For several years now, I have wanted to get my navel pierced. I've always thought they looked very cute and even dainty. My friends had theirs done, and I thought they looked great. I would constantly see pictures of navel piercings plastered across the internet, as if they were taunting my bare unpierced navel. A pretty gem attached to a silver bar in someone’s midriff easily sent me into a pit of envy. I wanted my navel pierced as soon as possible. The only issue was a lack of time and a ride to the studio.
However, my friend soon called me up. She wanted company at the studio as she had another cartilage piercing she wanted to get done. I agreed to accompany her, and we called our piercer to make an appointment. After four years of wanting this piercing, I finally had the perfect opportunity to get it.
On the day my piercing was scheduled, I made sure to eat a small breakfast. I get really nervous about getting pierced and didn't want to make myself feel sick. I also didn't want to faint after I was pierced. I went with my friend to our local piercer in the afternoon. She has done several of our piercings and always has done a fantastic job in the past. Pat greeted us upon arrival. We made small talk before getting down to business. She asked us which piercings we wanted done that day. I told her that I wanted my navel pierced. My friend told her about wanting to get another cartilage piercing beside her old one.
It was then time to get pierced. I picked out my jewelry, a plain plastic black bananabell. Pat made me feel at ease. She talked me through the entire process. I watched her wash her hands and put on a fresh, clean pair of gloves. She marked the placement of my navel piercing. I looked in the mirror and gave her the okay. I then laid down and took deep, calming breathes. This didn’t last long, because my friend kept making random jokes and funny faces to try to make me less nervous. Thankfully Pat was very patient with me. She waited until I stopped laughing then showed me the needle and clamps. Pat placed the clamps on my navel. That was probably the worst part. It felt as if my navel was on fire. I then took a deep breath, and she pushed the needle through.
I was not prepared for the small pinch. I thought the pain would be much worse than what it really was. The nearly painless aspect of it really surprised me. Pat slid my jewelry into place as quickly as possible. There was some slight trouble getting it to slide in, but the jewelry was soon in place. Pat screwed on the ball and that was that. I continued to lay there for a little longer, reluctant to get up too soon and risk fainting or being lightheaded. By this time, my navel throbbed slightly and was red. There was no blood that I could readily see. I had expected this reaction. I got up slowly and switched places with my friend. Unfortunately I had gotten up too fast. Before I could faint, I sat down and waited until my friend was pierced. Once she had been pierced, we paid and said our goodbyes to Pat. I ended up lying across the backseat of the car the entire way home to avoid the possibility of fainting or being lightheaded. We joked the entire way home about it. All in all, it was still a great experience. Next time, I plan to take some sugar water with me to avoid any fainting spells.
When I came home, I was all a flutter about my new piercing. I showed my family, whose reactions were a mixture of awe and thinking I was weird for being so overjoyed about a piece of jewelry in my midriff. This did not stop the spread of my joy. I was in love with my new navel piercing. There was very little blood the first evening, and no blood at all every evening afterwards. The minimal pain, minor swelling, and redness were just a part of getting pierced that I had long since learned deal with. A nice saline soak helped reduce the swelling and redness. I clean it daily and refrain from touching it as much as possible. Occasionally it gets snagged by a shirt. Sometimes I forget it’s there and accidentally brush it with a hand. Neither feels too great. Despite this, however, I would never take out my navel piercing. It has become of part of me, a part I cherish every single day. I would gladly do it all over again.
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