I have a lump in my breast; or, why I'm never getting another piercing (long)

The BBQ Pit
1

When I was 19, I was young and stupid. Granted, this is only two years ago, but I was still young and stupid. A friend of my boyfriend’s ran a tattoo and piercing parlour, and said boyfriend convinced me that piercing my nipple would be a great idea. Rebel me – dating a guy five years my senior, gasp! – decided this was just what I needed. Off to Route 62, in Buffalo, we go. I am MORE than happy to name the studio involved; if the place is still in existence I hope no one ever patronises it again after this story.

The first thing I saw upon walking in the door was Nick, the aforementioned owner, flinging a bucket full of dirty mop water across the floor of the tattoo room in a fit of rage. Mouse (the then-boyfriend) laughed. I did too, being, as I said, young and stupid.

[public service announcement]
Never. Ever. EVER. Patronise a studio that doesn’t look clean. This includes an owner who throws a bucket of dirty water across the floor.
[/psa]

Nick tells us to come back in a few hours and to make sure I had something to eat. Aww, what a nice concerned piercer! I’m all reassured and sure that this is going to be a happy positive experience. We wander off and comes back later, as requested. Nick makes the ring that will go into my piercing right before my very eyes – I get to go into the back room to watch him cut, shape, and polish my purdy new ring. Back in the piercing room I get half-naked for this complete stranger (funny how getting naked for gynecological exams embarrasses me far more than taking off my shirt for a piercing). Needle goes in, ring goes in, and off go Saffs and boyfriend with aftercare instructions clutched in sweaty little hands.

[psa]
Aftercare. VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT, boys and girls. VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT. More later.
[/psa]

Cut to a few months later. Piercing still hasn’t healed. Still have yellow crusties forming around the piercing. It’s not happy. Checking at the wonderful {Note: THIS URL IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH, DO NOT OPEN IT UNLESS YOU WANT TO CHANCE SEEING EXTREME BODY MODIFICATION. Lynn} http://www.bmezine.com, I discover that this is pretty normal for nipple piercings. I shrug, grin and bear it, and go on with my life. BZZT! WRONG! Stupid, STUPID Saffs!

[psa]
Don’t get a piercing somewhere that’s not local to you. You want to be able to go back to your piercer so that if any problems are encountered in the healing process, he can check up on it for you. It’s his obligation to do so. If you have it checked at another studio, they may charge you for the privilege.
[/psa]

One year later, the little motherfucker STILL hasn’t healed. A QOD on BME gets me the recommendation that I use nasty sticky goopy pink Hibiclens on the piercing. This works beautifully to clean it up. I decide that changing the jewelry in the piercing to a pretty new ring would be a good idea, as I’ve had a sneaking sensation that my healing problems might be at least partially due to Nick’s making the ring himself. Trying to insert new jewelry causes my nipple to get even MORE pissed off. Result: a very, very, very nasty infection that almost travels up to settle in my lymph nodes.

[psa]
Female nipple piercings are particularly dangerous because an infection can infect the major lymph node under your arm or your milk ducts, causing MAJOR problems. Mastectomy may be necessary in cases of advanced infection. Here’s one cite, an aftercare sheet from a GOOD, CLEAN studio, that describes the problems that can result from a nipple infection in greater detail. This is a firsthand account of an infection that resulted in a partial mastectomy.
[/psa]

I leave the ring in to drain fluid while on a course of antibiotics to clear up the infection. Once it’s gone, I can take out the ring – if I had taken it out while the infection was still running its course, the channels through which the fluid drained might have closed up, causing the infection to become trapped, abcess, and do all kinds of other lovely things. I take out the ring, QUITE pleased to be rid of it.

continued in another post for length

{Note: Edited to include warning about URL. Lynn}

[Edited by Lynn Bodoni on 11-30-2001 at 12:51 AM]

2

The now-ex-boyfriend and I have a conversation during this period due to my suddenly realising that I don’t think Nick autoclaved the ring between making it and putting it in my fresh piercing. Autoclaving is a one hundred percent necessary step in the piercing process; it sterilises the jewelry and helps to prevent infection. I was young and stupid, and knew nothing about piercing at the time, and therefore didn’t even think to check whether the jewelry – or even the needles used – had been autoclaved. Mouse tells me that no, Nick didn’t autoclave the ring after he made it – in fact, he might not have cleaned it at all. I want to sue the motherfucker. I want to sue him until his ears bleed. In fact, if he doesn’t have any money for me to claim in a lawsuit, I’d like to sue for possession of his vital organs and blood so that I can sell all of them on the black market. Words do not do justice to how infuriated I am with this piercer.

However, if I’d bothered to do my homework beforehand, this problem probably wouldn’t have come up, because I would have known what I know now – the studio was NOT clean enough for me to go to. Female nipple piercings in particular need special care – which brings me to another point. I did not take very good care of my piercing. My eyebrow and ear piercings healed with very little care, and I thought mistakenly that my piercing would be the same way. Sweaty sex, not-very-breathable fabric, and a lack of cleaning properly during the healing process contributed hugely to my healing and infection problems. My fault.

But back to the story, which isn’t quite finished yet. The infection was back in April of this year. While in Greece in June, I noticed that not only hadn’t the flesh tunnel that used to hold the jewelry healed over, but it was producing a thick white discharge from the exit points of the piercing. I kept telling myself that I’d get it looked at as soon as I got back to the US. I didn’t.

[psa]
For the love of god, if you have ANY problems with your breasts, see a doctor immediately. Piercing or not.
[/psa]

Last Monday morning at 2 AM, I was doing my monthly breast self-exam. I had the scare of my life when, in the formerly pierced breast, I found an enormous lump about half the size of a dollar bill. I freaked out and called in my boyfriend for a second opinion. Apparently he’d felt it two weeks previously but had said nothing, assuming I knew.

[psa]
I shouldn’t even have to say this. If you feel a lump in your SO’s breasts or testicles, TELL THEM. TELL THEM. TELL THEM. Chances are they didn’t notice it themselves. I can’t find a statistic to cite now that I want it, but I recall being told in the past that a significant number of lumps, irregularities, abnormalities, etc. are found by a significant other and not by the person themselves. PLEASE make sure you tell your partner if you find something like this on their body.
[/psa]

I cried for two hours. My aunt and grandmother have both battled breast cancer in the last year, and I didn’t want to be the third generation of my family to wind up with that. Rationally, of course, I knew that no tumour would go from not existing one month to being huge the next, but there’s not much to be rational about when you’ve just found this huge alien thing in your body. I spent Monday in the hospital. The conclusion?

Another infection. Bacteria got in through the still-open piercing and set down to roost in my breast. I’m on a seven-day course of erythromycin, and I’m praying that this’ll be the last problem I have with this damn thing. Now that I know the mass is there, I’m intensely aware of it every minute of the day. I’m scared out of my mind, but also furious. Both with myself for fucking up so badly when I decided to be a rebel two years ago, with Mouse for knowing better about the autoclaving and cleaning but saying nothing, with Nick, that worthless son of a fucking bitch, for putting unclean jewelry in my body. Have I mentioned yet that I’d like to kill him, or at least sue? Too bad he conveniently disappeared right after this took place.

Fuck. I’m really fucking scared. I wish I could go back and kick myself in the ass, repeatedly. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Fuck.

3

I’m sorry, only advice I can give you is never agree to anything that anyone wants to do.

4

Sue. And never date anyone named “Mouse” again.

Great rant.

Moderator Remark: folks, the BMEzine link up there is a tad explicit. It does, however, seem to be a very good source of information for the serious issue addressed in the OP. I am therefore leaving it in place. I hope no one takes offense, and I advise you not to open it at work. Nor in the family living room, maybe. :wink:

5

I wish I could sue, but Nick is now MIA and last time I checked, Route 62 doesn’t exist anymore. As far as I know there’s not much I can do legally anymore.

YAGH! Ugh, I totally forgot that BME can have some pretty nasty stuff up on the front page – my apologies to the moderators and everyone reading. I’ll second Coldfire’s advice not to open it at work or in front of family – the link was intended as a source for people to educate themselves so they won’t fuck up like I did, but there’s some very kinky stuff there, so be warned. Sorry for forgetting to include a disclaimer before. :frowning:

6

Let your lawyer worry about finding Nick, as well as his assets and possible insurance policies. Your personal testimony about the shitty hygeine is admittedly a bit self-serving, but back that up with the recurring infections and the corroborating testimony of your ex-boyfriend . . . suddenly you have a fairly compelling factual case. I’m certainly not advising you to sue, because I am not your lawyer and don’t know the law in New York, but I am advising you to get the name of a reputable personal injury attorney and schedule a consultation. Pronto–you never know when the statute of limitations is going to run.

7

It’s people like that who give piercing a bad name, and keep us metal-enhanced friendlies from donating blood. To continue the PSA theme: DO NOT do any kind of body modification without checking out both the process and the provider ahead of time!

I’m really sorry it has been such a sucky experience for you. That is profoundly wrong. I hope you recover without lasting effects (other than a little added wisdom).

mischievous

And I do recommend suing Nick - he damaged you, and he deserves it.

8

Thank you for the support, guys. I just hope other people can learn from my experience. Regarding the advice to sue, there’s one problem: I freely admit that I didn’t take very good care of the piercing during the healing process. How much of the infections and other problems I’ve had are Nick’s fault, and how much is my own, are probably very hard things to prove in court. Nick’s lawyers could probably prove that it was more my fault as easily as my lawyers could prove that it was his fault. I’ll look into it, however. Thank you again.

9

I hope you get better soon, saffostarr. Just keep your hopes up. A positive attitude can help you beat the infection. Don’t stay awake all night worrying about it.

I had an eyebrow pierced four years ago at a reputable place and didn’t bother with the aftercare instructions. It never got infected. It never fully healed either, though… but the doctors told me that my skin just rejected the piercing. I really think that Nick is more to blame for your problems than you are. Don’t feel bad about what you did - we all make mistakes when we’re young. Some of us unfortunately have to pay for them more than others, I guess. Don’t waste your mental energy on regret, it isn’t worth it.

10

What a story!

You do have my sympathy, finding a lump in that fashion must have been quite terrifying. [/understatement]

What impressed me above all was your balanced view of the whole process. We all do daft things when we are younger and, luckily, most of us never give them a second thought. The way you recognise how you didn’t do yourself a favour at the time will act as a warning for others. Let’s hope so.

I very much echo the “let your lawyer get Mr. Nick. and sue him any which way” sentiment. As mischievous commented, piercing / tattooing has changed dramatically of late and is so much more professional that the few rogue practitioners still around cause more trouble than they are worth.

I speak as someone who still has the same number of holes as the day he arrived (piercings scare me, frankly :smiley: ), but, if someone makes an informed decision, I say yeah, you do it.

If I may say, in my short time here so far, that was the classiest post I have read.

Thanks and best wishes.

Mark

11

That was a great post. The lesson here to be learned, and you’ve done a great job, is to NEVER jump into something that invasive without doing the research.

I’m sorry that you got a piercing without being educated about the whole process. In SC, there are strict guidelines that piercers have to follow, and DHEC (Dept. of Health and Environmental Control) is a bitch when it comes to violations.

I definitely recommend looking into a lawyer. And, if that doesn’t turn out, start checking out the legislation for where you live. If you feel the laws are slack, then they probably are. A group of piercers here got together to help write the regulations that they have to follow, just so they could put the bad guys out of business. If nothing else, things you do today could prevent someone from going down the same road you did. (Just think of how many other silly 19 year olds you can save from staph infections and potential death.)

Good luck with the antibiotics. Make sure you follow your doctor’s orders to the T. Let us know how things turn out.

Skerri

12

IANAL and I don’t really keep track of these issues, but both of my parents are health professionals, so I have a passing familiarity with medical law. Depending on the laws of your state, the fact that your poor aftercare could have contributed to the infection process is probably moot. What you are claiming is that he deliberately pierced your body with a non-sterile instrument, while knowing full well that this is potentially life threatening, and presumably after going through training that specifically told him what a dumb-ass idea this is. Even if you had never had any problems with the piercing, you could sue him for this. (Not that I’d recommend it - I don’t want to go back to the old days when piercing was illegal.)

And, FWIW, I’ve always had the opinion that my body is better at healing than I am, so I pretty much leave my piercings alone. Even with no aftercare, I’ve never had any problems. (Although I do have to put oil on some piercings to keep them from drying out and crusting.) I do think an active infection is unusual, and probably means the piercer had something to do with it. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find that the jewlery he made for you while you waited was improperly polished, such that bacteria could harbor in the cracks. Do you still have it?

Also - and you don’t want to hear this - get yourself tested for hepatitus A, B, and C, and for HIV. Since he had just made the jewlery it is unlikely that the metal had come into contact with anyone else, but god knows what the metal was used for before you showed up.

And remember, folks, the vast majority of piercers are clean, professional, friendly people. And the BME site referenced above is the bast place ever to go if you want information on any of this stuff. [/sales post] Or you can ask me to show you :smiley:

13

I have both nipples pierced, done on different occasions at different parlors but there were a couple of things they had in common. They were clean, the piercers followed sterile technique–opened the autoclaved instruments in front of me, used only sterile disposable needles, new surgical stainless steel captive bead rings ,wore sterile gloves and I was given explict after-care intructions which I followed to the letter. I was told to come back to the piercer if I had any problems at all.

It goes without saying that you should choose a place that does these daily, A college town is excellent. (avoid like the plague parlors with names like “Big Bob’s tire rotating and Body Piercings” Ask what type of training they have had.

After the first one, I was a little uncomfortable so I went back in and followed their recommendation to switch to a barbell. They helped change it even. When I had the second one done, I had a barbell inserted from the start. I found that to be much more comfortable and many piecers will recommend them, especially if your nipple is very large.

If I can offer any advice to others who are contemplating getting a piercing, it is this.

CLEANLINESS IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE!!!

Don’t touch it with your (or someone elses) dirty hands, mouth, tongue. If you must touch it, wash you hands first with antibacterial soap like Dial.

Wash piercing and ring daily with same soap–this is best done in the shower. Lather it up and rotate the ring a few times. Rinse, Rinse, Rinse.

Apply a little A & D ointment to the site/ring after bathing. Use of an antibiotic ointment should only be done at the piercer’s instructions.
Don’t get in too big a hurry to change the ring. You can cause all sorts of trauma if it’s not healed enough and you have to force it back through.
Salt-water soaks are a lifesaver. Fill a shot glass with warm salt water–roughly 1/2 teaspoon to an ounce. Invert over piercing and sort of jiggle the cup for a minute or so. (Picture a very very mini nipple whirlpool). Rotate the ring and repeat. If you are having a little trouble with excess discharge, this can safely be done several times a day. It is very soothing and you won’t believe how much debris it cleans out.
I hope this is helpful. IANAD, I am an RN but any advice I give is not intended to replace that of your doctor or professional body piercer.

14

Sweetie, have you thought about piercing message boards or forums in your area where you can see if others have had the same problems with this Nick? You could also spread the word about your experience with him.

Tattooing has gotten so much better and cleaner in the last few years, but piercing is slow to catch up. As a consumer, your best weapon is your wallet. Don’t ever patronize dirty or otherwise disreputable shops, don’t trust the word of some guy you met in a mosh pit, don’t ever go for work when you’re drunk or high, etc. A good establishment will enforce it’s rules and aftercare requirements if they can, in order to keep it’s reputation.

Use your head and you’ll be fine. Of course, you know that now!

15

Lisa, adding “nipple piercing” to my “Don’t Try Even When You’re Drunk” list.

Egads!

16

Hrrrm. I might. Whee, evidence!

Already done. Actually, by the time I realised hat had happened, symptoms of hepatitis would already have started showing up (I did research on hep frantically as soon as this shit started going down). None of the heps incubate for very long, from what I found. IANAD but that’s what I found by looking… ::shrug:: Thanks for the advice, though.

Amen, amen, amen. I completely forgot to add that in my OP.

Damn good idea, I’ll have to look into that. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.

Here I was thinking this was a pretty lame Pit rant, and people actually seem to like it. :slight_smile: Thanks MarkF for declaring my post “classy” – I’m flattered.

Warm fuzzies to all of you. Thanks for the well-wishing, and I’ll definitely be certain to update. Actually, here’s a minor update: the antibiotics are making me very sick, but the lump seems to be subsiding somewhat, so that’s good. I forgot to mention that I’m a college student and it’s finals time, so to be fighting what has the potential to be a huge issue right now is pure refried hell on toast. Mleh.

17

Good rant, and with the bonus of helpful and relevant warnings. Sue him. The bastard not only should have known better, but didn’t show a modicum of respect for your personal well-being.

Bailey Ave? That should have been clue number one.

18

Well, there’s a whole lot of Things Not to Do in that post. For starters, never ever rely on a “friend of a friend” for anything. If you wanted a haircut, and a friend of yours says, “Ooo! My cousin Sandra is going to hairdresser school! She could cut your hair!” Would you let Sandra within ten yards of your hair? Of course not. This goes double if you want to get a hole punched through your tit.

Also, if you have an open wound which still hasn’t healed after a year, skip the web search, haul ass to the nearest internist, and fasten yourself to his leg until he heals you.

Also, if my girlfriend has more lumps on her chest than normal, I’ll damn well speak up about it, and I certainly hope she’ll return the favor if she finds something suspicious on any of my dangly bits.

Anyway, a well written and educational rant, if a bit light on the rage and filthy language. I give it an 8.

19

Gee, makes me wanna rush right out and get holes made all over my body!

Neato.

20

Last time I checked, New York was a comparative fault state, which means that Nick’s lawyers very well could submit evidence of your own negligence to reduce Nick’s fault. But once again, that’s something for your lawyer to worry about, since any personal injury lawyer would undoubtedly take the case on a contingency basis. If your recovery is reduced by, say, 25% . . . so what? 75% of your damages, even minus the lawyer’s cut, is still way better than 100% of not asking for anything.

Besides, comparative fault basically boils down to who the jury thinks is the bigger jerk. Who’s going to win that contest, you or Nick? At least you took some of the proper steps, including seeking medical attention when appropriate. Nick couldn’t even be bothered to wash his hands, from the sound of things.