1 night, 2 holes: Madison and 2nd tongue

At A Glance Author ArcticRaven Contact ArcticRaven@bme.anon Artist Tober Studio EXE Location San Marcos, Texas

Prior to this story I had a few piercings, namely a tongue, both nipples, and a labret (6 now with the madison and second hole in my tongue). I have also had my nipples and initial tongue piercing stretched to 10ga. For quite awhile I have been thinking of getting a surface piercing, the madison and nape being the two that always appealed to me the most, and although I may still go for a nape at some future time I decided a madison was what I wanted. This past Friday (the 17th) I called Touch of a Feather, the tattoo/piercing studio where I had my previous 4 piercings done to ask about a madison and they referred me to their newest piercing only store (EXE) and piercer, Tober. This information in hand I drove the hour and a bit from San Antonio to San Marcos to EXE anticipating hole number five. I liked the look and atmosphere of the shop and was impressed by Tober's portfolio covering a wide range of piercings including many different genital and surface/'unusual' ones (he also does branding, cutting, scarification etc).

As there aren't many madison experiences in BME I wasn't sure what to expect with this piercing, but the experience went off without a hitch. Tober is very precise and patient and we altered the placement of the madison about 3 times before he and I were satisfied with how the jewelry (I wanted a curved barbell for this one) would sit. After the markings I lay down on the table and as Tober explained what he was doing he clamped the area which didn't bother me and then had me begin the usual deep and slow breathing. On about the third or fourth deep exhale he pushed the needle through and maybe it was the breathing (that for whatever reason was deeper and slower than I have done it before and therefore more effective) or Tober's expertise but this was not that painful for me. Nor was there any significant blood although I couldn't really tell from my angle. The area felt tight with the needle still in but after he had inserted the jewelry the area became far more comfortable and I was able to admire my new adornment that looked just as I had pictured it. Tober then went over the aftercare instructions with me and I headed back out to the front of the shop to decide if I would go for a second that night.

For the past month or so I have also tossed around the idea of getting a second tongue piercing as I think the end result would both look good and be an interesting experiment to try out... That night I decided to go for it, week of hell and annoyance or not and thus was born my double pierced tongue. I decided on a 12ga barbell for this one (for aesthetic reasons) as the 12ga balls provide a contrast to the 10ga barbell behind. Again Tober made sure I was satisfied with the placement (I had him change the position once) and after I removed the hoop from my 10ga (slave/doorknocker end) he clamped my tongue. Then came the breathing and the second needle and jewelry insertion of the night. I am still of the opinion that the listerine is the worst part of any oral piercing. Once I am able to shorten the post I intend to have the front balls just above and below my tongue while leaving my 10ga at it's current length (5/8). I'll also put the hoop back into the slave end that I removed because it would have snagged and no doubt hurt during the healing. After receiving my second aftercare sheet of the night I just hung around the store talking (as well as one can with new metal in the mouth) to Tober and some others who were there before heading back to San Antonio.

Tober struck me as friendly and charismatic and this was confirmed by his overall manner/demeanor both piercing and around the shop. The shop looks good and has a nice atmosphere and the piercing room was very clean and sterile. Tober was not only meticulous about the piercing procedure but also about changing gloves, keeping the room clean and cleaning the surfaces after the piercings and I will be going back to him for future piercings.

Friday (September 24th)

The first week of the piercings is almost over and they are both coming along well. My tongue is still sensitive at times obviously and my talking is still not back to normal but is much improved from earlier this week. I look forward to seeing the 12ga with a shorter post and seeing if the effect is as I thought it would be. I am also thinking about stretching both tongue piercings (the 10 to an 8, and the 12 to a 10) in the future and as finances allow. The madison also seems to be doing fine. There is some discomfort when a shirt presses against the piercing, if the skin around the piercing 'tightens' because of my movement or when I am driving and I look over my shoulder at a certain angle. I am now also tempted to get a second madison below my current one. I have a few ideas in mind of what I want the final look to be like but am not sure what jewelry will be practical because of the placement. However I will wait awhile to see how the healing of this one goes first.