DAY ONE:
I was so nervous last night that I could barely sleep. It felt like the day before your first day at a new school. I woke up very anxious and excited. I had made the appt to have it done at the Sierra Tattoo Company in Oakhurst by Valerie. My first (and only so far) tattoo was done by her amazing husband Tom. I'd watched her do a couple of piercings and knew what to look for. She was exactly the kind of piercer I wanted to do my tongue. Clean, gentle, and genuinely friendly. I picked up my friend Jeff, who was also getting poked, and we headed out on our 45 minute drive. Cruising along to the sounds of Dance Hall Crashers, Reverend Horton Heat and Rancid we arrived at the shop a little early. Valerie was running a bit behind and was in the process of preparing to do a tongue piercing when we walked in. I was more than happy to have the delay. It offered me the opportunity to calm down a bit and I also got to watch the procedure on another girl. She seemed fine after the pierce and said the famous words: "It didn't hurt at all." Now, I'd heard this from several people but couldn't believe the idea that a needle going thru your tongue didn't hurt. I was so right. My turn came and Valerie measured my tongue and I picked out a 14ga 3/4 barbell. I rinsed with some minty listerine. 3 minutes with listerine in your mouth is enough to make eyes water. At least it did mine. Then came the placement followed by the clamps. I was trying to focus on my breathing to calm the butterflies going wild in my belly. She place the cork underneath my tongue and placed the needle on top of my tongue. I closed my eyes now and she told me to take a deep breath and on my exhale she would push the needle thru. This part is always scary. You take the deep breath and know that at some point you'll need to exhale, but when you do you'll feel something you can't imagine. I definitely felt the needle go thru from beginning to end. It was a very strange feeling. I think I would go so far as to say it was real pain. Very intense, but only lasting for 2 seconds. With the jewelry in she screwed on the bottom ball and I was allowed to catch my breath for a minute. It was a bit difficult getting my tongue out of my mouth when she needed to tighten the balls, but I managed with some skill I didn't know I possessed. I sat dazed for a few moments while Tom asked me several times if I was feeling ok. Then came the best part ! The RUSH. Ahh, tingly all over and a little spacey. Wonderful little vibrations all over. I was able to talk ok for the first hour but didn't want to having read that talking too much equals more swelling.
Next it was Jeff's turn. His pierce didn't go quite as smoothly because his frenulum( I think that's the right word, the little webbing underneath your tongue) is a lot closer to the front than mine. I was glad I went first! If I had watched him first I may have chickened out.
So, things went ok.. were both alive. I paid for the new metal in my mouth and we headed to the store to get some ice water and ice. I couldn't feel any swelling right away but it was strange having metal thru my tongue. The bottom is a bit uncomfortable, but not too bad.
I made the mistake of not eating the morning before the pierce. I was SO hungry later and all I could manage to eat was some tomato soup. Mom had made a delicious smelling bbq dinner and I was bummed that i couldn't have any. I tried mashing some baked beans but that just wasn't happening. I couldn't use my tongue at all to move the food around in my mouth. I took some ibuprofen and settled in to watch some tv. Later I had some of a cherry slushee from Fosters. The cold felt good, but it tasted a lot like metal. I fell asleep pretty early and was surprised to find that I slept very well, no waking up worrying about having swallowed the barbell.
DAY TWO:
The first thing I did when I woke up was check to see that the barbell was still securely in my mouth. Having done that I attempted to brush my teeth very carefully. After the brushing my tongue was stinging a bit and was definitely swollen. I took some ibuprofen and tried to eat some vegetable soup. That didn't work and I settled for a nestle sweet success later in the day. I was a little worried about the milk content, having heard that one should avoid dairy products for about 4 weeks. I rinsed right after with a 50/50 mixture of listerine and water though. I wouldn't say my tongue is particularly painful today, more like a mild discomfort. It's hard not to think about it. With my other piercings I knew they were there but it was easy to forget. With this one everytime I swallow I'm reminded of the metal in my tongue. I can't wait to bite into a cheeseburger and have a milkshake.
Talking is still not something i want to do often. I have to really concentrate on the words when I say them and I'm slurring most of them. It's not too difficult for me to stay quiet. I usually am anyways. :)
DAYS 3-5:
Things are getting better. It was still quite swollen on the 3rd day. Liquid or very mushy food only. Speech was about the same. Yesterday (day 4) was WAY better. I was able to eat real food! Slowly and carefully, but damn it tasted good. Today is the 5th day and it feels pretty much the same as yesterday so far. Still a little swollen, speech is getting better. Today is my last day off of work for rest so I better enjoy it. Hey, it's my day off what the fuck am I doing on the computer?!? Enough of the tongue update, I have to get my ass moving. :)
DAYS 6-NOW
Tongue feels fine. All the swelling is
gone. I'm back to talking pretty normal, unless I'm lazy and slur
a word beginning or ending with th. I'm still rinsing with sea salt
water. Gave up on the listerine. I ordered a new barbell that
should be here tomorrow. Purple niobium... Mm, pretty.
So, that's it for the tongue.. only uncomfortable for a week at the
most and now I have pretty metal in my mouth.
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