I live in a prairie province in Canada. Every person here is so numbingly normal it's almost scary. I have a tendency to be the "black sheep" and I have always been like that. So when I realized that I was falling into a stereotype I knew I had to do something about it right away! I have a few piercings already, nothing too hardcore. Just a navel, tongue, and I had a munroe but had to take it out because it was interfering at work (I paint and sandblast oilfield equipment). I knew I wanted to get my nipples done but was a little freaked out by the whole idea of it. Not to mention that I had to go at it alone because no one could come with me. I had been tossing the idea around in my head for a long while, and then something just clicked last week and I put on my shoes and coat and walked out the door.
At A Glance Author girlfromalberta Contact girlfromalberta@bme.anon When A week ago Studio Raz's Tattoo Location Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada I arrived at Raz's Tattoo shop and was greeted with a smile from the girl behind the counter. I had my munroe done there so I think she may have remembered me. I went up to the counter and asked her if the piercer had a spare moment. She asked me what I wanted done and I said "2 nipples please" like I was ordering up coffee! She said that he would be glad to do it and she had me fill out the standard form (you all know what it looks like!). I filled it out and my piercer called me to the mysterious back room. When I got there the smell of cleaning solution filled my nostrils. I felt better already, not to mention a little light headed! He asked me if the nipples were all that was on the piercing agenda for today and I accidentally blurted out "No, I want to get my nose done too!" He looked at me with a sly smile and said "okay brave girl, which would you like done first?" I figured that I would get my nostril pierced first because then I would have the pain of that to concentrate on while he was shoving needles through my nipples. So that's what he did. He pierced my nose and I didn't even feel it.
Then the time had come to say goodbye to my bare nipples and get ready to say hello to my nipples with metal in them. I was very nervous. Usually I have someone with me when I get pierced. He told me to stand up and "show me those nipples" I think that's how he put it! I laughed, which is a good thing because humor always makes me feel better when I am nervous. So I stood up and took off my shirt and bra (and damn was it ever cold in that room). He marked both my nipples with a blue meat marker thing and asked me if the marks met my standards. I agreed and he went to work. I laid down on the dentist chair and he put the clamps on my left nipple. I made the mistake of looking down at the needle just as it was going into my skin and I jumped and let out a loud yelp. I wasn't expecting it, he caught me off guard. Anyway, when I jumped he had to stop the needle from going any further through my skin and finally when I calmed down he had to shove it really hard and fast through the other side of my skin. I can't even describe to you the pain that I was feeling at that moment. Now I had a burning nostril and a THROBBING left nipple, I thought I was going to pass out. He was very nice about the whole thing and told me that there was no pressure to get the other nipple done if it was going to be too much for me. I thought to myself "are you kidding? after all this, I am just going to walk away and then have to come back here to get the other one done? F**K THAT!" I said "No way, just do it now and be QUICK about it!!!" He said okay and went to work on the other nipple. The right nipple didn't hurt at all; mind you I did have my mind on a few other things at that particular moment. When it was all said and done I thanked my piercer for being so patient with me and he told me all about the aftercare of my 3 new piercings. I went out and paid and I left.
The drive home was an interesting one seeing as I didn't want to lift my arms to steer my big truck. I felt very light headed but I blame myself entirely for that one because I didn't have anything to eat before I went. All in all it was a good experience for me, it did hurt terribly, but that's just something that you live with. I have been cleaning my 3 new piercings religiously, following all the instructions given to me by my piercer. Everything seems to be okay so far. I had some initial bleeding that kind of freaked me out, but everyone I talked to says it's totally normal.
If you are thinking about getting your nipples pierced, you should go for it! As long as it's for the right reasons! They look great and I am really happy with them. I don't have a digital camera but if I ever get my hands on one I will definitely post some pictures of my newly pierced nipples for all to see!