I have a phobia of needles. They frighten me enough that I rarely even get a flu shot and loath my yearly TB test. However I love the look of body jewelry. So it was with much trepidation and excitement I decided to get a vertical clitoral hood piercing. This would be my first piercing.
At A Glance Author farie_faye Contact farie_faye@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Randy Studio Hollywood Rebel Location Columbia, Mo. Admittedly this was not all my idea. My husband has been gently encouraging me to get pierced since we got married. He is a medic, and has done all his own piercing and scarification. He offered to do the piercing himself, but I chickened out at the last minute.
I looked online hoping find something that would set me at ease, perhaps a written experience telling me it was quick and painless and that I nothing to fear. Instead the first article I found the young lady stated not only that it was the most painful experience of her life, but that the piercist followed by shoving the jewelry through the raw opening, which was nearly as painful. She went on to describe how the whole got infected and never properly healed. She could not even achieve an orgasm with it in place, and eventually pulled it out. Not wanting to read another such experience, I was done looking for reassurance. I decided that I just needed to go in and do it. Nothing was going to make it any easier.
I wanted professional. As a nursing student, I am aware of the importance of sanitation, and sterile procedure. I researched several shops and artists. I eventually settled on a local shop with a good reputation, and very sanitary appearance.
I was a little embarrassed to just walk in and ask for clitoral hood piercing but that was exactly what I did. The young man behind the desk was didn't even miss a beat, and said that it was simple a procedure. It turned out that this young man was the piercist in question. One of the first things I did was mention to Randy, which was the artist's name, my phobia. He assured me that it was very common, and that in fact he too was afraid of needles. He did his best to make me feel comfortable, sharing small talk and telling me about his experiences.
I filled out some forms attesting to the fact that I had no medical conditions that might interfere with healing time, or contagious blood borne viruses, and that I was not on any legal or illegal drugs.
After Randy had gotten his supplies together, he explained the procedure, asked to me take off my pants, and lay back on the table. The table was tilted in such a manner that I could not see what he was doing, that made it easier to not to be afraid. He wiped off my clitoris and hood with alcohol, which stung a little. He measured me for placement by holding a small melt tube to the underside of my hood. I was told marking would not be necessary because the shape of my hood. He kept the tube in place and I felt the tip of the needle press sharply against my skin. The discomfort brought out my fear and almost made me stop everything right then. Randy asked if I was ready and before I could answer he pushed the needle through.
The needle tip screwed on to the end of the barbell so that the jewelry and needle went through with one simple motion. When he pushed it through I called out and jumped. I believe that I reacted more from surprise then from pain. It did not hurt nearly as bad as I had expected it to. I would even go so far as to say that practicing IV's on each other for nursing school hurt much worse. Randy assured me that I jumped after he had punctured me and that it did not affect the placement at all.
There was some small discomfort as he screwed the needle the off, and screwed the ball on, to the end of the barbell. Randy then went over aftercare procedure with me, gave me written instructions and told call if I had any problems. He recommended saline for cleanser over any other product, saying that is what he had seen give fast healing times and to wash it daily with antimicrobial soap. The whole procedure, from walk in to walk out, took less then 20min.
I am so pleased that I confronted my fears and went through with this. I now have a 14 gauge curved barbell and it is beautiful. It has only been a couple of days, but there is almost no discomfort. It sits right above my clitoris, and I already find that I am easily stimulated by it. I look forward to experimenting with it further.
This was my first piercing but this will definitely not be my last.