Vegan with Oral Piercing

Am I actually going to write about this?

I am, yes. And that is because now I realize how unprepared I was when I went in to get my lip pierced, or because some cool discoveries have come out of my subsequent struggle.

Thursday, Sept. 30th we had some pretty fab DJs grace one of our music venues here in Eugene: MiM0SA (California),  MartyParty (New York), and EOTO (Colorado). It was an explosive show that brought out Eugene's finest dwellers for a night to remember. (I actually spent most of the night outside, on the street, chatting up friends and strangers alike, because it was too hot and sweaty inside, but this is an entirely different topic; the music was unbelievably good regardless.) It was also the night I got my lower lip pierced. Two hours before the show, I walked into High Priestess knowing it was "now or never." I laid down and grabbed a hold of the black plastic, cushiony chair beneath me. I swallowed, took a deep breath, and next thing I know... two teardrops rolled down my cheeks and a piece of metal was sticking {too far} out of my chin.

Did it hurt?

Yes, yes, it did... and soon after, it hurt even worse. It was somewhat of a good hurt though, as I experienced the longest and most intense adrenaline rush of my life! I consumed no alcohol at the show and still felt dizzy the entire night -- the rush just kept on giving :) I've never been that hyped. It kicked in as soon as he pierced it... I don't even remember most of it because of the rush of blood to the head, as the song goes. Then, I know I acted really jumpy and strange, and the guys working there kept asking me if I want to have a seat and "chill" for a minute. Nooosir, I did not. I was like fire. So they put a box of juice in my hand and sent me on my way. Soon --within 30 minutes -- I understood why the metal was sticking out so much when they first pierced it: that was all the room needed for my lip to swell up. And swollen it was! I went straight home and turned my house upside-down in search for anti-inflammatories. Lots of Romanian curse words ensued. Popped in a couple, dropped a ridiculous outfit on, and headed out the door... with some extra anti-inflammatories in my purse.

Good show, good people, but when it was over, I was ready for my usual post-going-out ritual: warm food and slumber. Sat down with a nice bowl of beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole... put a fork-full of food in my mouth... then froze.

OUCH.

Did it not register with me that I have a metal poking through a fresh wound in my mouth before I attempted to put all those poking ingredients in my mouth? I guess that's part of the things I don't remember soon after I got the piercing. I know they were saying what *not* to do/eat in the first 2 weeks, to avoid... something-something.... something-something. Wait... TWO WEEKS?!

That was the grim realization that awaited me the next morning, when I woke up to a growling empty stomach and a very swollen, very painful lip.

So then the search began for comfort foods and, let me tell you, it was all trial and error. It still is. The fact that I'm vegan hasn't simplified the search at all, but it has definitely helped with my healing (less to digest leaves more energy for my body to heal). Things that have worked wonders for me:

-avocados (mashed)
-bananas (mashed)
-peaches (canned and chopped)
-apple sauce (chilled)
-hummus (plain)
-coconut milk yogurt
-coconut milk ice cream
-coconut water (chilled)
-filtered water (iced)
-ice chips
-carrot juice (no pulp)
-chocolate mousse
-chocolate pudding
-vegan cheesecake (I love you, Sweet Life)
-Annie's Homegrown Chocolate Bunny Crackers

Things that are painful:

-citrus fruits (strawberries, orange juice, etc.)
-smoothies (they sound good, but they can be weird if they leave kind of a "film" in your mouth)
-chocolate (you know I had to eat it anyway...)
-Rock Star drinks
-gum
-anything that requires chewing or that can get stuck in your gums

By mashing the foods, I cut the chewing in half. Chewing is the last thing I want to be doing with a fresh oral piercing, I quickly learned. Anything chilled or frozen felt really good on the swollen madness in my mouth. I've had to drink twice the amount of water I usually drink because my mouth and lips are constantly dry -- so liquids are also a relief. Carrot juice is good because it's rich in vitamin A, but it's not too acidic, like Orange juice would be, to hurt the wound. Annie's crackers were great because they just melt in your mouth, and that particular variety is vegan, too.

I'm glad I got this piercing done because now I'll stop wondering, "What if...," but it's been more intense than I expected. On the other hand, several people I usually see every day mentioned nothing of it when they first saw my piercing. It wasn't until hours later that they said, "Wait, did you just get that? When I first saw you today, I thought that it's always been there!"

And that's what I call a successful piercing or tattoo: something that looks like it belongs on you, like it's always been there :)

In the end, I leave you with a beautiful song and music video from the Dandy Warhols. I got to meet them last night at their performance in Portland (Thank you, Brandi!) and I'm still feeling eerie from the experience. The song is called "Godless" and I think it feels just like I feel right now: content to be with myself.