The Apadravya heard 'round the world

At A Glance
Author	Babalon
Contact	babalon@grenlon.com
Artist	Chris Johnson
Studio	Obscurities
Location	Dallas, TX

BME came up first on the search engine. In fact, it came up several times, on several engine inquiries. I explored the links, and discovered a site that would educate and inspire me into real appreciation of body modification.I started with my realm of understanding, and it didn't take much reading to know that my tongue piercing had been performed badly, though the results were good. [Insert traditional piercer-advised-Listerine aftercare regimine here.] I scoured BME for any piercing topic that occured to me, and inadvertantly discovered many that hadn't. But it got me thinking. It got me curious. It made me want more.The photo sections on genital piercings drew me with the same sort of voyeur's fascination that makes people wonder what the body looks like during a closed-casket funeral. Twenty percent morbid, eighty percent pornographic. I started with a tragus piercing, to make sure that I was comfortable with my new interest in modification. I loved that ring from day one, and I delight in its simple elegance.I mentally composed and and sorted the piercings I was considering to add to my collection. When my roommate took me to Fine Line for his rook piercing (the gift he asked me to buy for his birthday), I decided it was as good a day as any to take my next step. After my roommate's successful procedure, I asked Wayne if he thought I had enough frenulum to support a tongue web piercing, and he thought not. Moving along my little list, I asked if he performed any work "below the belt." He did, but not the dydoe I wanted. Instead, thoughtful guy that he is, he directed us to Obscurities, across town.Enter Chris. I can't say enough to properly express my respect and appreciation for this man. Descartes couldn't, either, I suspect. Chris is everything you'd want in a professional piercer, and Obscurities is every bit as good a piercing studio as you can hope to find. I recommend that service without hesitation.Chris consulted with me, brought me back to his operating room, and asked me to drop trow so he could measure the ridge of my glans. Once again, Mother Nature hadn't seen fit to build me to convenient piercing specifications. Chris saw my disappointment, and suggested an Apadravya. Bless his heart.I knew what that was by name, and from the moment he mentioned it, I was sold. Not one of those rejection-prone surface piercings, not some "amateur-level" commonplace piercing -- an Apadravya. It doesn't get much more hardcore than that, folks, and since I started the day thinking I might get my tongue web poked, I was thrilled to over-exceed my expectations.While I filled out the necessary paperwork, Chris showed me my jewelery options. A 1.5" barbell would be used for the immediate healing stages, and then I would be able to resize as needed. I opted for a 10 gauge bar over the 8 gauga, mostly because that 8ga intimidated the HELL out of me. He put the autoclave to work, I sat down and enhanced my calm.My roommate was good enough to bear witness to the procedure; there was no way I was going to watch as the needle penetrated my penis. Chris explained everything he was doing as he made the final preperations, and his self-confidence helped me remain calm. His bedside manner is top-notch. First, as I'd requested, he tapered my tongue barbell to a new 10 gauge piece I'd selected. That went smoothly, and the uncomfortable sensation of pressure in my tongue was somehow reassuring. Then we got down to the real business at hand.I lay back on the reclined chair, fixed my gaze on the ceiling, and concentrated on filling my body with oxygen in controlled breaths. I could feel the clamps close to secure my urethra, Chris told me to take one deep breath and make a long exhale, and while I was following orders, he pushed.My exhale sounded something like this: "HaaaaaaaawWOOOOOOWWWWWwwch!!"It was an amazing sound to produce through clenched teeth, but my vocabulary fled me, and I felt obliged to say SOMETHING to mark the occasion. Yes, friends, that one hurt.My roommate told me that the maneuver only took about two seconds. During an endorphin rush, time dilates with hyperawareness. I could feel the needle enter my skin, and that wasn't too bad - no worse than the tragus had been. The urethra was a bit more intense, and I could feel as the needle passed through each wall. The last part, though, as the needle went through the deep spongy tissue, was astoundingly painful. All those nerves that guys generally enjoy to have stimulated were suddenly screaming in protest as this rude metal sliver burrowed through their home.Chris had told me that I would experience a "burning sensation." No. I've been burned, and that feels entirely different. This was unmistakably the feeling of a needle being shoved through my penis.The pain abated a little once he stopped pushing, returned as he pushed the barbell behind the needle, and affixed the end-balls. Finally, it stopped. I took a couple more deep breaths to recover my equilibrium. I sat up, looked at my new ornament, and was instantly satisfied that it had been worth the trauma. There was only a tiny spot of blood on the sterile paper that had been the operating area, and by the time Chris had wrapped the wounded soldier with a bit of gauze and secured a rubber glove with an elastic band, I was more distracted by the tongue's minor swelling than with my Ap.Healing was very straight-forward. I followed the sea-salt soak treatment that Chris and BME both endorse, twice a day. There was a good deal of blood when I first removed the wrappings, but there was almost no spotting in my shorts after that. I passed a little pink with my urine for two days. After three weeks, I took a measurement of how much barbell was exposed while erect, went back to Obscurities, and Chris swapped the 1.5" bar for one more comfortably sized. A quarter-inch makes a HUGE difference in comfort.I have nothing but delight with every aspect of my Apadravya experience. The resulting piercing is healthy and artistic, and I'm utterly pleased by my spontaneous decision. Even the exquisite pain involved made the results more worthwhile, and I've returned to Chris for my rook and helix industrial since then. That'll be another story to tell, eventually.Maybe.