I had been waiting for a long time to get my tongue pierced. So, the night before I turned sixteen, my mom took me to get it done. I had watched my boyfriend get his done in October, 2005. I got mine done February 15th, 2006. I swear I'll remember that date forever.
At A Glance Author Erica Contact aviolentreacti0n@yahoo.com When A month ago Artist Rick Studio Artistic Skin Designs Location Indianapolis, Indiana. I was so excited. I filled out the forms, and waited for Rick to set things up. He made me feel really relaxed and calm about the situation. He told me what it was going to feel like, how long it would take to heal, how to clean it, and gave me his card incase I had any complications. He pierced my mom's left nostril when he worked at a different shop, and he did a good job, so I trusted him with shoving a needle through my tongue. When it came time for him to do it, he had me sit down on a bed type thing, rinse with mouthwash, and then he dried my tongue off and put a dot in the center. He asked if that was okay as a place to pierce it, and I told him it'd be great if it could be right in front of the dot. He had me lay back,and he dried off my tongue again. He had me stick my tongue out, and he put the clamp on it. It didn't pinch or anything, and he had me take a deep breath. I squeezed my boyfriend's hand, expecting it to hurt, but it felt like I had just accidentally bit my tongue while chewing. As soon as it was done, I giggled like a little kid. Rick gave me two sheets of paper, explaining everything I needed to know about my new piercing. I was playing with it the next day, which I knew I wasn't supposed to do, but I was so giddy that I couldn't help myself. My tongue was swollen for about 5 days, and the soreness went away after two weeks. I was so happy that I finally got something I had wanted for so long. That experience has made me want so many tattoos and piercings. I already had my navel, right nostril, and left nipple pierced, but the experience of getting my tongue pierced just heightens my love for piercings even more.
I had been told that getting my tongue pierced would change my voice a little, but I sound the exact same as I did before. No one has noticed anything different about my voice. I was also worried about getting sick, because I had gotten over a sinus infection a couple weeks before, and sinus infections are a normal thing for me every couple of months. I had luck, though, and I didn't get sick until 2 weeks ago.
I had to ask a couple people about some things... I noticed yellowish stringy stuff coming from the piercing, and my ex-girlfriend told me that it was just dead skin and pus, and it means that the piercing is healing. I also noticed some stiffness around the piercing, and my boyfriend said that his is the same way. For a while, I was worried that I was cleaning it too often, but I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't get infected or anything. I still rinse my mouth out 3-4 times a day, just because I'm paranoid.
I play with my healed tongue ring constantly now. Me and my boyfriend are equal now that we both get to enjoy kissing someone with a tongue ring. I want it done again, but I don't think my mom would allow me to. Oh well. It's only two more years until I'm 18. I can't wait to see the look on her face the first time I come home from college.
To anyone who is thinking about getting their tongue pierced but is scared, just go for it. The only pain you'll feel is a pinch, and if you take care of it, it won't get infected. I believe that piercings are a release for me, and probably for other people as well. I hope that my future tattoos will provide the same strange sort of comfort. Getting my tongue pierced was a good experience, and I can't wait to get the other piercings I've been longing for. My tongue still gets sore once in a while if I pull on the barbell too much, but other than that, it's fine. Taking it out for a couple minutes feels extremely weird. I didn't have problems changing the barbell. I had no problem finding the hole once I took the initial barbell out. I was scared to change it at first, but then I just did it and got over it. Now I have no problems changing the jewelry.
Don't be hesitant to get your tongue pierced, because even if you don't like it, you can always take it out.