My Nose Piercing Woes

Back in December when we were in Oregon for Christmas, Heather and I took a trip in to Portland so I could get my nose pierced. I wrote about it shortly after having it done, here. Since then I've had several false indications that it was healed enough to take out the original, large stud and replace it with a smaller one. (I'm talking about the straight part that goes through the nose. While the piercing heals a large one is supposed to be used to keep it from healing too small.) At point I put a smaller one in, one with a little ball on the end (on the part inside my nose), and left it for several days. Well, the skin and cartilage grew back around the straight part and the ball was too big to allow me to take it out. I had to yank it out! OW! It required a minor procedure involving Tim and a lot of rubbing alcohol and Kristine with a flashlight to get the bigger stud back in.

Then this morning as I cleaned the inside of my nose with sea salted water on a Qtip, I felt a slight sting on my nose. When I looked for the diamond stud... IT WAS GONE! I had pulled it into my nose. Not through the piercing, into. The diamond part was buried inside my nose.

Tim tried using pliers to push it back out, with no success. Then he tried pulling it through the rest of the way, but that was out of the question. Finally, we packed up the kids and went to base to the emergency room. I'd have been embarrassed if I hadn't been so upset about it. The guy who checked me teased me that they'd have to keep the stud and I burst into tears! It wasn't the right time to mess with me.

So, here's my dilemma: Should I take the stud out and let it heal? I like the stud, but now that I've ripped it through my nose once the chances are good I'll do it again. I don't want a bigger diamond. I think it would look funny. Also, I don't know where to get one, other than the smaller ones that are meant for healed piercings. My only chance of keeping it is to find a jewelry store that sells studs with big diamonds that are meant for piercings that aren't healed.

As I ponder this, Tim is pressuring me to take it out. He's against piercings and tattoos in general; doesn't like the idea of messing one's body up. I feel that there are tattoos and piercings that can be over-the-top, but small and tasteful ones don't bother me. In fact, I like the way mine looks, when it's not an open wound from yanking the piercing through my skin.

If you were me, what would you do? Feel free to leave a nice, sensitive comment, and/or vote in the poll in the sidebar.

~Reese