Yes.. about that navel piercing.
For 28 years of my life, I have never participated in any body arts nor piercings. Though they did crossed my mind many times throughout the years I just did not muster enough courage to go for it. Besides, mom has vehemently opposed to any tattoos to be imprinted onto any parts of my body and she displayed the similar warning as to my pleas to ride a sweet & innocent Vespa:
"If you did it without my consent, I'll break all ties with you!"
Facing such a powerful threat, all the negotiations I had been plotting before the discussion were cancelled out without a doubt.
Anyway, a month before my 28th birthday I decided to do it once and for all. Navel piercing is the best option. It's something mild, less risky, less painful and a babystep to the world of body arts. Thru word of mouth I managed to find a shop where I can enjoy discounts by friend's recommendation. Not only that, I conducted intensive research on the basic knowledge of navel piercing as well as thorough read-up on its aftercare two weeks before the execution. Hey, its my skin at stake and my health at risk so it's always good to gain some knowledge before you venture anything, aight!
I pulled my girlfriends to be my cheerleaders and off we went, on the 18th of Feb. Rinku, the pretty piercer gave me a lot of freedom on the choice of studs and even took time to repeat the aftercare instructions. Well that was before the piercing.. can you imagine how nervous I was?! Finally she led me to a little room where I was told to lie down on an old dentist chair... gawd, the whole setting would look like a scene from Hellraiser if there was power failure in her shop. After I was settled down with eyes staring at the ceiling, Rinku busied herself with sterilization, cleaning up, taking measurements etc.. I began to daydream until a sharp pain fired into my nerves almost immediately yet, briefly. It was almost like the thick needle piercing thru your veins at the blood donation drive, except it was done without anaesthesia.
And so there, my crystal stud hung on my navel like a sore thumb. Of course my cheerleaders did their part; they teased me of pale face and wet eyes even though they were kept outside the execution room.
Yeah, these are my girls alright.
At first I thought water could cause abrasive pain onto the wound but no, it didn't. There was slight discomfort during the cleaning (twice a day with saline for the first week, seasalt solution from the second week onwards), oh yeah I clean them religiously, no matter how early I have to head out, how late I reach home or how my mind always starts to shutdown for the journey to dreamland... I clean them accordingly, without fail, without a break from routine and without any mishaps. But guess what? I had infection towards the end of first week. White pus that couldn't be removed. The area began to look awfully red and sore. Suddenly the supposed-to-be artwork became mutated. I hurried over to Rinku and she gave me another set of detailed instructions. Since then, everything seems fine but it still looks unhealthy. Erh.. I guess it's due to the reckless intakes of seafood and eggs. I just can't resist them! :P
Attached is a pic of my little gem, taken a day after the piercing. It looks pretty neat huh? That wasn't so when the infection crowded around the wound but I shall spare you from any graphic details... not that I dun have any *wink*
(by the way, mom doesn't know. YET.)