I saw my first ever tongue piercing at the tender age of 14. A girl in my Biology class had gone on a trip to Amsterdam over the summer and got her tongue pierced. We were just talking about what we'd done over the summer, and I noticed something glinting in her mouth.
At A Glance Author ^Rennaps Contact rennaps@herzeleid.net When A month ago Artist Forgot... eep Studio P.X Piercing Location Stowell Street, Newcastle - Upon - Tyne "Hey, what's that?"
"Oh, that" *grins*
She stuck her tongue out and showed me her central tongue piercing. I was amazed! I wasn't really into mods back then, I only had my lobes pierced at that point. I didn't know you could get your tongue pierced, I had heard of people having nipple piercings, and navel piercing was just starting to get popular.
For the rest of the lesson I kept asking her questions such as "How do you eat?" or "What does it feel like?" until our Biology teacher separated us for chatting.
I pretty much forgot about it after a while. Then I started getting into body mods when I was about 16, and got 2 cartilage piercings, stretched my earlobes and got an inner conch piercing. I read up about piercings, bought books on the subject, and scoured the Internet for information.
So, fast forward 4 years later. I'm caring for my inner conch piercing which I got as a 20th birthday pressie to myself, and I realise that once it's healed, I won't have any "projects" left to work on! I call my piercings "projects" and I thouroughly enjoy the whole process of preparing for a piercing, making the appointment, getting pierced, the post-piercing euphoria, and the aftercare, which can be a long and arduous process but I'm very meticulous about it. I think that's perhaps my hygiene neurosis. :)
Anyway. I had decided that after a few months of caring for my inner conch, I would get a new piercing. I didn't really fancy another ear piercing, be it lobe or cartilage. I was tired of my ears. I had a look around BME and tried to get ideas.
After searching for a bit, I came across the tongue piercing section. I remembered my friend showing me hers 6 years previously, and an idea began ticking over in my brain...
Over the next few weeks I read as many experiences as I could handle, both the good and the bad, read up on aftercare, stockpiled soups and soft foods in my cupboards at home, and ordered bottles of Tech2000 for aftercare. Tech2000 is the best stuff I've found. It has no sodium or alcohol, and it doesn't make your eyes stream and your mouth hurt like most other mouthwashes out there.
So I was all set. All I needed to do was make an appointment. But first, I needed to make sure my boyfriend was free on the day I had planned. Nope. He's going to go visit his brothers in Halifax. Ok, I'll wait.
3 weeks later (yeesh!) I rang P.X Piercing in Newcastle and booked an appointment for the following Friday at 3pm.
I love P.X. The people working there are so friendly and professional it's almost like going to visit friends, but getting pierced whilst you're there... (Ok, I don't know where I was going with that)
Friday came, and I packed my little bag with stuff I'd need once we were out. Bottle of Tech2000, chocolate, money, Walkman, plenty of tapes and a spare top in case I got blood or drool on the one I was wearing.
Will (boyfriend) and I travelled into Newcastle for a busy day of shopping and piercing. I didn't feel too nervous, more excited. The train we were on was taking me on more than a physical journey, but a strange spiritual one. I was going to change something about myself forever, even if, in 10 years I took my piercings out and they healed, I'd still have the essence of something there. Some people just don't understand piercing and think it's all a fashion thing. No way. I don't care if a million 16 year olds in hoodies are getting their labrets pierced because some guy in a band has one. I do it for myself.
Yes. So we arrived at Newcastle a few hours early. We decided to go do some shopping beforehand to both quell my nerves and also because there was a CD Will was desperate to buy, and I wanted to have a browse in some bookshops.
We went for lunch at 2pm at a nearby Burger King. I usually can't stand fast food, but as this would be my last solid meal for at least a few days, we decided that it should be something really really bad for us :D I figured that the high fat content and chemicals might also keep me alive over the next week.
We made our way to Chinatown (which is on Stowell Street where P.X is located) and walked past the magnificent Chinese restaurants and inhaled all the lovely smells. It then hit me that it'd be a while before I could eat Chinese food again and I began to wish we'd come here for lunch, but never mind...
We were a little early, so we popped into the oriental supermarket and I bought some "Hello Kitty" candy for my little sis who loves that sort of thing.
We then headed into P.X. To get in, you have to use the intercom. I remember the last time I had been to P.X I had mumbled nervously into it, but now I was bright and breezy and annoyingly chipper.
So up to the little waiting room we went. The waiting room in P.X has something for everybody. Bean bags, decorative rugs, car magazines, bubble lamps, relaxing music, copies of Kerrang! and various others... We had to wait for a bit whilst 2 girls were getting their navels pierced, so Will amused himself with a car mag and I got hypnotised by the colour changing bubble lamp in the corner.
Eventually it was our turn. I dragged Will with me ("But but... cars!") and greeted the two piercers.
The rest of this tale is pretty much standard. My tongue was checked, turns out it was suitable for piercing (ooh good). A square napkin was tucked into my top in case of blood/drool spillage (I needn't have taken that spare top... oh well), and I was taken through the procedure. My tongue was marked with purple (funky) ink, and I nodded my approval at the placement.
My tongue was then sprayed with Xylocaine, which I think is the foulest substance I have ever tasted. It's even worse than Benylin cough medicine. I was warned that it tasted really bad, and apparently it's actually supposed to taste of banana. Pretty wierd banana...
Then came the clamps. From what I had read I was supposed to dread these, but all I felt was a strange tightness. I suppose because my tongue (and lips) were so numbed from the Xylocaine I didn't feel much of them.
Whilst the bloke piercer held the clamps and checked they were in the right place, the lady piercer changed her gloves and prepared the needle and jewellery. I started thinking to myself what injecting Lidocaine into yourself would feel like and what it would be like trying to walk around with numbed feet, when I felt the needle going through my tongue.
I gasped, but more through surprise than anything else. I thought I was going to get a countdown or a "Ok, it's about to go in now", but perhaps it's better I didn't. My tongue would have tensed up had I known and it would have been worse.
"Right, just a tug as the jewellery goes through" which I have to say, was the worst bit, but it lasted less than a second. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable.
The clamps were carefully removed and my tongue placed back into my mouth. I was glad to see I hadn't drooled down my chin. I seem to be quite good at controlling drool. I started to get the old feeling of dizzyness, so I took deep breaths to help regain control.
I was handed a cup of iced water and asked if I wanted to hop up onto the bed. "No, I'm ok, I'll be fine in a minute, thanks"
I was handed a mirror and I cautiously opened my mouth. Oooh! My tongue still had the purple ink on it, but there was a shiny metal barbell through it. I grinned and turned to show Will who said "Wow, it looks really good"
We chatted with the piercers for a bit, me drinking iced water and feeling the barbell in my mouth. I kept apologising for hanging around, but they said "It's fine, we just want to make sure you're ok" which was good. I was handed a sheet with aftercare instructions on (rinse with Tech2000 after eating, drinking or smoking etc) and asked to come back in the following Friday to get a smaller barbell fitted.
Eventually, I felt strong enough to be on our way. My water was refilled so I could take it with me, and we said goodbye.
Walking through town I felt so proud of myself and I kept grinning and looking at my tongue in shop windows. Will kept saying "Oooh, show me again". I think passers-by thought I was deranged. We went to the university to blag a lift home from Will's mother, who is a lecturer there. It's exactly the same routine as when I got my inner conch pierced. She didn't like that, either :D
So we head home, me still smiling, even though the Xylocaine was wearing off and it was hurting a little. I took some Ibuprofen before bed and kept a bottle of cold Evian nearby.
The next morning I woke up and my tongue felt HUGE! I looked in the mirror, but it was only a bit of swelling.
Eating was fun for a while. I'd stick to soup, porridge, apple sauce, and developed a special method for soup. Place the spoon behind the barbell, tip spoon back, swallow and attempt not to get soup all over the place.
Within a week I was eating normally, although noodles still get on my nerves if they decide to wrap around the barbell.
It is so important that for the first few weeks you rinse after eating or drinking ANYTHING that isn't water. I have seen people with infections that they got through neglecting aftercare, and it's not a pretty sight.
So yeah, it's been about a month and it's almost fully healed. Once I got the shorter barbell it was far easier to talk, eat, or just close my mouth. My mother took 10 days to notice it. We were talking and she said "Is that a tongue stud?" "Yep" she thought I'd pierced it myself so said I was an idiot. Heh, she calmed down once I told her I went to a reputable piercing clinic. My dad only noticed it a few days ago, but he's so forgetful he probably thinks I've had it for years.
My tongue piercing is the most fun piercing I have. I enjoy buying new things for it, and I currently have a spider, an ickle rubber sperm which glows in UV light, a reptile eye and various sizes of stainless steel balls. It's funny when you're talking to people and it suddenly flashes off the light. You can see them peering into your mouth, trying to figure out what's in there but not wanting to ask.
Anyway, I hope my experience wasn't too boring, and enjoy your tongue piercing!