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A few months after I turned 18, I decided I wanted a decoration of some sort. Too chicken for tattoos, (not the pain, just couldn't decide what I'd like to be stuck with for the rest of my life) didn't want a tongue piercing cause I still had braces, didn't know if it would tangle with my expander (a wire that goes across the roof of your mouth) So considering the weight I'd recently lost, I figured showing off my tummy would be great. I went to Snakes in Colorado Springs. The smeared my belly with iodine, clamped the skin at the top of my belly button. It was kind of uncomfortable, but the next thing I knew she was putting the piercing in and taking the needle out. Didn't feel it at all. Thirty minutes later the iodine creeped into the hole. Owie. The burning sensation didn't leave till the next morning, even after I took a shower it burned.
Two weeks later it was still red, kinda swollen, and I woke up to find the captive bead gone. So off I went to the flea market to find a new piercing (several jewlery shops put up stands there) What I found was an incredible dude that worked for a tattoo shop. He took a look at my belly and gave me some options. It was infected, (Snakes has a reputation for using dirty needles) and he could sell me a new piercing and have me clean it myself, or he could repierce it at the tattoo place for the same price, to make sure it was done right. He suggested a hoop instead of a banana bell so the swelling wouldn't bother it. Several hours later, I'm on what looks like a doctor's bed, my eyes watering from the pain. No clamp this time, he had to thread the needle through the infected tissue. There was a group of dudes at the door of the room watching, and I was wearing shorts. Crap. At least my modesty probably blocked out some of the pain. One of the dudes made a comment about the tears running down my face. Adam (the one piercing me) turned around and said "You know what? Why don't I jab this needle through your tongue freehand after you've been pierced with a rusty nail, and see if you don't scream like a little girl! She's taking this like a champ" That made me feel a little better, and got me through the rest of the process. He gave me some strict instructions for taking care of it, and gave me his number, should I have any problems.
It healed well after that. About six weeks later I changed the piercing back to a barbell (the hoop never sat right) A year later, I went to florida. Dang thing falls out in the middle of a paintball tournament (World Cup 2001, of all times!) By the time I got somewhere to buy a new one, the hole closed up. It never healed all the way. Two and a half years later, I still have a visible hole above my belly button (only the center closed up) and a bunch of scar tissue. I've been told the only way to fix it is to repierce it, and heal it properly. Not sure I wanna go through all that work.
Submitted by: Danbenadam@aol.com.
Experience Added 07/30/2003