G'day Anonymous, Thank you for your question. My suggestion is that you go and see a doctor to ensure that nothing has gone wrong. The tongue has an amazing healing capacity so it should normally heal quite quickly. I have attached sources for your reference. Regards Wikipedia Tongue Piercing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue_piercing Association of Professional Piercers http://www.safepiercing.org/oralRisks.html Center for Young Women's Health http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/body-piercing.html Cool Nurse http://www.coolnurse.com/piercing.htm

Assuming that you have gotten your barbell downsized, the piercer may have put in a thinner gauge of barbell. I assume this because after a week, you are to go in and get your piercing downsized. This helps keep from chipping your teeth. Tongue rings heal up very quickly. If it is still bothering you, I suggest to go back to your piercer.

I actually had to go get a bigger barbell. The one they gave me was to small.

I actually had to go get a bigger barbell. The one they gave me was to small.

This is commonly seen in those who play with their piercing during the healing time, such as sucking it, running it around the mouth and biting it. It tends to migrate nearer the tip and leaves in its wake a tear(as in rip)-like hole. Stop playing with the piercing to give it a chance to recover, otherwise you could end up with a build-up of white scar tissue either on top or underneath which is neither comfortable or attractive. Playing with a well-healed piercing is fine. You just need to give your body a break and allow it to heal.

I have to question, what is “really big”?? I got my tongue pierced when I was 19/20 and still have it. I’m 27 now. Honestly I have never had a problem, never cracked a tooth, the swelling was almost nothing, ect. However, I got mine done the same time as a friend, and she had all sorts of problems. Her tongue swelled. . . . A LOT! She has swallowed the balls while sleeping, and has even choked on a barbell. The icing on the cake was the day I had to take her to the emergency room because the bottom ball had gone inside her tongue and the bottom of her tongue healed over when she was sleeping one night. The doctor at the ER had to cut open the bottom of her tongue and push the ball back through. The difference between her and I. . . and the only difference I might add. . . .was that she played with hers ALL THE TIME, I didn’t. (We even got them done by the same person!) Once mine was healed I felt that the bar was too long. (In case you didn’t know they are done by gauge, and by length.) The whole piercing seemed to “dangle”, and I even found myself biting down on the balls from time to time, not to mention that when my mouth was closed the top ball pushed into the rough of my mouth. So I dropped a gauge and searched for a shorter bar. It took almost a month to get use to, but since then I haven’t had any problems what so ever. If you have the bar that the piercing was done with then it should be too big for the whole. However, if you play with it a lot, or your tongue swelled a lot then the hole may have stretched out a bit. As long as the hole isn’t bigger then the bottom ball I would suggest leaving it be for at least a month, maybe a bit longer. The hole in your tongue will shrink to fit the rod. I promise :) I don’t regret that I ever got it done, but after 7 years I have learned a few things. I don’t know how old you are, or what your “life plans” are. . . .but you should keep these thing in mind. Once it heals, start getting use to having to switch it out, and being looked at differently for having it to begin with. Many jobs I have had required that I either removed it for my shift, and/or used a flesh colored or clear jewelry. I’ve even not gotten a job because of it. Beyond all that, I removed it, tonight as a matter of fact, because I am going into a profession that it is simply not appropriate for. Good Luck!!