I had planned on getting new piercings as soon as I got a job this summer, but it took me over a month to actually make an appointment. I knew what I wanted: a pair of inner labia piercings. I already had nine genital piercings, six of which are inner labia ones, but I felt like it wasn't really a ladder with only three on each side. So I decided to go for two more.
At A Glance Author Alison Contact Alison@bme.anon IAM beartrap When It just happened Artist Steve Filpansick Studio Consolidated Ink and Steel Location Flint, MI I called the studio about a week ahead to make sure my piercer would be there, and I made my appointment. I knew I wouldn't be able to get there until almost closing (I live an hour and a half away), but my piercer has stayed late for me before. My friend and I always turn this into a big occasion. We went out to dinner first, to make sure I ate beforehand. We were both pretty pierced up (she had eight, I had fourteen), but this is always a special trip for us.
When we got to the studio, one of the tattoo artists playfully teased me about having so much metal "down there." They joked about this being my twenty-third genital piercing. With eight genital piercings (and the stretching of my first one) done at that studio, I already held the record for the shop. You'd think by this point I'd be used to the whole piercing process, but I still get scared every single time.
My piercer custom makes his jewelry, so I had to wait around for him to polish my rings. To stay relaxed, I bounced around to a Ramones song, with my dangly bits jingling along. When everything was ready, I pulled up my dress and laid down on the bench. He cleaned me up and starting working out the placement. It took a while to mark me, because I have rather large inner labia, and there's already so much metal down there. After a couple minutes, we were all set, and my friend came over to hold my hand (I told you I still get scared!).
I decided to do the right one first. Steve put on the clamps, which didn't hurt as much as they usually do, but always hurt more than I expect they will. There was the slight poke of him lining up the needle. I took a deep breath, and when I exhaled, in went the needle. It all seemed to happen so quickly I didn't have time to prepare myself. I uttered an expletive and squeezed my friend's hand. I kept squeezing and complaining until the CBR was in. My friend took a picture before we went on to the second one.
Time for the left one, same process. Clamp, little poke, big poke, swearing and squeezing. The second one always hurts more than the first, but the right one had stopped hurting by the time he clamped the left one. As soon as my jewelry was in, the pain was gone. My legs were shaking like crazy. He actually had to hold my legs down. Steve lined everything up, and we took pictures. Unfortunately, you couldn't even tell that there was anything new there, because there's already so much going on, but I sure knew they were there.
I was bleeding a little when I left, so I put on a pad. I paid and tipped Steve ($50 total, he has really good deals), and my friend and I headed home. I had wanted to have the rest of my inner labia beads changed to smaller ones and get new septum jewelry put in, but since I was so late, we didn't have time. I made my friend drive so I could recline in the passenger seat. When I got home, I was completely fine. I was extra careful when I went to the bathroom (Remember to pat, not wipe!). Once I accidentally crossed my legs once without thinking, but I didn't feel any pain.
12 hours later: I took a nap and slept on my back, and did a sea salt soak in the morning. They bled more during the night, but still no pain.
18 hours later: I slept on my side with a pillow between my legs, and I even successfully slept on my stomach. I've had absolutely no pain, and the bleeding is almost done.
I'll continue doing sea salt soaks for the next six weeks or so, and hopefully they'll heal just fine. I've never had any problems with any of my genital piercings. I have to sit all day at work, but hopefully it won't be too bad. I am now one happy girl with sixteen piercings. I don't know what to get next! If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on IAM.