After spending $20 and up a pop for just one piece of body jewelry, I now buy my body jewelry on eBay. There are many wholesale dealers. I believe the last time I bought something it was a pack of 5 tongue rings with acrlyic balls for about $6.00. You can find any type. Don't worry about them being sterile, they are all brand new.

Just to play devil's advocate... I keep hearing that metal jewelry will cause complications if a person needs to be revived with electric shock. Welllll... if that were the case - don't you think that our medical professionals would try to dissuade us from even having metal jewelry? If I were to have a heart attack during the normal course of the day - and required a 'jump start' - wouldn't my jewelry be an issue then too? And what the heck does the surgeon have to do with my more intimate piercings anyway?? It's my STOMACH he's operating on! Sharing initmate details with him isn't high on my list of things to do. I understand that the belly button piercing could get in the way... and I have no tongue piercing to choke on... I would think that line of reasoning would render the rest of them harmless. I thought the reason you removed your jewelry before surgery in the past was to ensure that your jewelry wasn't taken off your person while you were unconcious - thereby eliminating any liability of the hospital for stolen items.

I have had my nip ring since 98. I left it out nearly a year while pregnant since I wanted to breast-feed. That ended since my baby had to be on SOY not regular milk due to allergies. Well a few months later I decided to see if I could get any ring thru it. I had to work with it a little. Afterwards it was SORE. But it did go thru - soreness only lasted a few days. Guess I'm lucky. Seems like the older it is the longer it may stay open. LOL sounds good anyway. Alto, I have a new labret and my retainer ends are fairly loose. I'm sure that will come out during surgery. (Once I'm approved). I seem to lose the ends all the time. Got to look into this more and find out what retainer ends are ava and tight.

I've had my tounge ring for 4 yrs. When I have the surgery do I have to put something in it to keep it from closing up? Or will I be safe with just having it out and puting it back in ASAP?

Hails Everybody, I was a professional body piercer for 5 years before adopting a more lucrative career as an insurance agent. I am quite knowledgable about body piercings and their care so my advise here is safe to adopt and will not irritate your piercings. If you ever have to take your piercings out, perhaps for a surgery, x-rays or even a family photo, it's as easy as a quick trip to the hardware store to keep them open. All you need to do is buy weed-eater line, it's monofiliment and your body will not reject it! It's been years since I've purchased it because just one package is more than a lifetime's supply. Best of all, it should only cost you around $2!!!! All you have to do is get a pair of nail clippers and clip it down to the length of your piercing. It's clear so people probably won't even notice it's there especially if you have the ends of it flush with the hole. For lebret piercings, you might want to try melting one end and pressing it against a flat surface to make an inside backing for it. Because a big coil of it can be a bit awkward, it's best to cut yourself a bunch of 3 inch strips of it and put it in a little baggy for future use. If memory serves me correctly if your piercing is 14 gauge you should buy 0.06 in. and for 16 gauge 0.05 in. If you have larger or smaller gauges than that, well, you can just add or subtract based on the info I've given you. Of couse, as with all jewelry changes, make sure you wash your hands well with antibacterial soap before touching your piercing. If you need to ease insertion the best thing to use is ky jelly or another water based lubricant, if you don't have that use ointment but oil based lubricants are never the best because after the antiboitic properties have gone, it's just a magnet for bacteria and a barrier between your piercing and soap/oxygen. If at all possible, (especially if the piercing is new) try to make arrangements to keep your piercings in, a lot of the time doctor's will just give you a hard time about it and you don't really have to take it/them out. I can't count the times this has happened to me and I talked them into letting me keep them in, haha. Well, hope you guys have found this post helpful. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm scheduled for surgery on the 28th. I'm really excited and nervous and with 24 piercings, I'm definately using monofiliment in them! Anon, :Vindkald: