Ok, I give up, I'm taking out my belly button ring

[VelmaD]

:-(

Almost exactly a year ago I got my belly button pierced. I love it. But, since then I've lost almost 60 pounds and betwen the weight loss and the normal piercing migration it just isn't very deep at all anymore.

I've been agonizing over this for weeks. A part of me keeps thinking "I'll just leave it in a little while longer...you never know when you might be in a position where you'll want someone to see it". ;-)

But the rest of my brain keeps saying "take the damn thing out and let it heal up so you can get it repierced when you finished losing weight...maybe it'll be a bit more permanent then". I know that part of my brain is right.

So, I'm finally gonna do it...I'm taking out my belly button piercing for now. I'm a lot sadder about this than I probably ought to be but I'm really gonna miss it until I can get it pierced again. x(

[Dookus]

1. damn, that's a shame Velma

I like my piercings a lot and I'd hate to give them up. I also understand that a navel piercing takes FOREVER to heal, and it sucks you'd have go through it again. But if you want it permanently, it sounds like you'll need to re-do it. Sorry!

[VelmaD]

3. Thanks

I'm really bummed about it. I love that piercing and I had lots of fun with it after it healed. I have all sorts of pretty jewelry for it that I'm not gonna be able to wear now for a long time. x(

I've gotta go hit some websites and find out how long I have to wait to do it again. :-)

[pfitz59]

2. My daughter had a horrible infection from belly piercing.....

But all is well now. She looks cute. Weighs all of 100 pounds.

[VelmaD]

4. Belly piercing's are cute...

as a button. I loved mine. Glad to hear your daughter recovered and hers worked out.

[jonnyblitz]

5. that is the worst one to heal.

There are other more "intense" piercings that i have that healed up much easier and are much lower maintenance then the belly button.

[VelmaD]

7. Ya know, I had heard that form several people

Including the guy who pierced it. I guess it's because your pants rub against it and you just can't spend several months not bending at the waist. I have no doubt that not being able to take mine out while I exercised for the first few months didn't help keep mine from migrating.

And you're right about "other", "more intense" piercings not being so bad. My nipple piercing healed up in no time and has never moved a millimeter in terms of migrating. Go figure. :shrug:

[SOteric]

6. I think you're making the right choice.

I know you'll miss it, but it'll be better in the long run.

[VelmaD]

8. Thanks honey

I know you're right. I should have done this months ago when I first started realizing it was really moving. I just thought it was cute and sexy and didn't want to see it go bye bye.

I've actually been thinking about getting a tattoo around my belly button next time instead of gettingit repierced. But I figure I have some time now to figure out what I really want.

[Kat45]

9. Think of it as a small inconvenience compared to the accomplishment

of losing all that weight. Not a bad tradeoff, especially since you'll be able to do the piercing again after you finish losing weight and you'll look extra-great!

[VelmaD]

11. That is exactly...

what I needed to hear. Gotta keep telling myself that it's definintely worth a little bit of hassle. :-)

[MercutioATC]

10. Really sorry to hear it. My ex-wife and I went for a piercing/tattoo thing

about 4 months ago. I now have an original design Kokopelli on my chest and she has a belly ring. Mine was done healing in a week...hers took 3 months. I think belly rings take so long to heal because of the distance of flesh that's tunneled through.

Regardless, hers is doing well with new jewelry and I'm just waiting for inspiration to add to mine. I know that you CAN have belly (and other) piercings redone, but scar tissue from the first piercing can be a placement/healing issue. I'd check with a piercer you trust before making any decisions.

[VelmaD]

12. Congrats on your tat

I have 2 and I just love them. Crescent moon and shooting star on my left shoulder and a spiral sun on my right hip.

You're definintely right about talking to a piercer I trust. I'll probably ring up the place where I got both mine done later in the weekend and talk to someone there. Maybe go in in person the next time I'm downtown.

[NewHampster]

13. I'm a newby but...

seems to me a picture would be in order if you want our opinions. ;-)

[VelmaD]

14. Too late now...I took it out, but...

here's a pic of what it used to look like. I've posted it before but what the heck...here it is again. In Memoriam:

[MercutioATC]

16. Looks great to me...aligned perfectly.

...but it can most likely be redone if you wish. My ex's piercing is...well...not deeper, per se, but longer. I got her a 14G barbell with a stainless ball on one end and an opal on the other that she thought was too long...it fit perfectly. Your piercing looks deep enough to me...I can't see why it rejected.

I'd link to the tattoo if I had it posted anywhere. It's nothing that special, I suppose, but I love it.

[VelmaD]

17. I'm not sure it really "rejected"...

I just lost 60 pounds, most of which came off my stomach. I also did a lot of crunches to work on flattening my abs and that constant bending at the waist couldn't have been good for it.

The fact that it was straight is one of the things that annoys me about it not being deep enough anymore.

[MercutioATC]

21. I'm sure it'll be O.K....

Just talk to a piercer you trust ans see what they say. (if it hasn't been out that long, it's probably ablr=e to be put back in without piercing...unless you WANT a different placement)

BTW...

www.bmezine.com

great resource...lots of experiences posted.

[VelmaD]

24. I love that site...

been a big BMEzine fan for a while now. I've been using the pics there to help decide exactly what I want for my next tat.

I know I can get it back in now after having it out for a little while. I've been taking it out when I exercise for the last 3 or 4 months. Ijust have to have a different placement at this point. That pic was taken several months ago before things got bad in terms of the thing being too shallow.

Oh well, maybe waiting to get it redone will teach me patience...nah. ;-)

[jmowreader]

28. Navel rings are at a natural hinge point

That's why they take so long to heal--because the pierced site never gets a chance to be stationary for very long.

That, and your pants rub against them.

The navel is one piercing I'd never get myself, but they're great looking on flat-bellied ladies.

[mitchum]

15. Good, that's so 20th century anyway...

throw it on the ashheap of history with all of those hula hoops and pet rocks

[Lostmessage]

18. How much weight did you lose?

Do you have stretch marks from the weight loss and will the hole heal back over where the ring was at?

[VelmaD]

19. 60 pounds since the piercing...

120 pounds overall. GO ME!

Yeah, I do have a few stretch marks from the weight loss but they've gotten better over time as my skin has recovered. I've lost the wieght gradually over the course of 2 years so there's been plenty of time for my body to adjust.

I'm given to understand that the hole will heal. I tend to heal really quickly anyway so I'm hoping it won't leave much of a scar.

[aQuArius]

20. you GO girl!

Liberation for women everywhere!

[Lostmessage]

22. I bet you feel so much better

Are you dating or are you looking for someone? The reason that I ask is I have a friend who lost 160 pounds that has just started living again.

Do you feel like a new woman?

[VelmaD]

23. yes and no

Typically Libra answer. :-)

It's a very long story. I started dieting as my New Year's resolution in January of 2002. About a month later I got broke up with by the guy I had been with for just over 10 years. Go figure. So it wasn't really a reaction to the breakup but it certainly has helped with getting on with life. I feel sometimes like I've taken a timewarp back and am at the same place where I started before he and I started dating. The tattoos and the piercings and the weight loss and some other changes I've made to how I live my life are all a part of a bigger effort to be a braver, more adventurous, more open person.

I'm always looking for someone. There are some prospects at the moment but nothing serious yet. :shrug:

[GOPisEvil]

25. Get another tattoo!

:D :hi:

[VelmaD]

26. I plan on it...

I even have the design picked for the next one and a tentative idea for a 4th one that I'd like to do around my belly button. I just don't have the cash. :-(

on edit: You're up late. What kind of trouble have you been up to tonight? :-)

[GOPisEvil]

27. Lack of cash sucks.

Save those pennies. You'd be surprised how those little things can add up to big piles of money if you're motivated.