first in malta

At A Glance Author stoner7 Contact smic017@um.edu.mt Artist Bobby Studio Bobby's Tattoo Location Bugibba, Malta

Two years ago, I got a reverse prince albert from Milissa at Skin Art in Gastonia, North Carolina. The procedure was complicated as the reception tube fell out and, as a result, quite painful. I stretched it to a 8g too early so that it never fully healed. I took it out a few months later as it was bothering me immensely at my camp counselor job, always getting hit and making it impossible for me to sleep on my stomach. A few months later, I greatly began to regret this decision and began thinking of acquiring a new piercing, either the ampallung or the apadravya. I would later choose the apadravya because of its faster healing time (after all, I live on an island paradise and love to swim!).

For nearly a year and a half I carefully considered these options in my spare time, but never had them performed as prices were very steep and i was still a bit wary (even after nearly two years) of that woeful night when the reverse PA went awry. Finally, I had my opportunity when I arrived in Malta for a semester abroad.

After two days here, I had my eyebrow and lip done by Bobby at which time he informed me that genital piercing would incurr no extra charge from him. This unsollicited statement awoke my interest for the apadrvya piercing and I began to seriously consider it over the next four weeks. His studio was, after all, remarkably clean and covered with marble tile. Also, his willingness to pierce gentials at no extra cost was very exciting as price had held me back, as had college athletics, which were not present in Malta.

Anyway, I was in Egypt two weeks ago on a self-inflicted vacation and I discoverd that I could purchase prescription drugs without a prescription and, as a result, bought some tremadol to cover my bases.

The day I returned from Egypt I popped four of them on my way to Bugibba by bus. I arrived at Bobby's shop and informed him of my intentions. He began the preparations, drawing the blinds and cutting the barbell from stock according to the dimensions I gave him, which I arrived at by tracing my erect self on paper and measuring the distance between the lines. He added a bit of length just to make sure and then sterillized the barbell in his autoclave.

In the meantime, Bobby informed me that he had never performed this piercing and, indeed, that no one on the island had one to his knowledge. He therefore consulted a manual that he had and I knew a bit from photos that I had seen and experiences that I had read, and piercers that I had spoken with. We therefore decided that it would be best to begin from the bottom as to miss the large vein and try and hit the scar from the reverse PA that is still on top (resembling a crater on the moon, if I might add!). This seemed like a good plan and Bobby marked the entry and prospective exit points with a marker and proceeded to add a mild external anaesthetic on the inside of the urethra and outside twice. While I consider myself no wuss, tolerating a botched reverse PA that took ten minutes of searching for the reception tube with the needle (as it fell out with the inital push), I am certianly not a glutton for intense penile pain and covered my bases with both the spray and the pain killers.

Soon, the barbell was through with the sterillization process and we were ready to begin. He began by clamping and asking me if he was pinching too hard. Whether it was the drugs or adrenaline, I still don't know, but I did not feel the clamps at all, even though I watched as he constricted them tightly. He then told me to lay back and I put my arms on the handles of the chair. I told him that I didn't want to be bothered with the three breath crap, but that he should merely tell me when he was going to begin. He did and the needle was through within three seconds. The pain was not even comparable to the botched RPA and lasted only a second. I looked down, relieved to be through and actually laughed at what was not very painful at all (I must say that the pain killers were really not that strong as I still possessed all of my motor skills. The piercing is actually less painful than the RPA in my opinion because it is a straight thrust as opposed to a motion that requires a bit of fanagling).

The needle had actually come out a bit behind the scar and closer to the ridge than we anticipated, but Bobby explained that he did not want to take a lot of time with the piercing and the most important thing anyway was that it passed through the urethra, which it did.

The needles used by Bobby have, in contrast to any I have observed in the States, a plastic tubing that the needle can slide in and out of. He therefore slid the needle out of the tubing and cut it off above the needle. He then slid the barbell through the tube, as it was the same size as the needle, and pulled the tube out, leaving the barbell in. This procedure actually hurt a bit, but was very convenient and still not as bad as I had anticipated.

The bleeding was not very bad, though more came through the top than the bottom, surprisingly. After a minute or so, I got up and went to pee as I had been holding it for three hours already. I think it is best to go right afterwards as it immediately flushes out some of the blood and, as the endorphins are high, makes the process painless. Bobby actually recommended that I sit, but as I said, peeing was painless (I advise not going for a few hours beforehand in order to go soon after. Many insist on going right before, nervously, but this is a bad idea as they usually have to wiat four hours afterward and find that it stings). He wrapped me up with some light gauze and I was on my way home, paying only around $37.

Walking was a bit sensitive, but not too bad and, as soon as I arrived home, I washed it in the shower and cleaned it further by peeing in a short cup and soaking it in the urine. That is, in fact, the way that I still clean it twice a day, rubbing off the crusties with a urine-soaked q-tip before soaking and running urine through the piercing. That night, I was not, in fact, awakened by a bloody erection, but did not even get one and, as a result, had to get up a few times to pee. The next day I experienced one while napping and, of course, it stung a bit. Sleeping with a towel wrapped around me for three nights proved wise as it did bleed a bit at night, but was done after three or so days.

The piercing was not very sensitive at all and I was biking again two days later, though I did pull up a bit on the large Maltese potholes to avoid hard bouncing. The second erection posed no problem and, after the first night, I was sleeping normally. Now, more than a week later, I am still very satisfied. Bleeding stopped on day five completely and biking holds no difficulties at all. Have cleaned with urine twice a day and, every shower I take (sometimes everyday, sometimes not!), I clean the piericng with ProVon antibacterial lotion soap, the same stuff I use on my lip and eyebrow.

Will go back to Bobby in a week or so to report my progress and get the barbell shortened just a bit for added comfort (we left it longer in case of swelling). For his first, Bobby did great and if you're ever in Malta, come see him in Bugibba (He's one of only three tattoo places on the whole island).