Now THAT'S PAIN!

At A Glance Author Shay Contact scorpio_spirit@hotmail.com Artist Rob Studio Moving Pictures Studio Location Wooster, OH.

First of all, I'm not a big fan of pain. so when people ask me why I have my piercings, I can really give them an answer they'd understand. I usually tell them that they'd have to experience it to know why I have them.

the body modifications that I proudly show off are two tattoos,(one on my calf & one around my naval), a naval piercing, tongue piercing, and yesterday I had both nips pierced. Alot of my friends have them done, and of course, before I decide to get anything done I have to compare stories on how painful it is. (like I said, I have a low pain tolerance).

The night before the piercing I went to the bar all siked up about the next day. I had alot to drink and got very toasted. I told everyone what I was going to do. It wasn't until I woke up the next morning that the nervousness set in. that combined with being extremely hung over was not a good combination. I felt sick. 6:00 came and my friend Erin pulled up to the house, I got in the car and we were on our way. I never felt that scared before. when we got there, I had to sit outside for a few minutes fearing that I was going to be sick. I composed my self, and walked in the door. the shop was very clean and nice. there were two side to the entire parlor, one side for the tatts, and one side for the piercing. It had a very light hearted atmosphere, which was helpful in relieveing some of the tension that I was feeling at that moment. The piercer had numerous piercings of his own, that he did on himself. one of his piercings I didn't get to see (prince albert) I would have loved to seen that one! lol.

I told the piercer that I wanted my nipples done and he led me to the jewelry counter to pick out my rings, I chose 14 ga. stainless steel rings.

he set up his station, had me fill out the paper work, and told me to take off my shirt. he was very professional about it, which eased me a little bit.

he marked my nips and had me sit on the edge of a table that kinda looked like an examining table in a doctors office. And then the clamps went on (he was talking me through it the whole time, but I did'nt hear a word). He asked if I was ready, I said yes. then 1...2...3...OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! I screamed so loud that the whole tattoo heard me, I also had a few obsenities fly out of my mouth too. the pain is indescribeable. I felt so light headed and sick that I had to lay down. Rob offered me water and a piece of candy to keep my mouth moist.

one down one to go...he repeated the same process on the second nip, only this time I was lying down. The second one hurt worse than the first one!! I almost passed out cold on that one. I layed there for a bit and then got up to take a look at my new additions. They looked good but I was still dwelling on the fact that it hurt. I was in no mood to admire myself at that point. He went through the healing instructions in detail, sounding very rehearsed, I could tell he's done this a hundred times before. I thanked him, payed him and walked out the door feeling very embarassed by the way I reacted to piercings, but god dammit it hurt! Fortunately though, it only hurts during the piercing itself, afterward there is only a throbbing sensation that lasts a couple hours.

It is now the day after, and they don't hurt anymore, just really sensitive. They say the more sensitive your nips are before the piercing, the more painful it will be. I have to agree with that.

Not everyone will experience the same level of pain, like I said earlier, I have a very LOW pain tolerence. But, I think it's worth it.

the biggest concern that people have is pain....I can tell you only what I know.

Tattoos...no pain, just a slight stinging. but it depends on where its placed. the closer to the bone the more pain involved.

naval peircing...no pain, just a pinch. ( like a shot )

tongue piercing...yes and no. depends on the thickness of your tongue. but I still wouldn't call it pain, more like VERY uncomfortable.

nipples....YES!!!!!, as you read in my experience. but everything depends on your pain tolerence.

Tattoos and body piercing is a beautiful thing. It allows us to express ourselves artistically, but only if you do it cause it's what you want and not just because someone else has it done. Be original, be yourself. Don't be afraid to show who you are, because no matter what you look like, you are beautiful!