The Venom Bites

Watch my video where I talk about them and my other tongue ring here!

ALL ABOUT MY TONGUE PIERCINGS
 

 Okay, I figured since I get frequently asked to make a Youtube, or a blog, and occasionally a tumblr to discuss my piercings and their healing process and my hair and such that I would actually do it! So the first piercing I will discuss in this blog will be my venom bites and center tongue ring! Since everyone is asking about did they hurt, how long did it take for them to heal and are they safe to get, I decided to answer any questions and give the best advice about them that I could.So to start, here is a picture of the triplets.

Sorry for the lack of makeup and all, but this is the venoms after about 17 days. Like any tongue ring they will leave an indention on your tongue wherever they are setting. After about the first 8-10 days they were pretty much healed and eating became tons easier. The days before, however, are quite a different story. So, I will take you through the entire healing process day by day as much as I possibly can. Hopefully it will help you decide on whether you want (if you're looking into getting some) or if it might not be the right piercing for you. (Even if you're not looking into getting some and are just curious about having needles shoved into your tongue).
And if I leave out anything that you may be curious about then just shoot me an email to the address catacatlysmic@live.com and I will personally respond there, or if I feel it needs to be on the blog I shall update it! So lets begin!


Zero Day; Getting the Venoms.

This was about 30 minutes after getting the bites done. As you can see my middle tongue ring was taken out to do the piercing, just because I had a long bar in the center (because I was rocking a Bob Marley tongue ring that day) and it had quite a bit of space to wiggle around. We didn't want it to interfere with the piercings so we removed it before the initial marking of the tongue began. I will say that venoms hurt quite a bit more than a center tongue ring though; and this is why. ANATOMY MOMENT for all those considering getting venoms, just in case you didn't know...
The tongue is made up of two different muscles, which is why people who have their tongue split can move the sides separately, and unlike a center tongue ring, venoms actually go through the muscles instead of more or less in between them. A pain rating...I'd say about a 8 or 9, but I also have a decently high pain tolerance. The first needle wasn't all that bad, and the bleeding was minimal. The second was quite a bit worse, and the bleeding was more substantial but still nothing to crazy. Like with any oral piercing, I got a cold slurpee right after and when I finished that I went to munching on crushed ice. There was no swelling that night, and the pain didn't hit till the next day.

Day 1; Eating

This is the venoms the first night that I officially had them. Still not quite that swollen, but very painful! Eating that day was a challenge and I know they say not to eat anything to solid or harsh or whatever, but I tackled some chicken and fries that day. The rings didn't stop me from eating, but they definitely deterred me from the simple joy of chewing my food. Moving the food from one side of my mouth to the other was probably the hardest part of the ordeal. And like I said, its not because it was swollen in any way at that point, but it was incredibly sore to even attempt to use my tongue that much. Talking isn't as bad as everyone thinks its going to be having a three bars in your tongue, but speech wasn't something I really felt the need for that day either. If you can avoid talking for the first few days with venom bites, I would definitely do so! You will sound like a drunk person slurring and all, and the buildup they produce on the tongue makes it all the worse!

Day 2; Super SWOLEN!

Sorry for the grossness of my tongue in this pic, I had been drinking Fanta Red! But as you can see the swelling of my tongue by day 2 was quite horrendous! My tongue had swelled so much that my teeth actually caused divots on the edge! And yes, the buildup stays for a couple of days and eating became heaps harder! It wasn't anything I couldn't tolerate, but as stated earlier, since venom bites actually go through the muscles in your tongue, the swelling is pretty intense and the trauma to the tongue makes it a very unpleasant experience! My center tongue ring was fine and dandy but the bites were quite a nuisance for the next couple of days and the swelling didn't reduce for a few days either!

Day 6; Getting Better

This is the triplets at 6 days. As you can tell the swelling has reduced greatly and the movement and flexibility of my tongue was pretty much back to normal. Still not completely pain free, but we're going for the home stretch! The secret for most of the pain is anything cold, but not something you really have to work to melt if its frozen. Crushed ice and cold ice water, cold coffee or slurpees, even bahama bucks is pretty good for a swollen tongue! Popsicles, pushups, or any cream you have to chew and or lick is kind of stressful on the muscles of the tongue after the trauma venoms cause, so I would wait a full week before you dive into those frozen delights!

Day 10; Swelling Is Gone and Pain Free!

As you can see the piercings are even and doing wonderfully! :D The swelling is gone and the babies aren't in pain anymore. Granted they aren't 100 percent healed and shouldn't be at only 10 days, but they are about 80 percent healed and almost ready to be exchanged for shorter bars! While yes they get annoying after the swelling is down because the bars are big and such, they aren't going to get in your way of talking or eating (and by eating I mean you wont bite on them as much as you might knick your tooth every so often!)  The buildup on the tongue is gone and its loads easier to eat and move the food from one side of your mouth to the other. The muscles are still a little bit tender but not enough to cause any discomfort, which also makes it easier for you to brush off the residue and buildup your tongue does collect throughout you adventure in eating and drinking during the day. So as stated earlier, now that I have taken you through my venoms journey, I will answer a few questions that I get about them quite frequently!


Q; Did they hurt/How much did they hurt?
A; Yes they hurt quite a bit, I'd say about an 8 or 9 on the pain scale, but everyone's pain tolerance is different so if you can't handle discomfort or immense soreness it might not be the piercing for you.

Q; What's the healing time?
A; Approximately two weeks! They're pretty much good after the first 7-10 days, but leave the long bars in for about two weeks to ensure that they have healed fully and properly!

Q; Did you center tongue ring affect them at all?
A; Not in the least!

Q; What is eating like with venom bites?
A; The first week is a total annoyance, but then after that it becomes a lot easier to deal with! All in all, it sucks for a while, but in the end its like it never happened!

Q; Do you talk any differently having tongue rings?
A; Some people say its given them a lisp or made some words sound funny, but I've never had a problem!

Q; Is it a safe piercing to get?
A; Absolutely, but not every piercer may be comfortable doing them. Venoms go through the muscles in the tongue and on the sides instead of the center, so make sure you talk to your piercer before getting them about your veins, where they would be placed, and what angle may be best to insure sufficiency and avoidance of hitting anything important!

Q; How do I take care of them?
A; Your piercer should give you instructions as to how to, but the best way to take care of venoms is by washing with diluted mouthwash. You never want to wash with an alcohol based mouthwash right after getting a piercing done. For about the first 2 weeks wash with about 1/3 of mouthwash and 2/3 of water twice a day. Your mouth makes its own bacteria which is naturally going to help your piercings heal up efficiently and quickly.

Q; I've heard that your tongue can swell up so bad that you have to sleep propped up. Is that true?
A; No it is not. Yes with venoms the tongue can swell immensely, as you can even see in my picture from the second day, but in no way will your tongue swell so big you can't breathe properly and will have to sleep propped up. Happy sleeping.

Q; How long after they are pierced until I can play with them?
 A; I waited the full two weeks before I began the time consuming clicking of the rings against my teeth. I would say after about a week to ten days you should feel fine enough to move them, but I really wouldn't suggest doing too much until after they are fully healed. Messing with them too much, just like with any piercing, can slow the healing process.

Q; Did you ever have stinging on one side more than the other?
A; Yes I did! I had plenty of pain and stinging on the right side, as it was the side pierced second. Typically the side of the tongue pierced last will hurt more. It undergoes slightly more trauma than the first piercing simply because the blood is already rushing to the tongue, trying to heal and clot the first wound. It also really jolts the nerves, so yes, stinging isn't uncommon in one side more than another.

So that's my story about the infamous/famous at the same time...venoms bites! If you have any other questions like I said, email me at catacatlysmic@live.com where I can answer there or if I feel the question should be on the blog, I will post it and answer it here! What other piercings are you curious about? Or tattoos even? Or stretching ears? (: That's what this blog is dedicated too!

Thanks for reading!
Stay Inked and Pierced,

Michelle Michaelis. <3