I have always been fascinated by piercings, but too frightened to get one as I am a complete wuss when it comes to pain. Of course, I have had a tattoo on my hip bone and thought that was fine, so my fears are totally unjustified. Anyway, my parents are total opposites about body modification, which may have had something to with my reluctance. My Mom is fine about it, but my Dad is very religious and hates body modification. So I have been discreet about it for his sake, but the urge to pierce will persist!
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Tracey Studio Metal Machine Location Cape Town I had wanted a piercing more and more of late and was contemplating a tongue ring. I work with a girl who has quite a lot of piercings and I was envious of her great labret and tongue ring. She told me how easy her tongue had been and I began to get more serious about it. About a month ago she decided to have her nipples pierced and I, in typical impulse mode, told her that if she did it, I would finally have my tongue pierced. Being impatient to go ahead with it, we finished our work really fast and went to ask our boss for time off. She got a strange look on her face when she asked us if what needed time off for! But to her credit, she said it was fine and sent us on our way.
Thank god my friend knew a good piercer as I had not thought to do any research at all! She took me to a great place called Metal Machine. They have a really professional piercer called Tracey who was relaxed and friendly. She laughed when I told her how nervous I was and told me I was lucky as I was having the easiest piercing whereas my friend was having both nipples done. After signing the forms stating what an old fart I was for my first piercing, I was ushered into a small but clean room with a large chair reminiscent of a dentists.
Tracey then explained the procedure and handed me an aftercare guide. She snapped on some gloves, swabbed my tongue down and carefully marked the center. Once she had clamped she checked carefully for veins and explained that she would not pierce me if I proved to have 'cluster' veins as she suspected. After careful scrutiny she decided that we could go ahead. Then she took out a huge sterile-wrapped needle (with a sharp pointy end I might add.) I nearly shat myself when I saw it, but she told me to stop retracting my tongue from the clamp and just relax. She got me to to inhale and then exhale a few seconds later. I honestly thought she was getting me to calm down before she pierced, but she had already done it while I was inhaling. I even asked her when she was going to pierce and she smiled and said she had already done it.
The whole procedure must have taken about 10 minutes and I walked out of the room grinning like an idiot and hung around for another hour while my friend had her nipples done. We went back to work and I developed an instant lisp as soon as I opened my mouth. The next few days I spoke like an absolute wanker, but to my credit, I ate normal (if a bit mushy) food and rinsed every 3 hours with antibacterial mouthwash mixed with kettle water. My tongue swelled, but went back to normal within 5 days. I felt totally healed about 2 weeks afterwards.
Having successfully joined the community of the pierced at last, I was treated on my birthday (about 5 days ago) to a wad of cash from my co-workers for future body modification. They are the best! I went back to Metal Machine the very next day to have a shorter bar put in my tongue and went to my parents for a birthday lunch where I made my Mom take be back to the piercer for a belly ring. My boss even phoned just before I had it done and wished me luck.
Later that day my Dad finally noticed the new, bigger balls on my tongue ring and asked what the hell I had done. I sighed and told him to brace himself, then stuck out my tongue and lifted my shirt to display the tongue ring, new belly ring and much older tattoo. He put his head in his hands and sighed, but I stood up for myself and told him this was what I wanted to do with my body. And it only took me 24 years!
All in all, I would recommend piercings to anyone. Maybe I'm lucky because I have felt no pain with either the tongue or belly piercings, maybe I'm just excited to be a convert to this fabulous world of shiny, metal-studded bodies. The one thing I do know, is that my clit is next and I'm not showing my folks that one! Wish me luck...