Two years ago, I got into a mental state where the only way I could alleviate my pent-up mood was to engage in a few piercings, temporary or otherwise.
At A Glance Author addicted to steel Contact addicted to steel@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist self Studio home Location australia We won't go into my masochistic tendencies or why I was in the mental state I was in, here.
I will say that alcohol was involved and that, of course, I do not condone my behavior.
In any case, among my many explorations was the desire for a horizontal pubic at the very base of my penis-shaft right where it intersects with my abdomen.
There is just something aesthetically right, I find, about horizontal genital piercings in males, epecially when coupled with repetition or multiples. (I have an ampallang and a frenum all with simple barbells)
Being fairly well read in the world of piercing, thanks largely to this site and some medical ones, I am aware that for some people, subject to their anatomy, horizontal pubic piercings can reject easily. (I am a fairly skinny individual and there is not much of a fold of skin anywhere to really get a hold of so any surface piercing is truly that - a surface piercing)
Nonetheless, I was adament that I would attempt it even though I only had a straight barbell to insert. I would fit a more appropriate surface bar as soon as possible.
I prodded, pinched and probed and decided on a location. I then performed a fairly uneventful piercing with a large (almost a sailmakers) needle that I had sharpened on a whet stone to a much keener than stock edge. I had sterilised it by boiling in salt water for several minutes.. I guess the thing was about 14 gauge but the barbell of 12 gauge went in easily enough. A fair deal of pressure was involved and I wouldn't have minded owning a thimble but it really was altogether bearable, all-round. Of course I have now stocked up with some approved piercing needles in case there is a next time scenario...(be prepared and all that)
Anyway, without much ado, I had achieved a nice even horizontal pubic of about 7/8 inch width at 12 gauge. (I will point out that I have performed three other successful self-piercings and several temporary ones on myself before).
So..The piercing looked great. I was thrilled... but I was aware that I needed to get that surface bar or ptfe style soft-bar in very shortly to avoid rejection. After a week or so of decidedly off-line existence, the search for appropriate replacements was proving difficult and the straight bar (an old ampallang of mine..since stretched) was holding up well with no signs of migration whatsoever.
Great.
Then about a week after that, I discovered a weird hard vein-like thing down the shaft of my penis..almost gritty, calcified. It seemed to eminate from underneath the otherwise fantastic pubic. I reasoned that pressure on a vein had caused some kind of clot or blockage.
Firstly, I pulled out the bar.. "Bod before Mod, right?".
Feeling where it had been, I became quite aware that there were a fair few veins near the surface where I had placed it..
A couple of days later the hardening hadn't disappeared and I was a little scared. However, by this stage, I had done a lot of research and found that the "vein" in question was probably actually part of the lymphatic system.
The hardening I believe I had is refered to as "lymphangiosclerosis" and is sometimes brought on by excessive masturbation or rough sexual activity.."Be gentle. Be patient. It will probably soften in a couple of weeks". That was the jist of the treatment, as far as I could gather. I figured it wasn't getting worse. It didn't hurt. It wasn't infected. If nothing changed for the worse I could still leave it alone and wait it out, offending obstruction removed, as it was.
Indeed, it did all soften back to normal in the estimated time frame. I'd like to point out that I had been somewhat reassured by a net-doctor and would not have hesitated to consult a sympathetic GP, had the condition persisted or worsened. It was a worthwhile scare and reminder, all-up.
So, now, my ol'fellah is happy and I am, once again, reconsidering the placement of the pubic. That old itch just needs to be scratched, I guess. This time I will start from the outset with a ptfe surface bar installed by a professional.
I wanted to include this self piercing experience to act as a reminder to body modifiers, one and all, from mild to wild, that you owe it to your body to be aware of its systems and functionality.
Whilst one should only use the services of a qualified competent piercer (as is re-iterated so many times throughout this site), inevitably, the occasional curious modifier wanders toward self exploration, auto-erotic behaviour or whatever curious magnetism it is that draws one to embark on a self-done modification...I'd say here: "Don't do it". Pragmatically, it happens.
So having said that. Get to know the body parts you intend to customise, intimately, and learn how these areas of anatomy, in turn, effect and relate to other systems of the body.
We don't try to customise the jetting of a carburettor on our car without knowing how a carburettor works or what it does..So don't perform a modification without knowing the territory.
Finally, researching one's own anatomy is a good safeguard against poor or inappropriate practise whoever the practitioner, professional or otherwise.
Whilst a professional piercer is, in effect, taking a certain responsibility for your safety, only you can know your body with the intimacy of actually occupying it.
The more safety you can afford oneself, the better right?
Proceed with caution. Happy modifying.