Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Left Arm Longs for the Caress of a Brillo Pad

It's now been a week since I got my half-sleeve started.  Day three it started peeling.  Day four it started itching.  Those two things [for me] are the worst part about tattoos.  I'd rather have the raw feeling of a fresh tattoo than this shit.  This has been the ultimate test of my will power.  Only my desire to not fuck up this awesome original art on my arm has kept me from disfiguring my arm for a moment of relief.

I'm a picker, and not in a cool way like the Steve Miller song.  I'm the one peeling my sunburned skin after a trip to the beach and popping enormous black head zits on our sedated patients ... you get the picture.  It sounds gross, but I know plenty of people who compulsively do these things.  Oddly enough, or maybe not, they work in medicine like me.

I have a new-found respect for people stuck with a cast and aren't able to scratch the itch beneath it.  It's really driving me crazy.  Tank-tops are a bit too chilly for this time of year so I have to dress in long sleeves which makes my arm itch even more.  I thought getting tattooed in the winter would be better--I wouldn't have to worry about getting too much sun exposure.  Now I'm not so sure.

"If it itches apply some lotion."  Well that's what I've done, but then I start worrying that the friction of rubbing the lotion in might pull the pieces off too early.  "Don't use regular soap or get your shampoo on it because it might have perfumes." Right.  Okay. Trying to wash my Rapunzel-length hair is an ordeal to say the least.  I lean to my right side to wash and rinse it which gets water in my ear...ugh.  Is the water pressure in my shower too much?  Will it rip the loose peeling pieces off?  Did it stay wet too long?  

This is starting to sound more neurotic than I think I actually am.  Am I over-thinking this?  Probably.

Bottom line:  This is worth it.   My badass tattoo is totally worth all the annoying shit that comes with it.  But I still say the hardest part isn't getting the tattoo, it's taking care of it.  And waiting for the next session.  That's pretty hard too.

[Had to reschedule my next appointment to accommodate John's class schedule. So I'm back to a five week countdown again.  March 1st is too far away.]

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