Two and a half years ago I got a second eyebrow ring and a labret spike. I'd gotten the initial eyebrow ring for aesthetic reasons, and at this point I thought my facial steel was just a nice, subtle accentuation. So I was done, right?Well, when I went and got both nipples and my lower lip pierced in L.A. last January, I realized it wasn't really just an aesthetic thing: I'd actually missed getting it done, and I'd been wanting more to play with. After these, I started lurking on rec.arts.bodyart and reading BME a lot.
And thinking about genital piercings...
Fast forward to March, in Austin TX. I was there for a few months working at minimum wage to save up for more traveling, and a friend in town decided she wanted a lip piercing. Spur of the moment, she got a medusa and that urge for a genital pierce just got way too strong...
So a few days later at a party I met Chris, who used to work in a couple of Dallas studios but now does his piercing freelance. I couldn't pass up the chance to ask him about the price of a frenum ladder and whether he had an autoclave. His price seemed good and he had a pressure cooker.
I had to think about it a bit in terms of trust and whether I wanted to spend the money at the time. I asked around on the always-useful rec.arts.bodyart for info on pressure cookers. Opinions were generally anti-, but folks conceded that they operate on primarily the same principles as 'claves. And the piercing FAQ, while touting autoclaves as the ideal, did mention pressure cookers without saying to avoid them at all costs. Plus, Chris' cooker had been spore tested recently, and if I left Austin without getting this done, who knows where I'd be able to afford more than one BB?
I told a few people I was getting it done, so I'd feel like I couldn't back out. Most folks thought I was maybe a little nuts, but since almost everyone I knew in austin had some kind of facial piercing(s), they were also pretty supportive, intrigued. I called Chris order my jewelry and spent the next week in an anticipatory endorphin high.
The big day: I showed up and showered, remaining pantless after drying up, of course. Chris curtained his glass door and I sat down on my towel on his bed. He probably should invest in a comfy piercing chair. Though our positions were probably more awkward for him than for me.
Mentally I'd gotten pretty comfortable with the idea of someone poking holes in my dick, since from my conversations with Chris I was convinced he had a professional demeanor and training. And I'd kept hearing that genital piercings are less painful than nipples, and my nips really hadn't been a big deal. Marking took quite a while, and Chris' hands were a bit shaky at first, but they noticeably steadied up during the process. Chris' cat was in the room while he marked, but Chris didn't touch him w/his gloves at all; I managed to keep the cat away from my crotch, and we chased him out after I was marked.
right. then the clamp.. a bit uncomfy. deep breath. one, two.. DAMN. more pain than I expected. But kind of a nice endorphin buzz. So, yeah, I said, let's just get these other 2 over with, no delay. And we did. And while the pain was certainly a few times more intense than with any of my other holes, I've got to say it didn't last nearly as long. When I got my nips done, I was conscious of them all night. But ten minutes after my frenum jewelry was in, I was walking around like any other day.
The first time I cleaned my ladder that night, it stung like hell. I was living out of my car, occasionally crashing at friends' houses and over the next week and 1/2 usually did my cleaning in coffee shop or gas station restaurants. During that time, I had pretty frequent periods of irritation while walking and usually had crusties every time I cleaned. In one gas station bathroom on the way to New Orleans, I had to wash quite a bit of dried blood off my penis, balls, and even my thighs, but a couple days after that I stopped having any crusties or discomfort. It's now been two weeks and I'm amazed at how well the healing seems to be going. I've been riding a bicycle all over New Orleans and I'm completely comfortable. And I think my dick looks great. I'm really thrilled and can't wait to try it out.
And, someday, get 3 or 4 more rungs..
-ysm.