Alright, it's time to write about my nipple piercings. I'm fairly certain no one is really interested in what other piercings I have, so I won't get into that other than to say that these were my 8th and 9th.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Phish Studio Freaks on Noland Location Independence, Missouri Normally I put a lot of thought into a piercing before I get it. I'll get the idea and sort of sleep on it for a long time, see if I still want it after a month or so. This wasn't like that. I was thinking of possible piercings to get next, went through a list of things I was interested in, and chose nipples based mostly on the fact that no one else would have to know about them. This was for family and work reasons. I set a date with a friend for that weekend and made the trip into the city to get pierced.
I chose the studio after calling around several places asking about jewelry type and prices, etc. I also wanted to know if I would be allowed to take pictures or possibly video tape the procedure. At the first place I called (I'll be nice and not name names, let other people decide for themselves), the person that answered the phone was downright rude. He acted as though I was inconveniencing him terribly just by asking these questions and acted appalled when I said I wanted to take pictures. I was not about to let someone near me with a needle when they couldn't handle a simple telephone conversation. The second place I called was Freaks on Noland. I believe it was Jessie that answered the phone and was very friendly and helpful. This was a huge factor in my decision to go there.
After deciding on the studio, nothing was left but the wait. I had decided that I wanted to get both nipples pierced, because while I don't necessarily always have to be symmetrical, this was something that I felt should be. I also chose to have them pierced diagonally, pointing down at my belly button like a V. I liked the way this looked better than the standard horizontal, and I wasn't interested in a vertical placement, so diagonal was the perfect choice.
After one long week, I met my friend to go get pierced. We walked up to the building and there was a guy leaning on the railing outside smoking. This was Phish. He saw us walking up and asked if he could help us with anything. My friend told him he wanted to get his tongue pierced and I told him what I wanted. We went inside and filled out the forms while we waited our turn. I talked to Phish while we signed the papers and he said he remembered me from when I called him back after speaking with Jessie. She had suggested I call back when Phish was there to make sure it was alright with him if I videotape the piercing. He seemed excited about being videotaped, so we went in and started with my friend. I taped him getting his tongue pierced freehand, as Phish said he did all his piercing. I didn't know if this meant it would hurt more or if it would make any difference.
When my friend was done we went back out into the lobby to wait while the sanitizer dried on the piercing table. I was surprisingly calm considering how nervous and shaky I usually get even before getting my ears pierced. When it was time to go back in, my friend held the camcorder and I sat on the table waiting while Phish got everything out. He had me hold up my shirt to look at my nipples first to see what size barbell he would need. He had me take off my shirt and used a swab to clean both nipples. He laughed and said something about the cold cleaning substance always making the nipples stand out. He marked each nipple after I told him I wanted them done diagonally and had me check them in the mirror. He asked where I got the idea for the diagonal placement, and I told him BME, of course!
After moving the dots once I was happy and he asked me which side I wanted done first. I decided the right side, and hopped back up on the table. He had me lay down and changed his gloves while he got the needle and barbell out of their package. I was surprised at how calm I still was. He held the ½ inch 14g barbells up to my nipples to make sure once again that they were the right size. Satisfied, he asked if I was ready and held the needle up to my right nipple. He had me breathe in and then out and on the exhale pushed the needle through freehand. Holy shit did that hurt. It was like an intense sharp pain combined with really heavy pressure. When he was halfway through he stopped and I thought it was over but he was just moving his fingers out of the way on the other side, and then the pain started again. It lasted about three seconds total though. I squeezed my eyes shut tight and tried to keep breathing. When the needle was through, he looked at my face and said, "Little tiny pinch, huh?" "Ha! Yea, just a little."
I liked that he was cracking jokes the whole time because I could laugh and relax. He lined the jewelry up with the end of the needle and slid it through, finishing by screwing the ball on the end. This didn't hurt at all. He moved around to the other side of the table and pinched the left nipple a bit to get it to stand up since it had settled down and gone flat. "It's like, aw fuck that!" he said, "The other one told me what this feels like, fuck that!" He asked if I was ready to do it and started the process again.
"First nice deep breath in and let it out nice and slow. One more deep breath in...and let it out." He pushed the needle through about halfway and paused to move his fingers out of the way. Some people say the second piercing hurts more. This one hurt exactly the same as the first one: Like a mother fucker. "You've got some tough nipples there, girl."
"Thanks." He finished the second nipple, sliding the barbell through and putting the ball on. There was a girl in the next room yelling, Ow ow! getting a tattoo done. I wanted to tell her that she had no idea what pain was. I think I have a pretty high threshold for pain, and this hurt like a son of a bitch. But it was all over in a couple of seconds, and well worth it. Phish told me to lay there as long as I needed and let my heart rate come back down, and that he knew how it felt since he had his pierced as well. Once I sat up he told me not to stand up right away, so I sat for a second and got up to put my shirt and bra back on once I was ready. Then we paid and tipped him and were on our way.
Ladies, sports bras will be your best friend after this piercing. I wore a regular bra on the way home from getting pierced and I felt every bump in the road which was not fun. I started watching a movie once we got back to my friend's house and I was still really uncomfortable just sitting there. I decided to try the sports bra and as soon as I put it on I immediately felt so much better. I couldn't feel the piercings at all. I even slept on my stomach that night without any problems. I wore sports bras for several weeks after getting the piercings until I felt ok in a regular bra.
Aftercare was pretty simple. I was supposed to do salt soaks about once a day and clean the piercings with a saline solution twice a day. I don't remember exactly how long they took to heal, but they felt healed enough to stop wearing sports bras after probably a month or so. They were pierced in February of 2006 and I waited until about October to change the jewelry. I had to take them out once and replace them with acrylic retainers for a surgery, but it was always really tender inside the piercing when I was changing jewelry, so I didn't do it unless I had to. They were still tender while changing in October. I started tanning and decided to take them out while I was in the bed, and removing them on a regular basis seemed to actually help them toughen up a bit. Doesn't make much sense to me, but they aren't tender when I'm changing jewelry anymore, so something did the trick.
I didn't have the most sensitive nipples to begin with, and except for the first couple of weeks, the piercings haven't really done much to improve the sensitivity. I do love the way they look though, and it adds something a little different for guys to play with. They feel great, they look great, and I would recommend this piercing to anyone who is interested. Yea, its going to hurt, but a few seconds of pain is worth it to have such a fun little secret. Happy piercing!