My previous two experiences: Lobe stretching diaries and Lobe stretching diaries II detail the journey of my lobes from the original gunned piercings for my 5th birthday and over the two-year journey to 8 gauge, and the subsequent stretches over a period of a year that took me from 8 to 4 gauge, respectively.
At A Glance Author snowmellen Contact snowmellen@bme.anon IAM snowmellen When Six months ago Location Guelph, Ontario, Canada At the end of the second installment, I found myself wearing a pair of 4 gauge acrylic curved talons in a deep blue colour. I had owned an identical talon in 0 gauge for several months and the plan was to get a single 2 gauge talon the exact same and then slowly stretch up by creative juggling of the talons. It was going to be the first time in all of my stretching experience when my ears had ever been asymmetrical. Not something I really wanted, but my goal had always been 0 gauge and after three years to get there I was getting a little impatient and ready to be done. I wasn't really interested in spending any time at 4 or 2.
Spring
I bartered with a friend for the 2 gauge talons (new, from a wholesaler), and he was a sweetheart and arranged for a pair, not just a single talon. It was quite a fun surprise when a pair of gorgeous quality 2 gauge talons, deep acrylic blue, arrived in the mail.
I cleaned the talons, my ears and hands with anti-bacterial soap and copious amounts of hot water, and placed everything on a nice fresh Kleenex to be carried out to my wiped-down desk where I had set up a mirror.
I removed the old 4 gauge talons and lubed up one of the new 2 gauge ones. I usually try to stretch back-to-front so I can see what I'm doing. However, I was planning on wearing the 2 gauge talons as jewelry, and my ears were plenty loose around the 4 gauge talons so I chose to go front-to-back. The stretch itself was terribly unremarkable. I applied gentle, firm pressure and the talon slid in easily to the point where it met gentle resistance. Continuing to apply the same level of pressure there was a brief sensation of increasing warmth, quickly receding to dull smoldering as I reached the 2 gauge section of the talon. I placed an o-ring a few millimeters from my ears, but enough to hold the earring at the appropriate gauge should it move while I slept. The process for the opposite ear was identical, and both overall seemed very easy stretches.
The next morning they were warm and slightly puffy to the touch, but certainly not unpleasant. I cleaned them gingerly with Spectro-Jel, my mild antibacterial non-harsh aftercare cleanser of choice in the shower than morning, cleaning around the earrings and lobes, but not trying to turn the earrings or work any of the soap through the tender holes. At the time I was showering twice daily: once at home in the morning and once at the gym in the evening, so I was managing to wash them thoroughly twice daily. They never felt uncomfortable enough that I felt they really needed a saline soak. Within a couple days all traces of the slight swelling and most of the tenderness was gone, and I was able to rotate them in the shower and scrub out the holes. I had been careful to keep the o-rings far from the backs of my ears to try to minimize trapping of lymph and dead tissue. However, even this short time when I wasn't physically scrubbing the insides of my lobe holes, there was s till a minute bit of buildup on the talons. I cleaned it off, and then resumed my routine of cleansing my lobes and jewelry on a daily basis and there was no more of that.
Definitely within the week they were comfortable, and within two I was forced to wearing o-rings in both front and back to keep them from sliding out.
Because I had the pair of 2 gauge talons, and they were such lovely quality and had taken a bit longer than I expected to get to me in the first place, I wore them all the way through the spring and summer. I am still not a fan of o-rings, but I only managed to lose two over the months I was wearing them. They still remain some of my loveliest and most-complemented jewelry, although few people and mostly children at that, actually noticed that they were something that traveled all the way though my ear, rather than being a creative two-part earring.
Autumn
As much as I was happy with the look of the 2 gauge talons, I really wanted to reach the goal I started towards almost 3 years before: 0 gauge tunnels. I had never before worn jewelry were one could see through my lobes, and I was really eager to do so. My friend with whom I'd bartered originally messaged me. He was placing another order and could order some things for me as well if I were interested. I took him up on the generous offer, ordering a few things including a order a pair of single-flared stainless tunnels.
When the tunnels arrived I was thoroughly impatient. I scrubbed my hands, ears, the 0 gauge acrylic taper, and the tunnels for good measure. I laid everything out on a tissue on my cleaned and set-up desk and practiced matching the end of the taper with the unflared back of the tunnel. After such long wear with jewelry that moved around a lot my lobes were very loose.
I lubed the tunnels and the thicker part of the taper, and began sliding it through. The taper went in effortlessly, and I was shocked and surprised to find the follow-through with the tunnel equally smooth and simple. The other ear was the same, and both felt warmed, but very healthy after this stretch. I put the o-rings on, they sat in little grooves which I think are nice since they stay on better as well as prevent the o-rings from being pushed up against my lobes.
Cleaning with Spectro-Jel again in the shower, it took about a week for them to settle, and about 2 before they felt "loosened" enough that I could turn them dry without discomfort. This is where I ran into an interesting phenomenon. Because I do play with my ears, and there's quite a gradual, but substantial flare on the tunnels, I kept arranging them so the flares would be tucked as far as possible into my lobes. Sometimes I'd pull them hard enough in that a little bit of the metal edge would pull into my hole. This was accompanied by a not-unpleasant sensation very similar to the feeling of stretching, but much smaller. I kept doing it. First on my right ear, because I'm right handed. I'd pull a little, go "ow" just slightly, wait a few minutes and repeat. I discovered that each time I did it; I could pull a little farther. Within a week I could pull the flare right through by rotating it sideways, and within two I could pull the right one straight back and the left one via rotating.
Winter
Both tunnels will now pop out very easily from my ears, even to the extent that I need to be careful when taking off my shirt. I would guesstimate that the flares on them are at least 00, if not slightly bigger. I've managed to pick up a few chunky CBR's along the way that I would really like to wear through my tunnels, but they're all 2 gauge and the curvature doesn't quite fit through these current tunnels. I would also prefer a bit more of a rounded flare to make them more visible than the very thin ones I wear currently. So I'm now planning on going to 00. Not particularly soon because I can't afford the jewelry right now, and all the time I've taken to get here has left me with extremely healthy lobes that look good even with jewelry out., so I'm planning on taking it as easy as possible still.
So, although this was meant to be the final installment of these diaries, it likely isn't.