The end of an era…

****warning****not for the squeamish****

About four or five years ago, I got my navel pierced. I was torn on doing this for so long. Let me back up a bit. Someone who was very close to me knew that I wanted to get it pierced for the longest time, but I was always self conscious about my ever fluctuating weight. As a Christmas present, she gave me a home made certificate saying that whenever I am ready to do it, she would bring me to get my navel pierced and she would pay for it. A few years went buy and I still had not cashed in on that opportunity. I wanted it, but in the back of my head, something kept telling me not to do it. I was putting it off for a reason, not that I knew what that reason was… I just knew I was putting it off… until one day I received a phone call saying that we were going to the piercing studio that day. I was nervous. I was scared, but I finally said yes.

I remember this trip like it was yesterday. The studio was down a deserted road, next to a warehouse. If it has been night time, I thought it would have been a perfect setting for a bad horror movie. The studio in front of a railroad yard, but I suppose the good news is that the police station was close by as well.

We entered the studio and waited for what seemed like an eternity. I think we had to wait for someone to come back to the studio – I don’t really remember – but it was a long wait. He eventually showed us to the room. He pulled out all the sterilized equipment and laid it out on a clean tray. He was talking as I looked through the jewelry, trying to find something that fit my style – while being sensitive to budget.

I found a few options – but they were all shot down. Apparently I have a deep belly button and needed one of a longer length. There were very few – so I ended up with a curved steel barbell. Simple and plain.

It was finally my turn to get stuck with the HUGE @SS needle. I sat back on a char, as he cleaned off my stomach with iodine. He then took a pair of forceps and held onto a chunk of my belly – not a flattering motion. As he squeezed the skin together he pushed a long, curved needle into my skin. That REALLY hurt, but felt so strange. I then felt the warmth of a few drops of blood.

He cleaned up the area and I was done. I was sore, but not in pain. I liked how it looked, but still had this funny feeling in the back of my head.

The next few weeks I had to be extremely careful with it. I could not wear nylons under skirts. All my jeans were a tad too high and hitting RIGHT where it sat. I washed it with antibiotic soap every day… I took care of it as I was supposed to. Every night, sleep was uncomfortable, until it began to heal.

Fast Forward a few years, to the present. After these past four years (or sp) it still had not healed completely. It would be fine, then after wearing nylons two days in a row, it would get all angry at me. Sometimes It would get crusty ( I know, VERY GROSS) half-way through the day because it was getting irritated. I ALWAYS was aware of it. I could not sleep on my belly for more then an hour or two per night – then it would get angry with me. Essentially my life was being run by a freaking piece of metal stuck into my body!

For the past few months I had been thinking of removing it. I was getting sick and tired of always having to readjust my clothes, and just having to be AWARE of it around the clock.

Last week I made my decision, and it is now out. It has been out for 5 days now, and it feels wonderful. I am not having to squirm around and readjust my clothes. I don’t have to consistently clean it with antibiotic soap and worry about it getting infected. I don’t have to be controlled by that freaking piece of metal that I wasn’t even in love with in the first place.

Ahhh…. My belly can breath again.