Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Holy Moly. Patience really is a virtue, which is apparently something I apparently don't have.

I started off the year with getting my ears pierced. First attempt after 2 infected failures 8 and 5 years ago. NEVER get piercings done with a gun. Third time's the charm (with a needle at a tattoo shop). Healed perfectly well in 3-4 months. Success. ^~^;

Then I got my second hole ear piercings after I decided that I want to start stretching my first lobe piercings. Personally the reason is to make up for the 18 years of thinking that I couldn't because I was "metal sensitive," which is a bunch of bologna.  Decided 6g was my goal size. Why? Because you still can wear loads of dangling spirals, just hit the size to get pretty plugs, it's not too big, and will be easily hidden to not endanger my nursing career goal.

I bought a titanum taper/tunnel kit to start stretching. It was easy breezy from 16g - 12g, every 2 weeks or so. Then it started getting sightly more painful using a 10g taper. So I started waiting a month later to put the 10g taper in. Waited a month and a half to get to an 8g.

Waited 2 months, super excited to get to my goal size, but the taper wouldn't not go in. Visually, from a 8g to a 6g is ridiculously big. So I decided to use bondage tape to start the taping method.  Two wraps around and waited a week. Decided to wrap 2 more layers, but it wouldn't go through. So I decided to maybe use the taper to stretch it enough to put the taped plugs back in.

Stupidly, I decided to just push the taper in (Very slowly and gently). The pain was terrible though, worst stretch yet, so I didn't stretch the other ear. I decided to leave the taper in for a day or two then put the 6g tunnels in.

One day later, the pain didn't go down and it was slightly more swollen so I took the taper out. *Warning: Gross*

On the tapers was thick yellow pus. Then I took a paper towel to wipe my lobes. The hole was then oozing a lot of bloody opaque yellow pus.  Ick and ouch! Definitely infected, not a blowout though in the sense of that weird bump.

I end up saline soaking it for a good half hour then applying emu oil then downsizing back down to a 8g. If I were to look at the positives... At least I only F-ed up one ear.

The swelling is started to go down in the bad ear, but the good ear is taking the taping method smoothly.

To sum up this story: I STRONGLY suggest to start the taping method anything after a 8g (3.2 mm). I've read many forums on other's experiences and 8g (3.2 mm) to 6g (4 mm) is TOO large of a jump unless you plan to wait a 6 months to a year heal enough or have naturally fast healing ears.