Tuesday finally came, and I was enthused. Phil was coming over to pierce my nipples. He had just received the barbells and needles in the mail, which news I was more than happy to hear. I had been wanting to pierce my nipples for quite awhile, and had been asking around about it. A few of my friends had, or had once had, nipple piercings, including Phil, and everything I heard just enticed me even more.
At A Glance Author spazzy Contact friedmansabrina@hotmail.com IAM spazzy When A month ago My main reason for getting my nipples pierced is the look of it. I fully enjoy decorating myself in many different means and styles, whether it be piercing, clothing, makeup, or hair, and I have always found nipple piercings to be very beautiful.
My second reason, which is a very close runner-up, is the physical sensitivity after having them done. I had heard that when having the jewelry in, nipples become very sensitive to touch (the good way). This was definitely a plus for me, as I love the world of the senses, and anything to heighten my experience of not only sexual, but non-sexual situations, calls out to me.
As Phil and I sat in my room discussing the piercing, my nervousness grew. I was about to get both nipples pierced at once, and almost everyone I had talked to who had the same experience commented on how painful it was. I knew that my nipples could withstand a lot of abuse (past experiences with purple nurples), but then again, I had never had a 14g needle jabbed through them.
(I would like to point out that Phil is not a professional piercer, and while I have full trust in him, I suggest to anyone who is reading this to go to a professional piercing studio for any piercings they desire, to eliminate as many potential problems as possible. Piercing in an unprofessional environment is not usually a good idea, and I have already received many criticisms on my actions. I do not, however, regret them.)
Phil told me to lie on the floor, as it was safer than if I was standing, as I could possibly kick out or jerk from the initial shock of the piercing, which could be dangerous for everyone involved. So, I cleared off my floor, and lay down, and soon after was laughing in hysterics, which I often do when I'm nervous. I finally calmed myself down, and as Phil clamped my right nipple, there was no going back for me.
He told me that it often makes it less painful if the person takes in a deep breath, then has the needle go through on their exhale. I figured it couldn't hurt, so I told Phil I was ready, and took in a huge breath. I was still nervous to let it out, but I managed, and in went the needle, full force. While I'm not horribly sensitive to pain, I still managed to call out to Jesus as the needle went through. Once it was through though, I felt fine, as if nothing had happened, except for the fact that there was a needle going through my nipple when I looked down. Phil then inserted the jewelry, and went on to do my left nipple, which hurt a little more because the needle didn't go through as easily and the initial piercing took about 0.5 seconds longer than it should have, but once again, once the needle was through, I was fine.
After Phil inserted the second barbell, I stood up and went to my mirror and admired my new piercings. I had measured my nipples before the barbells were ordered, and asked for 1/2" barbells, and as I looked at them in my nipples, they seemed to be the perfect fit.
My assumption on how much abuse my nipples could handle came true. I poked at my new piercings playfully as Phil stared in awe at my complete lack of pain, and accused me of inhumanity, to which I responded with a laugh. We then had some dinner, and after Phil left, I couldn't stop admiring my nipples. I had really gone through with it.
The next couple of days were pain-free. Not a pang in site. I cleaned my new piercings morning and night with an anti-bacterial soap, and other than that, left them relatively alone, for fear of irritating them. However, these actions still did not prevent my next 2 weeks of misery.
Soon after, I noticed my nipples starting to puss more than usual, and the skin on the sides looked as if they were trying to grow over the ball on the barbell. I knew immediately they were infected, but I wasn't overly worried because I'm usually prone to infections which don't last very long. I soon found out I was wrong to remain laid back about the infections.
Just continuing to clean them was not enough, I wasn't seeing any improvement. Stupidly, I went to a rave soon after, where I danced all night and had to leave an hour early because my infections had gone out of control and I knew I needed to get cleaned up. During the rave however, I was talking to my friend Sheena, who had once had nipple piercings, and I told her about my infections. She examined them and said that she had had the same problem, and when she had gone to a professional to have them treated, they told her the barbells were too small. I thought about it for awhile and it made complete sense. The skin was growing over the balls because they were pressing against it, irritating it and blocking off drainage.
When I got home, I exchanged the 2 1/2" barbells with a 5/8" barbell and a 1" barbell (my right nipple was worse off than my left one, and more swollen, so I had to replace that one with a larger size), and later that night when I talked to Phil and told him about the size problem causing an infection, he was glad that I had already changed the jewelry, and told me about salt soaking. He instructed me to mix 1 tsp. of sea salt with 1 cup of warm water, and to soak my piercings for 5-10 minutes each, and to do this every day. I did it right away, and not even a few hours later, I noticed some change, slight as it was. The infections were already getting better.
I was so happy to see this. I was worried that I might have to take my piercings out, or that they would become so infected that my nipple would be damaged, but luckily my worries had a reason to subside finally.
I've been continuing to clean my piercings with anti-bacterial soap twice a day, using a salt soak once a day for at least 5 minutes, and occasionally soaking them in plain warm water when I feel they need to be cleaned. I use the plain warm water in between cleanings because I was also warned that over-cleaning can lead to dryness which can irritate the healing infection even more. My daily piercing-care regimen is proving to be more effective every day, and i'm looking forward to when they are fully healed and I can show them off as my beautiful, healthy, nipple piercings.