Where to start? At the beginning, I suppose.
At A Glance Author BuddhiBoy Contact BuddhiBoy@bme.anon Artist Hank Bangcock Studio Swank/Chicago Tattoo Co. Location Chicago, IL First of all, allow me to introduce myself: I'm a regular guy, low-key, long hair but not someone you'd peg as a person with extraneous holes in his body -- alternative of mind but not in appearance. (There seem to be a lot of us in BME-land -- is it that there are tons of us out there in the world, or just that we feel the need to tell our story more than most? Is there some secret sign we can come up with so we can recognize each other?)
Before I pierced my nipple three years ago, the thought of putting metal in my body never would have crossed my mind -- or if it had, it would have repulsed me. But my girlfriend at the time was one of the most sexual beings I've known -- a daughter of missionaries turned stripper, etc... She had been talking about her getting a clit ring for a while, so I decided to give her one for her birthday -- "the gift that keeps on giving," we called it. As long as we were there, I decided to get my nipple done as well. And that, as they say, was the beginning of the end...
Two and a half years later she was overseas doing relief work in Africa, and I decided to give myself a gift -- something that was functional as well as aesthetic. Most genital piercings seemed way too extreme (and permanent) to me, but as soon as I saw the guiche I knew it was the one for me. My perineum is one of my most sensitive spots, and I love it when it is touched lightly by a tongue or anything else. So the idea of having something to add to that feeling, and attract attention to that often-overlooked part of my anatomy, sounded perfect.
It took me a while to screw up my courage. I gathered info, read stories, visited parlors, got recommendations for piercers. I talked with my boss about doing it together. But when his boyfriend vetoed him getting one, I decided to just go ahead and do it on my own. So one evening I left home, hopped in the car, and zipped up to Swank on Belmont. Hank was recommended by an acquaintance of mine who'd had her belly and nipples done by him, and since any other piercees in my life are closeted and I'm not plugged into the alternative scene here, I decided to take her at her word.
Despite the usual ton of piercings, plugs, and other foreign objects in his face (including a brow barbell that makes him look slightly crosseyed) and a habit of describing guiches as "Aaawesome!" (accompanied by a "hang-ten" kind of hand gesture), I felt very at ease with Hank. The parlor was clean and well-lit, Hank and other staff were professional and very patient, and their sterilization and other procedures were up to snuff.
I picked out a ring (a 12g, 5/8" CBR with an indigo blue glass bead) and after I undressed he had me lay on their examining/piercing table with my feet in stirrups. (So that's how women feel at the gynecologist!) I've long since gotten over my modesty hangups and Hank was very clinical in his demeanor, so I didn't feel at all weird. After some negotiation, we worked out where to place the hole. On Hank's recommendation we put it roughly over where he said the prostate is -- slightly forward of my most sensitive spot, which I'd identified before leaving home. It turned out perfect, because when I'm on my back the ring hangs down right onto my spot.
After prepping the materials, Hank clamped the site, told me to take a deep breath... and another... and an--YOW! At first the pain wasn't too bad, but when he was putting in the ring it seemed to catch on something inside the pierce (unexpectedly, from his expression), and when he pushed it through I went through the roof and I swear my vision went white for a moment. Once that was done, though, the bead went on easily, I drank some cold water and let my stomach settle, and admired my new ring in the mirror. Beautiful.
I was on a high after that, and the hardest part of the whole thing was not telling the entire world afterward. But I was determined that it would be my little secret, especially from my girlfriend -- she was planning to come visit me on her R&R in a couple of months, and I specifically timed the piercing so it would be relatively healed and ready for action by that time. In the end I broke down and told my piercing friend, who thought it was very cool, but didn't show anyone until... well...
..shortly after that, my girlfriend and I broke up. She never got to see my little surprise for her, and the loss is hers -- in fact, her reaction when I told her (twisting the knife a bit) was "why did you go and do that?" The first person to see the guiche was the woman I'm now in love with. Unfortunately, she's Mexican and has some hangups about oral sex, but she's very passionate and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before we get over that little hurdle.
In any case, I'm now four months down the line. I'm quite happy with it but impatient for it to be totally healed. For the first 2-3 weeks or so I walked like a cowboy. After that the extreme soreness basically went away, although I'm still a little too sensitive to do hard playing with it. I had to give up boxers and still haven't felt like it's ready for me to stop wearing briefs. I still have to be careful if I cross my legs when I'm sitting, and when the ring spins around and presses against the side of the pierce it can get quite sore until I move it.
One complication I'll have to deal with: I'm a cyclist and although I planned the piercing so I'd have the whole winter to recuperate, I'm not sure I'll be up to riding in the next couple of months -- and even then, I don't think a big ol' bead right at my point of contact with my saddle will be very comfy.
To solve both of these problems, I'm thinking of switching to some sort of segment ring or other ball-less ring, hopefully one that's flush enough that it can spin completely around without irritating the pierce. I change to a barbell but I don't want to lose the dangling effect. (If anyone has experience with these or other ideas, please let me know!) I'm hoping a split saddle will help a little with the riding. But if I have to, I'll give up the piercing before I give up riding -- I'm just hoping it won't come to that.
Still, it's a trip knowing that it's there -- a constant reminder of that part of my body and of my little secret.
That's about it! In summary: it's lots of fun, takes a long time to heal, and is not for people who can't part with their boxers. Any questions? Feel free to write me.