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Earring pain

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
A few weeks ago I had to take out my ear piercing. When I went to go put it back in half a day later it had closed up slightly and it took alot of effort to get the earring through. To this day it hurts very bad. I clean the earring and the jewlery daily and put antibiotic cream on it, which the Dr had told me to do when I had a piercing that was infected previously.
The piercing is not red, swollen or infected looking any way at all. However it hurts. It hurts to touch, hurts to move, just hurts alot.
Any ideas on how to make it feel better? Thanks.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    not sure how to make it feel better, but in future when you come to put it back in and find it has stated to close up, put a big blob of saliva on the earring and it will go through much more easily. apparently this is because the enzymes in your saliva break down the scab or whatever it is that forms, i swear by this as i hadn't worn earrings in years, put some saliva on an earring and it went straight through.

    Discusting, but soon I"ll be having to take it out again and I'll definatly try that when I go to put it back in. Thanks :) I'll actually try it when I get home. Maybe there is some scabbing still on the inside causing the pain. I know your own saliva disolves your blood, like if you get it on something, so I can believe that too. Thanks.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Had the same trouble with mine, haven't had any for years, was at 8mm and when got some new ones, bought some 10mm one, so it did hurt, also pain was not really an issue... But what thing I fund is that taking a bath with them own and ears under water is good, as your skin with the water will be more flexible and stuff...
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    it might be something to do with the metal because whenever i wear cheap jewelery it hurts, and i have to take out after a few ears, even if its just the back of the earring thats touching the skin....not that i am saying that ur jewelery is cheap! :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bunny_0_ wrote:
    it might be something to do with the metal because whenever i wear cheap jewelery it hurts, and i have to take out after a few ears, even if its just the back of the earring thats touching the skin....not that i am saying that ur jewelery is cheap! :p

    Bitch :(;) Well its the same type of earring I've always worn there. I guess theres that chance that I've just developed some reaction to it, but its not infected looking at all, thats what gets me.

    Thanks, hun
  • BunnieBunnie Posts: 6,099 Master Poster
    anytime love :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I keep cleaning my ear and such and it still keeps hurting. Hasnt gone away, only gotten worse. And right now like my whole ear hurts, when you push on where the earlobe connects to the face, it hurts there even, and the piercing in question is in the tragus. Any more ideas for me, it keeps me up at night cuz thats the side i sleep on :p

    I was thinking of asking a pharmacist, as I work in a pharmacy, but I'm too scared.

    I was thinking, if its infected, which it most likely is, the best thing would be to put antibiotic cream on it, right?
    http://www.neosporin.com/firstaid/neosporin.asp?sec=0&page=15 Maybe something like that? Cuz thats what I put on everythying :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    for some reason i wole up the other night and pulled the ear ring out of my ear! the backs are quite stiff so god knows how i pulled it out, anyway it made it bleed and that but im planning on just keeping it clean and letting it heal. Why not just try salt water which is whats reccommended for nerw piercings?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Last night, when ever i lowered my head, my ear and part of my face literally throbbed with pain :/but now i'm just whining :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    have you seen a doctor?


    ssshhhhh

    i've seen doctors for various infected piercings. same thing, put this on it, take out the piercing. Not doing that. I want this one, so if i did take it out, i'd get it done as soon as its healed and they get infected when they get pierced, so if it is infected like i'm now assuming, i'll just do the neosporin and rubbing alcohol and stuff for a couple weeks, that healed it last time. i just wonder how taking it out for half a day would have closed it up so much that when i went to stick an earing back in it would get infected :(

    I guess all my questions are gone, i just like to whine ;)


    Actually I lied, there is one more question, I cannot for the life of me remember what material I have in the earring, all i know is that its not a cheapy and it (as always) has had to of had on it "for sensitive ear" or something. I'm going to get a new earing tonight, what materials would you suggest? (and probably not a solid 24kt gold one cuz i'm cheap and poor ;))
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You re-pierced your tragus yourself??? :eek: That's crazy - no wonder it hurts.

    My advice is to never re-pierce your tragus with an earring!!! Cartilage is such a tricky thing to pierce, let alone with an earring not a needle :no:

    As for metals, I suggest titanium as it's biologically innert. Oh and never use creams on piercings - the cream can harbour bacteria and cause infection.

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You re-pierced your tragus yourself??? :eek: That's crazy - no wonder it hurts.

    My advice is to never re-pierce your tragus with an earring!!! Cartilage is such a tricky thing to pierce, let alone with an earring not a needle :no:

    As for metals, I suggest titanium as it's biologically innert.

    Ilora x

    Where did you get that from? God I would/could never pierce it myself, I couldn't even pierce my friends lobes when she asked.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote:
    it had closed up slightly and it took alot of effort to get the earring through.
    That's where you said you basically re-pierced your tragus :p

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    That's where you said you basically re-pierced your tragus :p

    Ilora x

    Actually, that ment that it had closed up slightly, the hole was still there, it just took a little push to get it thru as the hole was thinner than normal, far from gone. I had taken it out for about 6 hours when I had to have surgery. Hardly a re-pierce.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, anything like that is enough to set off a bitchy tragus. A slight knock can cause havok. :(

    I say, just take plenty of painkillers - ibuprofen to keep the inflamation down, and salt water soak it once a day...

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ouch, sorry if I sounded bitchy, reading it, I did to me. I'm just pissed off. Its dead infected in the back of the hole. I went to get the earring yesterday, (stearling silver, think thats good? It was the only one I could find that I thought would work, plus it was in the "for sensitive ears" bit) couldn't get it in, tried the old one, couldn't get it in, the only thing I could was a thin post. And I didn't realize how swollen it was until I put the post in and it barely sticks out the back. My body hates piercings. I've had over a dozen or so throughout and now I have 3. (ears only) all but one have been taken due to infection, most just months after piercing and I always take care of them. Plus I couldn't get a back on the stud and I woke up this morning and the earring was out and I thought I was just about ready to beat somebody, I probably would have if I wasn't able to get anything back in :p Oh I'm having a cranky day. Bla though, sorry for the rant.

    Whats the salt water going to do? And how do I go about getting it on there? How often, I'll try anything. This one was infected just like it when I got it pierced, only then I had my papa to help me, and I will not let it dissapear due to another one :p
    Thanks.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Salt water is used for cleaning... it's what I've used on all my piercings. It's better than creams/lotions as, like someone else said, it can harbour bacteria.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote:
    Whats the salt water going to do? And how do I go about getting it on there? How often, I'll try anything. This one was infected just like it when I got it pierced, only then I had my papa to help me, and I will not let it dissapear due to another one :p
    Thanks.
    Firstly, Sterling silver isn't the best metal to wear in a 'fresh' piercing. I say fresh, but I mean infected/recently aggitated piercing. You should be wearing a biologically innert metal (one that doesn't contain nickel) like Titanium. Silver contains nickel and will cause allergic reactions in some people and therefore isn't suitable to wear in a new piercing (or again, one that is aggitated!).

    Can I ask what you've used to clean all your other piercings with?

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Firstly, Sterling silver isn't the best metal to wear in a 'fresh' piercing. I say fresh, but I mean infected/recently aggitated piercing. You should be wearing a biologically innert metal (one that doesn't contain nickel) like Titanium. Silver contains nickel and will cause allergic reactions in some people and therefore isn't suitable to wear in a new piercing (or again, one that is aggitated!).

    Can I ask what you've used to clean all your other piercings with?

    Ilora x

    ok thanks i'll haed out and search for another pair. I've always used an antibiotic cream or gel (the neosporin) on the hole and the piercing and rubbing alcohol to disenfict the earring and every other day to put on a q-tip and rub the area slightly. (Isopropyl alcohol i think is the name for it, the 70/30 mixture, the stinky stuff they use at the dr's all the time for cleaning thingies anyways) sorry i'm quite the rambler today

    But the salt water does seem to be a popular thing here. I guess this is where I've beein going wrong ;) Just how do you go about doing it and would it help now?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, yes, that's where you've been going wrong on all your piercings. Alcohol is far too strong to use on piercings and creams are a definite 'no-no' - as I said earlier they just harbour bacteria.

    Right, you boil the kettle. Get a mug and fill it with boiled (not boiling) water. You then add 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt (preferably sea salt) stir, and let it cool.

    The grab a q-tip, and dip it in the salt water and clean your piercing with it - you'll need a couple of q-tips and never dip the same q-tip in the solution twice.
    I find that q-tips are the easiest way to clean a tragus because you can get behind the jewellery with it.. you can reach all the hard to get places.

    Also, can I ask what type of earring your wearing in it? I'm guessing you're wearing a normal stud in it, that you'd wear in an ear lobe?

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, yes, that's where you've been going wrong on all your piercings. Alcohol is far too strong to use on piercings and creams are a definite 'no-no' - as I said earlier they just harbour bacteria.

    Right, you boil the kettle. Get a mug and fill it with boiled (not boiling) water. You then add 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt (preferably sea salt) stir, and let it cool.

    The grab a q-tip, and dip it in the salt water and clean your piercing with it - you'll need a couple of q-tips and never dip the same q-tip in the solution twice.
    I find that q-tips are the easiest way to clean a tragus because you can get behind the jewellery with it.. you can reach all the hard to get places.

    Also, can I ask what type of earring your wearing in it? I'm guessing you're wearing a normal stud in it, that you'd wear in an ear lobe?

    Ilora x

    Even if its an antibiotic cream? youd think that would help, ah well. right now i'm wearing a stud, though normally i wear a hoop. Should the salt water thingy help kill the infection? How many times a day should I do it and what, in your opinion, is the best to use to clean the actual earring?
    Thanks muchy for your time and ideas
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No Problem :)

    Ideally you should be wearing something like a Micro Labret Stud, in titanium a Ball Closure Ring(coated titanium) or Circular Barbell (titanium)

    Salt water won't kill any infection, it'll keep the area clean - for infection you should get your doc to prescribe oral antibiotics, rather than a cream.
    I say clean it twice a day and no more than that or you'll aggravate it even more. As for cleaning the actual jewellery, I use a bowl of boiling salt water and leave the jewellery in it, and once it's cool, give it a rub down with clean hands and the salt water it's been soaked in...

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh i did do something right, the second is what i normally wear (my noviceness calls it a hoop anyways ;)), just the wrong material.
    thanks again :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sorry to keep asking questions, I do have one more though, I cannot for the life of me get the hoop in my ear, yet I can get the stud in for now, I'm assuming its because its thinner. I can get the hoop nearly all the way in, but not thru the back. Do you know any secrets or tricks that I could do to try and just open the hole a tiny bit just to get the damn earring, the stud keeps falling out :/
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There's not a lot I can suggest really, except to make sure you're using a 1.2mm gauge hoop...

    Ilora x
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, no more problems. I just wanted to say yay. Along with the salt water and some ointment I got from one of the pharmacists at work my ear no longer hurts and I can get my earring back in just fine. Thanks oh so much chick!
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