OurAndy's Piercing Diary

I have had my ears pierced for some time and love them but for a very, very long time I have been wanting SnakeBite piercings (Im sure I dont need to explain to anyone on here what they are, but just in case. The lower lip is pierced at either side of the mouth and either a ring or stud is put through). I have however not been and had them done because of maybe a little reluctance on my part and the fact that whenever I have discussed it with my friends, they have made a point of giving no support to what I want and practically lecturing me on why I shouldnt get them, how bad they are going to look, its a stupid idea, blah, blah, blah. That is until I discussed it with my friend the lovely Lydia and my friend who I met through soEmo.co.uk the gorgeous Tantra. Both Lydia and Tantra said at the end of the day it was my choice and if it was what I wanted then I should go for it. Which to be honest is all I wanted to hear from any of my other friends, but hey ho.
Tuesday 6th May:
So I was on my way to work in Sheffield, all be it late :P, I really wasnt in the mood to go and had the new boy on my mind. I just thought, right I am going to get my piercings done, so I made my way to Thou Art on Church Walk in Sheffield (its actually about five minutes away from my work). I spoke to the girl at the desk and explained I wanted SnakeBite piercings, she gave me a form to read through which asked me various questions about health, recent consumption of alcohol *whistle*, allergies etc and then at the end I had to sign to give consent to the piercings. I returned the form and handed over my 45.00. She then said I need to go upstairs and just take a seat.
As I was walking upstairs I was beginning to feel rather nervous, I got to the top of the stairs and went to sit down, but my piercer came out of his room and said hi and escorted me in. I took off my jacket and bag, and hung them on the hook. He asked me to sit on the bench/Doctors examination bed and asked me what I was wanting, so I explained the SnakeBite piercings. He then asked me if I had, had any piercings with a needle before. I said I hadnt and was terrified to be honest; he did smile and said its ok, dont worry. He said most people are scared with their first piercing with a needle. He then asked if I would like to see the equipment he was going to use and I said yes, he showed me the clamp, the piercing needle, the studs he would use etc. That did put me at ease a little once I had seen that the needle wasnt really as big as I had imagined.

He washed his hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap, dried his hands on a single use sterile towel and then used the alcohol antibacterial gel. He then put on latex gloves and opened a packet that contained a sterile sheet and placed it on the work medical trolley by his side. My piercer said Ok I need you to sit up straight, looked straight ahead and stare into my eyes (would have been far better if he had been cute, but he really wasnt :P). He positioned himself at my level and the swabbed my bottom lip and all around it with alcohol wipes. He then stared intently at either side of my mouth for a good few minutes then he marked points either side and then had a good stare again, he actually wiped the marks off four times and redid them until he was happy, each time wiping the area down with alcohol wipes. Once he was happy he grabbed a mirror and showed me the marks. He had pretty much hit exactly where I had visualised having them myself so I was really happy and agreed that they were perfect.

He then began getting out sterile clamps, needle, studs and all the other equipment that he needed and placed them on the sterile sheet on the trolley. Whilst he was doing this he went into detail about the importance of the cleaning and aftercare regime. He did explain that due to the location of these particular piercings that the risk of infection was higher than other locations and so that the cleaning regime was very important. He did say as well that cleaning the outside of the piercings more than was suggested on the advisory literature wouldnt really hurt. I must admit this did make me feel a little uneasy again now, but I did understand what he was saying.

My piercer the asked if I wished to sit up for the piercing or lay down, he did say he would recommend laying down as it helps to relax me more and if I do happen to jump there is a low risk of me getting caught or anything. Again this made me feel a bit uneasy but I took his advice and laid down on the on the Doctors table like thing. He then talked me through taking in some deep breaths and letting them out slowly, he got me to do this several times. He then asked if I wanted to have my eyes open or closed, he said he would recommend closed as people often tense up when they see the needle getting closer, so I closed my eyes. He then got me to do another depth breathe in and slow breathe out. He then explained he was going to clamp my lip, which he did, he then asked if I was ready and I said yes. He then said right deep breathe in, breathe out slowly, short stab as he pushed the needle through hear a click I wasnt sure what that was and then I could sense he was screwing the ball onto the end of the bar/stud. He then repeated the process for the other side and I was done. I had a little bleeding which he applied pressure to gently and assured me that, that was quite normal and nothing to worry about.

I cant say that the actual piercing was pain free but it wasnt anywhere near as bad as I had built myself up for. Its a short sharp pain more than anything. My piercer asked if I was ok and said I could sit up whenever I was ready. I sat up and he said ok lets take a look and then he showed me the results in the mirror, I got a big smile on my face when I saw how they looked. He then re-enforced the cleaning regime, gave me the literature and just said to call in if I had any problems. He asked if I had any questions and was I happy, I shook his hand and thanked him for explaining everything really well and for a pretty painless piercing. He asked if he could take my picture and I agreed and then left.

I called my friend who I thought would be out and about in Sheffield, and he agreed to meet me for a drink. I didnt tell him about my new piercings as he was one of the ones who had been going on about me not getting them done. I met up with him and I received lots of lovely comments such as Oh god Andy, why have you butchered yourself, You look stupid and all sorts of supportive comments. To add to it one started bleeding again a little, so I excused myself to the toilet to sort it out. I returned and my friend had been joined by another one of my friends and they both started going on so I decided to leave and head home.

I made my way to the train station and jumped on the next train to Chesterfield, I was rather pissed off with my so called friends comments and as the train I was on was the St Pancras train, I just decided to stay on and head down to London. I gave the new boy a call when I got closer to see what he was up to, and I explained that I was about thirty minutes away, as you can guess he was a little surprised. We met up, I ended up staying until Thursday evening and as the new boy already has lip piercings he took it upon himself to do the cleaning regime for me whilst I was there, I didnt mind at all. :P

Monday 12th May:
Any swelling that I had, has now gone down significantly, ibuprofen is really good for it and Ive got into the habit with the cleaning now. I have little bouts of discomfort now and then and I have noticed a couple of times a little bit of yellow / whitish fluid has sometimes come out when I have been cleaning around the outside of the piercing. I called Thou Art and they said this is quite normal as long as it doesnt smell bad and just advised me to apply gentle pressure with a cotton bud above and below the piercing and this should expel any fluid, which it appears to have done fine. The feeling of having them is taking a little getting used to but I love how they look. :D

Thursday 15th May:
Well my piercings are healing quite well now and the swelling has just about gone. The bruising/redness is now very small and hardly noticable, shaving is a little interesting, however I have managed to shave reasonably ok. I took some photos and uploaded them to soEmo.co.uk yesterday. Hehe my friend Tantra spotted them pretty much straight away. :D I have gotten into the cleaning regime quite easily. I love how my SnakeBites look and have received quite a few compliments on them (I have had a few people laugh, make fun and be arseholes about them as well, but I ignore them).
I have had a few occurrences where the little ball thingies have come off the end of the bars. Damn it's annoying as they are really small and really hard to find. I lost one and ended up improvising with a butterfly of an old ear stud to keep it in until morning when I could get to Thou Art. I went and bought a few new ball thingies, they only cost my 1 each and I carry a spare one with me at all times. I WILL STRESS THAT IT IS A REALLY GOOD IDEA TO BUY SPARE LITTLE BALL THINGIES. :D
Thursday 5th June:
Well as of tomorrow I will have had my SnakeBite's for a month and I have to say I love them to bits. I have stuck to the cleaning regime and cleaned them additional to what they recommended. I have not had any sign of infection and they are healing really well.
Although I shouldn't I have been able to remove the bars and replace them with plastic retainers when I had to (and I do stress had to), when I was going for a technical test and was unsure of my clients health and safety policy on piercings. I found the retainers really uncomfortable compared to the bars as there was little imperfections on the retainers and they irritated my lip. Metal can be polished so its perfectly smooth but it's difficult to do that with plastic.
I haven't suffered any kinda of discomfort since the swelling went (after about a week to ten days). The bars don't irritate my gum's, catch my teeth anything and I haven't suffered any kind of dribbling like that what got mentioned in the forums on here. The only issue I've really had is when the little ball thingies have come off the end, they are a nightmare to find and as I said earlier I got myself a little stock of replacement ones.
I would seriously recommend getting them (or even single lip piercings) to anyone who would like them, it really doesn't hurt that much getting them done and as long as you stick to the cleaning and aftercare routine they should be fine.

100 Things about me:
1 - My full name is Andrew Jason Birley.
2 - My star sign is Leo.
3 - I have grey eyes.
4 - I have to wear corrective contacts but I am not short or long sighted.
5 - I am the oldest of three siblings, but one died leaving me and my sister.
6 - I am approx 6ft 2 Inches in height.
7 - I have eleven scars, of which five were caused by someone else.
8 - I have broken thirteen bones, five in martial arts tournaments.
9 - I hold a Dan Grades in Wado-Ryu Karate, Kyoshu-Jitsu, Iaido and Hapkido but am no longer able to practice due to extensive injury in tournaments.
10 - I had to have my severed left little finger sewn back on after a colleague moved the wrong way during an Iaido demonstration.
11 - I have four piercings, one in each ear and one at either side of my bottom lip.
12 - My favourite colour is red.
13 - I can drive but currently dont.
14 - I own two cars, a 1973 Volkswagen 1303S Beetle and a 1998 Vauxhall Calibra SE9.
15 - I enjoy photography and have sold some of my photographys to galleries around the UK.
16 - I have met less than half of the cousins that I have been told I have.
17 - I have skydived eleven times, seven of which were for charity.
18 - I once threw up out of the third floor window (because I had gotten drunk at lunch time) onto the Head Masters car below.
19 - A history teacher threw a black board rubber at me in frustration because I was questioning the dates he was giving when describing the third crusade, I got suspended even though it turned out that I was correct with the dates and he wasnt.
20 - My IQ was recorded at 159 when I was last properly tested for a job I applied for in 2005.
21 - I worked at Granada Studios in Manchester for two years and would walk up and down Coronation Street most days as there was a data storage facility at the far end.
22 - I almost completed training as a Chef but due to the Hotel group going into receivership I was unable to do so.
23 - I dont usually sleep for more than about three hours per night.
24 - After a challenge from a friend to see just how long I could go without sleep, I stayed awake for nine days without the use of any stimulants.
25 - I spent four weeks sleeping on the beach at Fistral Bay and spending my days surfing.
26 - I spent two weeks alone in Trossachs National Park in Scotland with nothing more than a sleeping bag, a one man tent, the clothes I had on and some cooking pots.
27 - I have been diagnosed with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and do suffer the symptoms constantly but I try not to let it rule my life.
28 - I have also been diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, an example being if the number of steps from my house to the train station arent the same as the first day I made the walk I wont get on the train.
29 - I lost my virginity to another boy of the same age at thirteen, and my virginity with a girl at the age of twenty, although I had, had sex before thirteen but not through my choice.
30 - I was vegetarian for many years but had to return to eating meat when I almost died in hospital and it was found that I was unable to absorb the iron and nutrients I needed from injections and tablets.
31 - I have twice witnessed someone die.
32 - I would like to visit Japan some day.
33 - I skipped school with two friends when I wasnt quite eleven to go to the first Live Aid Concert.
34 - I came out at my parents Church Garden Party by saying to the girl my mother was trying to set me up with by saying Im sure youre really nice and everything, but Im sorry I only have sex with men, so unless youve got a cock under your dress, I kind of doubt anythings going to happen!.
35 - Me and my friend Fluff went out one Thursday night starting in Sheffield, visited Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Derby, Birmingham, Leicester, Bristol, London and Portsmouth, visiting thirty eight clubs, seeing over forty eight DJs and changed into nine different cyber wear outfits along the way. We returned home six days later. We were featured in MixMag for our adventure.
36 - I was an active member of a conservation activist group for three years.
37 - I believe that life exists on other worlds.
38 - I dont believe in God or the Devil, but I do believe there is something after this existence.
39 - I have never done any revision for any exam in my life, but have only not achieved a good mark twice.
40 - I have been employed in fourteen different professions during my working life.
41 - I am severely allergic to nuts.
42 - Money is of little importance to me as long as I have enough to live my life.
43 - Happiness is my single biggest thought, but I don't expect anyone to make me happy.
44 - Im not afraid of getting older but I do wander if my body will be able to keep up with what I put it through.
45 - I have no wish to have children but I do sometimes wander what they would be like.
46 - When I was ten I performed on stage in front of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and when meeting the Duke and Duchess after the show I asked the Duke if he always smelled like that.
47 - I live alone in a three bed roomed house.
48 - I live in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
49 - I was originally going to be named Rainbow Reece, but I assume my parents stopped smoking the wacky baccy.
50 - You are now half way through.
51 - I hate having to think about decisions, I am happier making decisions on the spot, I dont think about both options, I just select one, go with it and never debate it.
52 - My laptop never leaves my side.
53 - I love reading comics.
54 - Me and two friends once walked through Doncaster town centre on a Saturday afternoon in flip-flops, hot-pant type denim shorts and crop tops,singing its raining men.
55 - I crashed my Dads new Lotus at one hundred thirty miles per hour only nineteen hours after he had picked it up.
56 - I have been arrested nine times.
57 - I learnt to play guitar when I was younger and played in a band until I was seventeen, but I havent played in years now.
58 - Cheese on toast and a mug of tea is my saviour after a heavy night out.
59 - I would die without my hair straightners.
60 - I love to surf on the sea whenever I get chance.
61 - I dont care what people think of me as long as they let me be me.
62 - I have been on three blind dates.
63 - I am a very private person despite being rather outgoing.
64 - I taught myself how to lay bricks and plaster walls.
65 - I never walk under signs or tread on grates / man-hole covers.
66 - I never buy a ticket before I get on a train.
67 - I have only ever missed one Global Gathering.
68 -I prefer to sleep in the day when I can and be awake at night.
69 - I dont get mad, I get even.
70 - I dont have regrets about anything.
71 - When Professor X gets killed in X-Men 3, I began to cry and it took me nearly fifteen minutes to stop.
72 - The first time I went to CyberDog in Camden, I ran up 1700 on my credit card.
73 - I would love to live in Barcelona.
74 - I prefer baths to showers.
75 - Im a dog person, rather than a cat person, although I dont have either.
76 - I live life, rather than just being alive.
77 - I hardly ever smile on photographs.
78 - I would rather be too cold than too hot.
79 - I set my alarm clock thirty minutes before I really need to so I can doze for 30 minutes before getting up.
80 - I regularly leave my mobile in random places.
81 - I have a terrible memory.
82 - I love musicals.
83 - I used to run a rescue centre for guinea pigs, rabbits and other small animals.
84 - I hold honesty in very high regard and always to be honest even if its good or bad.
85 - If I get a cold / flu I am really mardy and no matter what anyone says I am in fact close to death. I tend to never leave bed and sulk until it goes.
86 - With the exception of my sister, my friends are more important to me than family.
87 - I almost got married, but called it off two weeks before the big day.
88 - I am a qualified first aider.
89 - I adore really old Hollywood films.
90 - I am rather sentimental when it comes to holding onto what most people would probably think was junk if it has some meaning or a memory for me.
91 - I can get really angry if someone tries to make me change my views and ideas to what someone else thinks they should be.
92 - I recycle everything that I am able to.
93 - I never kill spiders.
94 - I do believe in karma.
95 - I get giggly after not sleeping for a few days.
96 - I have pretended to be on the phone if I have spotted someone I didnt wish to speak to.
97 - Im always late.
98 - I can be quite messy, but then I go clean freak for a few weeks.
99 - I hate ironing.
100 - I get bored quickly if Im not stimulated or see the point in something.