Quick Note: The title of this post was a joke AT MY OWN EXPENSE! I have had lots of hate mail from folks (two from the same guy…) writing to tell me how stupid I am and how successful they are with their ink. These folks, it would seem, did not read the post and only looked at the title. I am an aerospace engineer. A well paid one and I 100% get that tattoos are NOT for losers, that is why the title seemed funny to me…
So, I have been getting tattooed since I was 17 years old. My very first bit of ink was a small infantry crossed rifles tattoo on my left shoulder. I paid $25 for it at Fast Freddie’s Tattoo Parlor just outside the gates of Ft. Benning, GA on Victory Blvd. It was amazing (Not Really) and I loved it, until I didn’t (in about 6 months). A few years later, I had it covered with some Celtic knot work and have had that shoulder and the other added to over the years. I have had a couple of OK tattoos, but never a bad one and have never had any sort of infection or issue with aftercare. No misspelled words, flesh rotting, weird placement, zero ladies names, etc… My experience with having ink is has been strait forward.
My eventual want was/is to have two full sleeves, but life and finances sometimes get in the way of “wants” when they live in the same house as “needs” and it has been 15 years since I have sat for a local scab vendor. Late last year, my wife paid for a consultation with a highly regarded Irazumi (Japanese tattoo style ) artist in our area to discuss having my right sleeve finished. I liked the artist, his portfolio was very good, very professional, and started saving for the sleeve as they are not a quick or cheap endeavor.
My first sitting took 4.5 hours and was the design and outline. The artist worked really hard and had amazing vision to incorporate a neo-traditional Japanese Hokusai-themed should cap into the overall design of the sleeve with an octopus, a peony elbow cap, 13 cherry blossoms scattered all the way from wrist to the top of my shoulder, and a large mistudomoe to anchor my forearm. all of it was drawn on free hand and then tattooed. It was impressive.
The second sitting was all about putting in the thick black lines of the octopus and doing all the black background shading. No Color for the this sitting, just blasting in a bunch of black. It took 5.5 hours this time and it was not a tickling experience – It fucking hurt the whole time. I have at least two more sittings and they will feel about as good as the second I am afraid. The end product will hopefully justify the cost/pain.
A couple of days after the second sitting, I felt bad most of the afternoon, maybe a low grade fever and my shoulder ached in the joint a good bit. I had showered and washed my arm that morning and was happy with the overall look, even at the incomplete stage. As I was getting ready for bed I took off my long sleeve shirt to wash and lightly moisturize the arm and things had taken a turn: my whole arm was swollen, everywhere the shader had been was puffy and bright red. Most concerning of all, I was starting to develop tiny blisters in the puffy spots. Oh hell no!! I know what infection looks like and there was no way I was letting that happen without a serious fight!
My wife and I hopped in the car and headed to Urgent Care. I figured it was just the beginning of an infection so I would need an inter-muscular antibiotic, 5 days of antibiotics by mouth, and a sweet tube of steroid lotion. The Dr. more or less agreed with my diagnosis and treatment plan, except no inter-muscular shot and a 10 day pill regimen. We were in and out in less than an hour. It actually took us more time at the pharmacy that it took to be taken care of by a Doctor. 24 hours later, there is still a little redness, but the swelling is gone and there are no more blisters.
Update: it has been 6 months and I have had three more sittings and the sleeve is done. I am VERY happy with the work and the artist. There was never any issue with additional sittings, not a bit. I will fill the other sleeve, but with “bangers” (one tattoo at a time) instead of a single collated image.
Tattoo PSA:
- Listen to your aftercare instructions and ask questions.
- Keep it clean. Wash it gently with real soap everyday.
- Do not gob on too much lotion trying to keep it wet.
- If you think you tattoo might be infected, go to urgent care right then, do not wait until in the morning. Scarring, ink fade, and Sepsis are no one’s friend.
- Take ALL of your meds until the bottle is empty.
- Talk to your tattoo artist if you have an issue – in person, calmly, not via hate mail or social media – a real conversation. 99% chance it is not their issue. You might have done something wrong or you might be the 3rd person that had an issue recently and the artist might use the information to look at their supplies or process.