I will also be including the back story of each tattoo, when I got them (including piercings), healing process, pain level, and retired piercings.
Tattoos
Back story:
This was my very first tattoo. I got it when I was 19, around Christmas in 2008. My husband designed it for me. Now I know that some people are gonna be like "OMG now your relationship will never last! Ya'll are gonna break up! I can't believe you did that!" Well this was done when I had only been married for 5 months, and my husband and I are celebrating our 6 year anniversary in July and are still going strong. I like to think of it as a beautiful reminder of our anniversary so neither of us can forget it. It is on my chest above my left breast. It's very straight forward, our names in an infinity symbol with our wedding date.
Pain level:
Never let someone tell you that tattoos don't hurt. They lie. Every tattoo will hurt no matter where it is on you. After all it is a bunch of needles stabbing you over and over again at a high rate of speed. So point blank YES THIS HURT. Everyone has a different pain tolerance. Mine is fairly high, meaning things that other people could perceive as very painful don't really bother me.
Most people can relate to a scale reference. So on a scale from 1-10 one being not painful at all and ten being the most excruciating pain you can imagine, this tattoo was a 4 or 5. The entire tattoo took 30 minutes (no breaks) so I still had plenty of endorphins left.
Healing process:
After the tattoo was finished it was covered and I was instructed to let it be for 4 hours then go home and wash it gently with unscented antibacterial soap. Then to apply Tattoo Goo (can now be found at Walmart) which is this lip balm like substance that comes in a little pot that hydrates and helps your tattoo to heal. And then to apply the Goo 2 times daily or when it itched. So that's what I did. It took about 4 to 6 weeks to fully heal. Some tattoos will peel and form scabs, I only had one teeny tiny little scab and that was it. And like with all tattoos I couldn't submerge it in water for 6 weeks.
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Back story:
I had been dreaming about this tattoo for years. I finally got my dream tattoo just last year in the end of January 2013. This one as you can tell is on my ribs (right side). Now I consider this one big tattoo and others say its 6 different tattoos, you can decide which you'd like to call it. This tattoo is 3 butterflies
(one big two small) and 3 dragonflies (one big two small) done in black and grey with different colored "movement" lines. The big dragonfly and butterfly represent my parents. The 4 smaller "flies" represent my brothers and sisters. Each "fly" has the corresponding person's favorite color. The meaning is that to the world they all just blend in but the each leave their mark (the colors) on the world.
Pain level:
This tattoo on the scale was an 8-9. The ribs are a bony area so it makes sense. It took 5 1/2 hours to complete (with two 10 minute breaks) and this was finished in one sitting. The artist was also VERY heavy handed which makes it a little worse, and I had worked a full 8 hours that day starting at 6 am, so needless to say I was exhausted when I left the shop. But surprisingly on the large butterfly and the large dragon fly I fell asleep until he hit the area that starts to run under my breast, then I woke up in a hurry. By the time he was working on the "movements", I was writhing in pain. I had no endorphins left, I had used them all up by the 4th hour. When he was finished I was EXTREMELY sore. It made it very difficult to drive home.
Healing process:
Unfortunately this tattoo did not heal as well as my first. The picture is from about a week after it was completed. It didn't peel just like the first time, but I did scab pretty badly one some of the "flies" especially the butterfly with the blue "movement" now that it is completely healed that butterfly has holes in the wings where the ink was pulled out (and I did not pick it). The others have holes from scabs but mainly from where my bra would rub even though I had it taped up. But the blue butterfly's is the most noticeable and even then it's not really. I had the same instructions as before wait 4 hours, wash it and apply the Goo.
Piercings
My very first piercing was my lobes as it probably is for most people. I got them done for my 16th birthday. I had them done with a gun (MISTAKE!) and it was honestly a 1 on the scale. It was a slight pinch and that was it. I cleaned them twice a day and twisted them once a day and they healed in 6 weeks right on schedule. No infections or any problems.
I got my second lobe piercing done next when I was 18. (Again MISTAKE!) again a 1 out of 10 and a little pinch. They healed fine just like my first lobes.
My tongue was my first "body" piercing. I got the gumption one day to go get a piercing and went for it. I believe I got this in November of 2011. This was a literal 0 out of 10 for the initial piercing. After that it became swollen and sore (totally normal). This was my most annoying piercing because of the healing process. It is a tedious 6 weeks. After you do anything with your mouth (eating, drinking, smoking, nail biting, etc.) you have to swish with an alcohol free mouthwash, and after a while my taste buds had all but burned off. Thank god they grow back. Now it's completely healed and I've never had a problem.
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I got my nose pierced about 2 weeks after my second tattoo in February 2013. My husband was busy getting his tattoo done at the same shop and I was bored so I decided to get a piercing. This was like a 2 out of 10. It mainly made my eyes water. This was just like taking care of my lobes, clean twice daily. It took about 8 weeks to fully heal. My only complaint is that it closes up fairly quickly. I lost my nose ring one night while I was sleeping and the next morning it was "closed". I remembered that if you don't wear earrings in your ears for a long time you develop a flesh plug which is just a bit of flesh that fills in the hole but can be pushed out. And that's what I did, I cleaned an earring and pushed it through. Opened it right back up. Now this will still get a bit sore from time to time but nothing major.
**UPDATE**
12.05.2014
I unfortunately had to retire this piercing earlier than I wanted to. I had surgery back in October and had to remove all jewlery. When I left the hospital I tried to put it back in but I was too groggy and by the time I woke up fully (2 days later) the hole was completely gone. :(
Retired Piercings:
I did have my third lobe holes done (with a gun) when I was 18 almost 19 (2007-2008). But the earring was made with palladium and my ears did NOT like it what so ever. They hurt all the time and would not heal and started to reject. So I sadly took them out.
I also had my helix (cartilage in ear) pierced on both sides. And yes with a gun. This was April of 2010. These too did not want to heal and hurt all the time. They also started to reject after a year. And again sadly I took them out.
So those are my tattoos and piercings both current and retired. I am as usual planning a whole bunch more but my husband and I trade off, so when I get one I can't have another until he gets one. But it's my turn now! HAHA! As a word of warning, don't take my experiences as this is how every tattoo or piercing will feel or heal. Everyone heals differently and everyone's body deals with piercings differently so talk to your piercer or tattoo artist before going willy nilly into getting something.
Little Tidbits:
I have been woken up for the past 3 days to my dog chasing her tail on my bed.
Anyone ever put up a green or hot house for veggies? I have :)
I found the most giant chicken egg at my PawPaw's today. That poor hen must have wanted to die!
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