I had gotten my 5th piercing about four weeks ago. If I remember the date correctly it was May 23rd. I decided to get a snake eyes piercing, which is a horizontal tongue piercing usually placed at the tip of the tongue.

I had gotten it done at a small shop up in my college town since I was still there until the end of the week and didn't really want to wait until I got home. I had gone to the same shop back in August when I got my thigh tattoos, so I knew the guy and trusted him.

If anyone is wondering pain: The piercing itself didn't hurt too much. It was very similar to the feeling of biting your tongue, not pleasant but not lasting. It was the pressure from the clamp that truly hurt.

Now, my piercer had told me how to take care of it, things to watch out for, and other general advice like any good piercer does. So, of course, I did what he said. Things like mouthwash are critical when taking care of a mouth piercing in order to help prevent infection. I did as I was told. Mouthwash after eating, smoking, or really putting anything in your mouth (that sounds bad, but I was referring to sodas, other sugary drinks, etc). I did that.

And all seemed good.

Unfortunately for me, my mouth didn't get the "don't get infected" memo. I was nearing about a two and a half weeks when I started having some pains in the mornings. Honestly, I brushed it off as my tongue just being irritated from my tongue moving throughout the night.

Probably a bad move.

Sunday, June 4, I got home from spending the day with friends with ungodly pain in my mouth.

I noticed things throughout the day that made me more and more uneasy. It hurt to have water touch my tongue. The swelling seemed to be coming back, and it was difficult to eat, drink, and talk. According to my parents, the area around the bulbs was really red, which is a sign of infection. I was unable to get the piercing out, and neither could my friends or parents so that night I decided to go to the ER to get it out of my mouth.

My tongue was pretty infected. The Dr. put me on an antibiotic, and I've been dealing with it since. It's not going away easy (though it is much better).

Now, before someone tells me "this is what I get for getting a piercing" or "maybe you shouldn't have gotten it": I have four other body piercings. I would have 6 if my ear lobes hadn't closed. I know the risks I am taking when I get a body piercing. Saying things like that doesn't help, and more than likely I'm not listening. It was my choice to get my tongue done, and while I am upset that it didn't work out, there's no way around some things. I got it, it got infected, now it's gone.

(Let people enjoy things)

A couple things to take away:

1. Even if you do what your piercer says and it gets infected it is not the piercers fault. Sometimes bodies reject objects.

2. Just because you don't like something (like piercings) doesn't mean you should force that upon someone who does OR constantly remind them of your dislike.

3. If you have a piercing that gets infected, get it out as soon as you can so it doesn't get worse with time.