My first piercing experience was at the age of 14, when I decided to skip class to go with a friend and get the center of my tongue pierced. I was quite happy with how it turned out and it definitely sparked my interest in the culture of body modification. It wasn't long before I began running out of places to pierce. I had my bellybutton, septum, both nostrils, nape, eyebrow, and a whole bunch of other things done. Eventually, I was introduced to the idea of venoms.
At A Glance Author Lipglossed Contact Lipglossed@bme.anon When Three months ago Studio Wild Ink Location Ajax I think one of the reasons why they appealed to me was due to the fact that they're a little bit more unique than your standard center tongue piercing. I wanted a change and having caught the "itch" to get pierced again, I decided that venoms were going to be my next modification. So, after doing a bit of research about them, I called my local studio and set up an appointment to get stabbed.
I live in a suburb outside of Toronto, Ontario. It's far from being rural and there are a number of local shops that are just plain scary. You've got your typical nail salons still trying to get away with doing nostril piercings with a gun. Then there's the token biker-owned shop that tends to lack appreciation for standards set by the health board. Since I value being disease and infection-free, I stuck with a studio that I was familiar with.
When the day of my appointment finally arrived, I made sure to have a nice, big lunch before arriving at the studio. I knew that my tongue was going to swell up for a few days and it's just not fun trying to eat regular food when you have a tender new piercing that's in the process of healing. After lunch, it was time to take the plunge. I walked in, signed the form, and sat down to wait for my piercer to call me. I had brought a friend with me for fear of chickening out, and this turned out to be a good idea since my nerves were beginning to get the best of me.
Thankfully, I didn't have to wait much longer. I was called in for my consultation and my piercer was very thorough with explaining everything from the risks involved to the expected healing time, as well as information regarding anatomy and placement. I definitely felt comfortable by the end of our discussion and I was ready to get pierced. Don't get me wrong - my heart was still pounding and felt like it was in my throat; but at least I knew that I was in good hands.
First, she checked my tongue for veins and possible complications before marking it. Then, I selected the jewellery and gauge that I wanted. After showing me the sterile packaging for everything, my piercer had her tray set up and the gloves went on. I sat down, closed my eyes, stuck out my tongue, and hoped for the best! She put the forceps on and then went through with the needle. I remember it stinging because my eyes started to water and my mascara didn't hold up very well. She was very quick with taking the clamps off and putting the jewellery in. One down, one to go!
The second piercing seemed to hurt considerably more than the first, but she had warned my about this during the consultation. I took a few deep breaths and within a minute, it was over with. My tongue seemed to swell up almost instantaneously. I'm not going to lie - it was pretty brutal. My tongue felt like it was throbbing and I was slurring horribly for the first few days. My aftercare included sea salt rinses after meals. I avoided dairy because I was paranoid about getting thrush. For the first week after getting my venoms pierced, my diet consisted of soup, alpha-getti, pancakes, and fruit smoothies. It wasn't too bad though. One of the things I noticed was that it seemed to hurt more in the evening, yet for some reason it would be bloody when I woke up in the morning.
After the first four days, I began to get concerned. My piercer had warned me that it could take up to a week for all the swelling and nastiness to clear up, but I guess I had assumed that a full week was the worst case scenario and highly unlikely. In any case, I made up my mind to wait it out for a few more days. And it was definitely worth it! Eventually it stopped bleeding and the swelling subsided.
I'm very happy with my new venoms. They were quite possibly one of the most painful piercings to heal, but they're also one of my favourite modifications. Now my only problem is going to be trying to figure out what I want to get done next.