y! The Pain!!!!!

Here I am, sitting in Black Hole with a

needle sticking out of my upper lip and tears starting to form in my eyes, I don't think I've felt anything more painful in the entirety of my 19 years.... But yet, I'm smiling... or smiling as much as someone with a needle sticking through her lip is able to smile without jabbing herself. I'm elated, ecstatic... in excruciating pain, but I've finally got my medusa. I've been wanting this for years I keep telling myself, but damned if this doesn't hurt.
My mind keeps wandering between elation at the thought of how soon, it'll be over and I'll have my fifth lovely lip piercing, and how I wish Mike (the piercer) would get the damned stud through and quit pulling on my poor lip. I didn't quite expect it... the pain that is. I think that's because, save for my labret, the three piercings in my bottom lip (one center and one on either side) didn't hurt anywhere near this bad. Actually, in all honesty, the first one (middle) I barely felt at all, and the second and third ones (on either side) were only a little worse, I think because I got them together. That leads me to the labret... that was a touch more painful still, but not too bad... nothing like the medusa. So, here I am, the stud is in, but for whatever reasons Mike is having a hell of a time getting the bead screwed on the end of the stud, I'm trying not to clench my teeth which I was afraid would cause me to bite him, so he finally takes a little break, still holding the stud in from the back to keep it from falling out. I cock my eyebrow (or where an eyebrow should be since mine are shaved off) in a silent question asking him what the problem is. He replies to me that something was stuck and he couldn't get it off and so he can't get the bead screwed on until it's gone. (I still don't understand what he was talking about; so if anyone knows, please write and tell me cause I'm still curious.) So, after a little time to give my abused lip a break, he goes back to it. FINALLY!!! After what felt like an hour, which was probably only a couple of minutes, whatever he was fighting with comes off and the bead is screwed on. YIPPEE! I stand and look at the mirror. Beautiful. I smile. Perfect. I stare at myself a little while. I think I'm in heaven, I've never been so happy with myself... Then all of a sudden, wooooo I feel a little lightheaded so I sit down and Mike brings me some water. I take a few sips and a couple of minutes later I begin to feel better then grin like a cat that just had a steak with cream for dessert. I start giggling. My friend, Brad, who'd recommended Black Hole, is sitting in a chair across the room trading slightly puzzled glances with Mike. After several minutes of my maniacal giggling fit, it subsides so I glance between the two of them, slightly embarrassed. (I'd never done anything like THAT with my previous piercing experiences.) Brad just glanced at me and shrugged. Mike tried to keep from grinning while he told me that it happens sometimes. I just shook my head and smiled, then got up for the second time, walked to the mirror and looked at my medusa, it's a little red, and only slightly sore cause the pain really only lasted while he was messing with the stud. Mike asks me if I'm ok to walk back downstairs, I reply yes and hold the handrail as I CAREFULLY go down to the waiting area to pay. I pay the girl behind the counter and she mentions that I still look a little pale, and tells Brad (whom she knows) to go next door and get me something with sugar in it, then tells me to sit down for a while longer. I sit and sip my soda while we all chatted and I calmed down. DAMN what an experience that was!! It hurt like hell, but it's now three weeks later and healing nicely, no more crusties, no more redness or swelling. In fact, the only real pain I've felt from since a couple of days after it was done was when it accidentally got caught on someone's hair at a nightclub. Well, I'd say that about sums the whole thing up... but if someone wants a pic of my piercings (not that they're aren't a ton of pictures just like them on here already,) you're more than welcome to write me and I'll send one to ya. I'm not done with my piercings yet, and need to let this one heal for a bit before I get more; but when they're done, I'm sure I'll have another experience to share.