FINALLY Got My Septum Pierced!
(First Published on BMEzine.com, Fall 2001)

I wanted to get my venom piercing while my parents were in Hong Kong. The Sept 11th tragedy got my parents away from their plans, and mine as well. I now thought "something hideable... septum!" Was going to get it done the first day of university, but that went haywire. Greg (Gre-gory) wasn't at Abstract anymore and I really wanted to try & find him. Thinking that it was a needle in a haystack, I started looking around at prices. FOUND GREG! He's now in like this basement type place on Yonge St.

ANYWAYS! I went in the Monday before Moot Moot (Rover camp on Toronto Islands) because I wanted to show it off at camp. Greg suggested I waited until AFTER camp because I wouldn't be able to clean it properly and not cleaning a week-old piercing is bad. So I told him I'd show up on Sunday (the day camp finished) to do it & wanted him to hold the 12g retainer for me because he only had one left.

Telling people at moot moot that I'd stretch my septum enough one day that I could slip one of those teeny tiny glow sticks into it for dances and they all thought that was nasty. I laughed at them.
Sunday rolls around, I pack up camp and head back to Toronto. First thing I do is call my buddy James who agreed to take pictures for me. Then after agreeing on about an hour later, I took a half hour shower because I didn't shower for like 2 days (Did it Friday about 2 hours before I went to camp) and felt all grimy from being sweaty dancing the night away.

Walked back in to a guy getting tattooed and Greg explaining a piercing & it's aftercare to another couple already there. Then Greg perked up when he saw me walk in which was cool that he remembered. I told Greg I'd have the camera & asked the guy tattooing if he had a problem with the flash going off, which he didn't (sweet!) The other couple finished their questions and started to leave so I jumped into the chair while Greg got the needle, lube & retainer out for me. That other couple then came back and asked if they could watch. I said "sure go ahead" cuz it didn't matter to me, I already had the audience of a tattooist and tattoo-ee (plus friend I believe) and my buddy James armed with my camera.

Greg wiped out my nose; put a couple dots where the mushy part of the septum is, then rolled up paper towel into my right nostril. Got out the needle, I closed my eyes & just let it all flow. Didn't watch a thing happen this time, but Greg stopped and I got a picture of the needle through my nose. My eyes started watering, not because it hurt but because it was just a reaction, apparently something with the tear ducts and nose being connected. I told him I wanted a picture of the needle before hand and that's why he stopped. Then I closed my eyes and got the retainer put in.
I got up so Greg could show me how I could flip it inside my nose then showed me how to clean & help it heal. I was told to use anti-bacterial soap & I asked about the salt. Greg doesn't recommend it because it kind of builds up (which is true when there's too much salt) But since I noticed it heals piercings I've decided to use both. Traded money with him & told him I'd come back for a CBB & he could take pictures. I also offered him a copy of the one with the needle going through and I'll get it for him when I can.

After the piercing I went back to James place to chill for a bit & I was on a really big high. My face was warm for like hours and I was just really bouncy and happy about everything that happened. It was a good day.

I now either leave it up or down, when I'm at my parents house it will DEFINATLY be up. I soak off anything with q-tips in water, then either put a tiny dab of soap or dipped into salt-water to wash, move the retainer around then fix it to how I want it. This is so much easier than the helix piercings because I can bump my nose or sometimes rub it when I had an itch and forgot there's a piece of metal but I won't be on the floor crying my eyes out because it hurt.

All together it's been 4 days since its pierced and it's doing great! I try not to play with it but sometimes it can't be helped and I touch the ends of the retainer when it's down just to remind myself I have it there. When it's up, it feels kind of like there's some snot in my nose I need to pick at since the ends push against the "floater" septum piece a bit and sometimes it tickles. I'm also allergic to a cat in the house and asked my buddy Brynne (walking_target) how to blow your nose & stuff like that.

I love it! Its fun, it's versatile, it doesn't kill to clean its hidable and man oh man it's just FUN! Get it done wherever but just remember-rubbing your nose because of an itch is bad when you forget there's metal in it now!

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