He started discussing everything to me in detail. He showed me a 14-gauge ring he would use. He went over all the aftercare procedures. I think I asked Paul a million questions. I could not tell if I was talking myself into do this or out of it. I decided it was now or never. I asked Paul if he could do everything within a half a hour and if so, lets go for it. I signed the paperwork and paid him. He told me I did not have to pay him until after everything was done. I figured if I paid him up front, less chance I would back out of it. I then went in the back room where I found everything to be very clean. I took off my shirt as I watched him prepare everything. He made his mark on my left nipple then cleaned it thoroughly. He applied t he clamp to my nipple. He asked me if I was ready. I told him I was not a big fan of needles so I was going to look away. He asked me to take three big breaths and let them out slowly. On the third breath, I felt a slight pressure as the needle went through. He had me take another breath as he put the ring through. Before I knew it, he asked how it felt to be pierced. I looked down to see my first piercing. I thought it looked awesome as he cleaned it up. I had only a little blood. Paul handed me the aftercare procedures and some sea salt. He told me to call him anytime if I had any questions. I put my shirt on then headed out of the shop. Everything went even faster then I ever imagined.
I made it to the hockey game with time to spare. The whole night I could feel a buzz in my nipple. I found myself wanting to touch the piercing through my shirt. Every time a friend came by, I wanted to tell them about it or wondered if they could see it. Since I wear only polo shirts, it is hard to see it through the material. When I got home that night, I went to clean my piercing. I put the cup of warm salt water to my nipple. I let it soak for about five minutes. I used Q-tips to clean around the holes. I got nervous when I could not get the ring to rotate in the nipple. I decided to wait until the next morning to see if everything would be ok. First, I had to pass the test of someone else seeing it for the first time. I was very surprised that my nurse did not say anything. During my shower, I slowly ran warm water over my nipple. I was able to rotate the ring. After my shower, I soaked it again in salt water. I found that taking Ibuprofen in the early stages is a big h elp. It kept the swelling down. What I forgot was I had a ski lesson the day after my piercing. I wear ski bibs with suspenders. The suspenders went right over my nipples. I added some padding under the suspenders to protect my piercing. When I got home from skiing, I looked over my piercing and it looked fine. I called Paul at the shop about the ring not rotating the first night. He said that was natural and I was doing the right thing.
Two months has passed by and everything is going great. I had Paul change my original 14 gauge CBR to a Teal colored CBR. When it is healed, Paul is going to enlarge it to a 12 gauge and use a circular barbell. I am also going to get my right nipple done at that time. I had a change in nurses two weeks ago. They both asked about my piercing and if it hurt. They were surprised when I said no. I told them the hardest part for me is staying away from it as it heals. I cannot wait to play with it.
If you are ever in Boise Idaho and want to get a body piercing, I highly suggest you call Inkvision Tattoo and talk to Paul. You can also email him through there website. As most people will tell you that has gotten there nipples pierced, it is worth it. My only regret was I waited too many years. As for the rest of you that is thinking about getting it done, it is never too late to start. If you have any questions for me, feel free to email me.