9 years ago I walked in to a piercing shop with every intention of getting a PA, but chickened out. I ended up getting my tongue pierced instead... I've been kicking myself for that decision ever since.
At A Glance Author Splat Contact Splat@bme.anon When N/A Artist Somerset Studio The Piercing Experience Location Atlanta, GA (Little 5) Yesterday morning, 6:00am woke up with no particular plans for the day. Came to work just like any other day.
9:00am Things were kinda slow so I started browsing the net and came across this website (http://www.bmezine.com). I started reading all of the postings others had written about their experiences with the PA. I found that of all the postings I read, I didn't actually come across a really bad experience. Sure there's the occasional person that used a sewing needle to do it themselves, but in that regard, you're really getting what you ask for. Overall I don't think anyone who got one, whether it was preformed by a professional or at home, actually regretted doing it. My mind started racing.
12:00pm Lunch time. Off to the local tattoo/piercing shop. I spoke to the piercing guy and asked how the process worked. He showed me the needle and receiving tube he would use to perform the piercing. He claimed to have done many PA's in the past. He said he would use a 14 gauge needle and steel hoop for the piercing. He said he would insert a steel receiving tube into the urethra, pierce from the outside and feed the needle into the tube. Something didn't sound quite right about this. This tube was really tiny. I would have a hard time getting a needle in the end of it if I could see them both well, much less inside my urethra. I don't really want the inside of my urethra butchered, so I decided to go with another shop.
2:00pm I called 'The Piercing Experience' in 'Little 5 Points' and talked to Somerset about the piercing. She was really helpful. She said the piercing was really no big deal and informed me they were open until 9:00pm.
5:00pm Off work and running to the bank. Got out the cash to pay for the piercing and started the 50 mile trek to Little 5. With Atlanta traffic I finally arrived about 7:15pm.
7:30pm Started talking to Somerset at 'The Piercing Experience' about the piercing. There were several people in front of me, so I had to wait my turn. A few minutes later Somerset called me back to a piercing room so she could check out the equipment and make sure I was a good candidate for this piercing. Things looked good. She suggested I go with a 6 gauge to start. My jaw hit the floor. 6 gauge? That's huge! She explained that the larger the gauge piercing, the faster healing time would be. Not to mention the risk of ripping skin in the future with a small hoop like a 14 gauge.
She pulled a nice curved titanium barbell out of the display case and said this is the one she recommends. It was nice and light weight. That one would do just fine! I picked the color I wanted it anodized to and she took it back to be colored and sterilized.
9:00pm The time has arrived. It was my turn next. Somerset walked out with the sterile kit she would use to do my piercing. She asked 'Ya ready?'. Sweat started to bead on my forehead. I responded 'As ready as I'm gonna be'. We went to the piercing room. She asked if it was okay if one of their new apprentices watched the piercing. 'No problem'. I removed my pants and got on the table. I asked if I could watch, so she tilted the head of the table up a little so I could set up. She began scrubbing her hands and putting on gloves. I pulled my underwear to my knees and she began to scrub and sterilize the area for the piercing. She marked where she wanted it to come out, then began to insert a rather large plastic tube into my urethra. It was kinda uncomfortable, but really wasn't all that bad. Then out came the needle. A 6 gauge needle. This thing was huge! I've never seen a needle THAT big! My heart really started thumping. She explained that she would be going from the insid e, out, piercing away from the body so she wouldn't do any damage other than the hole the needle made. She said when I was ready, take a deep breath and let it out. I didn't even hesitate for a second. I just sucked it in really hard, tightened all the muscles in my upper body and began exhaling. A quick whine followed by a growl from me and it was over. The needle was in. I relaxed while she put the curved barbell in. A few seconds later we were all admiring her handiwork. It had bled a total of one single drop. She wrapped me in a little gauze, covered me with a sterile glove and sent me on my way.
11:00pm Got home and had to pee!!! Talk about being scared! I think I stood there for 10 minutes before I would allow myself to let a little seep out. I expected a steady stream of fire to come from by penis, but it never did. There was a very slight burning sensation but that passed as soon as I got a good stream going. No painful urination problems at all. One problem I did have was the little ball acting like a thumb on the end of a water hose. I pissed everywhere! I hit the wall, the entire toilet, top to bottom, pissed on myself, the floor, the window, everywhere! It didn't matter where I pointed it, it went where it wanted to go and that was final! Urination is going to be performed while sitting for a while.
Overall the experience went really well. I slept with a condom on last night. Good thing too, cause I ended up bleeding a little overnight. Nothing too serious though, just a few drops, but enough to ruin the sheets if it got on them. Today has gone great other than bumping it a few times. I've been wearing a condom to keep things clean and catch any blood that might seep out, which has been minimal.
Cost: $50 piercing + $44 barbell + $20 tip = $114 Total
I should have done this years ago!!