My Addiction to Ink and Steel

At A Glance Author Bluedragon Contact madravnos@hotmail.com Artist Angela Studio Altered Skin Location Missoula, MT

My Addiction to Ink and Steel

If anyone would have told me six months ago that I would be writing anything that started 'If anyone would have told me six months ago..." I might have told them they were standing too close to the nozzle the last time they filled up their car. If they would have told me at the same time that I would now be the proud owner of a steel bar that resides in my tongue, I would have just walked away laughing.

I started my addiction to mods at age 24, less than a year ago, when I went along with a friend who needed help finding the nearest tat parlor. I decided to bite the bullet and get my first ink while he was being worked on, resulting in a less-than-stellar yin-yang on my left bicep. While the tat was unimpressive (and continues to be, until I get it touched up sometime in the near future), the feeling of decorating my dermis was too good to limit to one session. A few months later, I went along with a group of friends who were getting work done to Altered Skin in Missoula and came out with a triskele (pagan symbol of the trinity) on my left inner forearm. The craving for needles in my skin grew even stronger.

My next mod was my first piercing. I figured I would start with something traditional and decide whether I wanted to build from there or stick with getting inked, so I chose a simple lobe pierce. I drove to the same shop that I had gotten my first tat from and decided on a 10ga CBR, figuring that I would eventually stretch to at least that large anyway. Things went much better with the pierce than with the tat. I knew from the moment the needle went through that I had entered a whole new arena of addiction. It's been about three months and it already feels like a natural part of me.

About seven weeks ago, I decided to combine the two mods into one session. It is rare that I have both a ride to a studio and the money for a mod, so I figured I'd be better off doing them both when the opportunity presented itself. I got my first self-designed tattoo, a comedy/tragedy piece, on the outside of my right calf, then had my right nipple pierced just minutes later. I wasn't sure quite what to expect with the nipple piercing, so I braced myself for some intense pain. The experience was more orgasmic than excruciating, though. I immediately began planning my next session under the needle.

After some consideration, I decided it was time to do my tongue. Before I got my ear done, I swore on my mother's grave that I would never get my tongue pierced. Thankfully for me, Mom is still alive, so that agreement was less than binding. I also decided to get another pair of holes in my left lobe, since no one I know has an orbital and I really like the look of them.

The next obstacle was getting back up to Missoula. I rounded up a ride with a buddy, then ended up having to work that weekend after a coworker injured her neck. After that disappointment, I decided that I would get up to Missoula the next weekend, no matter what. I originally set up a ride with a few friends, but the driver got stuck working. After a few more unsuccessful attempts at scrounging a ride, I decided to swallow the last of my pride and shell out $60 for a Greyhound ticket (Missoula is only three hours away, five or six by bus, but it involves two bus carriers, so it gets pricey). Just hours after I got my bus ticket, though, I discovered that Widespread Panic was playing in Missoula the same night I was going to be in town. I knew the trip was going to be more than worth it.

After the bus ride and a short nap at the motel, I wandered around town running a few errands. I then went to Altered Skin and set things up with Angela, the piercer who had done my nipple on the last trip, as well as a friend's tongue on the trip before. After asking whether she thought it better to heal the orbital on one or two pieces of jewelry (she had no problem with going either way, so I went the cheaper route and decided on the single piece, since she couldn't cut me a deal on the price of the piercing itself), I picked out my jewelry and went to eat what could have been my last solid food for days.

When I got back, I brushed my teeth (got to keep the piercer happy and conscious) and waited for Angela to finish with another customer. I had brought along a digital camera to document the piercing procedures, so we asked Christy (Angela's sister and the artist who did my triskele) to take photos while Angela was working on me. She agreed, I paid Angela, and we all went back to the piercing room.

First came the orbital lobe piercing. Angela measured the jewelry, a 12ga curved barbell, and marked my ear. After ensuring that the placement looked good to me, she clamped the outer placement and we did the old "deep breath, exhale/pierce" routine. She inserted the jewelry and prepared to do the inner placement. The piercing part of this went fine, but the insertion was a bit more difficult, as well as a little painful. She struggled with it for a while, as well as talking with her mother (a very nice woman with two cool daughters), who showed up during the procedure. Finally, though, she got the jewelry through and screwed on the second ball. She then took a while to clean the lobe and the jewelry, as the second insertion resulted in a little blood flow.

Next came the tongue piercing. As I rinsed, Angela set up fresh equipment. Then, in much less time than it took for the orbital, I was clamped, pierced and had the post in. I was expecting at least as much pain as biting my tongue, but I was pleasantly surprised. I hardly felt a thing. I could hardly wait to get back to Dillon to freak out all my friends and coworkers. I tipped Angela, thanked her and Christy, and headed straight for the Widespread show, which was awesome. In all, it was a damn near perfect day.

It has been nearly a week now, and everything is going great. The orbital is throwing crusties like no one's business, but that's to be expected. My first lobe healed quickly after crusting like crazy, so I hope this one will too. As for the tongue, the swelling went down incredibly quickly. I was eating solid foods again the night after I got the pierce, and I just switched to the shorter bar today. I haven't chomped down on the ball yet, and have only had one annoying run-in with a fork. Angela pierced it at an angle, with the top ball farther back than the bottom, so it sits great in my mouth. I can hardly even feel it's there. And it looks awesome. The biggest problem so far has been explaining to people, especially the older ladies I work with, why I wanted to do it in the first place. They just don't understand the pleasure I get from having it there.

Well, I get paid again soon, and I may have a ride lined up to go to Missoula. Who knows, maybe next week I'll have another experience to submit. Let's just hope it goes as well as this one did.