In this thread, we commiserate about healing our fresh tattoos.

[ThatGuy]

Anyone else suffered from nausea and muscle-aches after a session? I had a couple of bad ones after having work done on my backpiece. First I thought it had something to do with not eating enough food beforehand, but it seems to be more in relation to how painful the session was. Something to do with the release of adrenaline I'm guessing? Would be interesting to hear about other experiences.

[Zillah]

Anyone else suffered from nausea and muscle-aches after a session? I had a couple of bad ones after having work done on my backpiece. First I thought it had something to do with not eating enough food beforehand, but it seems to be more in relation to how painful the session was. Something to do with the release of adrenaline I'm guessing? Would be interesting to hear about other experiences.

I've had intense transient nausea during a session. I hadn't had enough food either, so it may be related to that after all?

[Mick Weder]

How long have your sittings been?

I know when banging big hours, sometimes I'd get fucked up & disorientated at times. Blurred vision and feeling crook.

I put it down to the body going into a slight state of shock.

The backs not easy at the best of times. Not having enough food & dehydrating won't help either.

Wouldn't be dead for quids

[MadeIndelible]

I feel really disoriented after sessions with a lot of pain. Almost got lost in NYC after being tattooed three times in two days, because I was so focused on not messing up the bandages and also worrying about the next few days of aftercare.

[Breakme]

I have had the fuzzy vision and feeling a bit disassociated from my body during a session. I have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks in the past so I just relaxed, closed my eyes and didn't fight it and it passed.

Yesterdays session has been the most painful so far. Then the weirdest thing happened on the drive home, I must've had a huge endorphine rush as all of a sudden I felt like I was high. Lasted a good 15 mins.

Feeling very sorry for myself today, my thigh is so swollen and sore.

[ThatGuy]

How long have your sittings been?

I know when banging big hours, sometimes I'd get fucked up & disorientated at times. Blurred vision and feeling crook.

I put it down to the body going into a slight state of shock.

The backs not easy at the best of times. Not having enough food & dehydrating won't help either.

3-4 hour sessions, and they haven't been too bad. Some painful moments in this last one, but still surprised how much my body reacted a few hours after getting home. 24 hours in bed sorted me out though... Now just to endure the final healing.

[SeeSea]

Anyone else suffered from nausea and muscle-aches after a session? I had a couple of bad ones after having work done on my backpiece. First I thought it had something to do with not eating enough food beforehand, but it seems to be more in relation to how painful the session was. Something to do with the release of adrenaline I'm guessing? Would be interesting to hear about other experiences.

I've had muscle aches where I realized later I'd been tensed up for hours, like once I was grasping one hand with the other to make it dead weight while he was working on one side. Then I couldn't figure out why I couldn't hold a pen the next day :-)

Another cause of nausea and muscle aches can be dehydration. Your body went through a lot and it's chewed through water and electrolytes. I read somewhere a guy compared a long session with a sports endurance event, and recommended eating and hydrating similarly - small bits of food throughout, easy to digest with sugars. I down some Gu's (these little packs of goop that are sugar and electrolytes that runners, etc., use). Keep drinking a lot of water afterwards too. I screwed up my first marathon session and woke up very dehydrated the next morning - it felt like a bad hangover. Learned my lesson on that one.

[Mick Weder]

Spot on SeeSea :)

I also find utilising a pillow helps. Like, instead of holding on to something tight, I might say for example, lay in the fetal position, & put the pillow between my legs. Just a slight shift to comfort factor works wonders.

[Breakme]

Today I am itchy and sore at the same time. That's a new one.

[MadeIndelible]

My snake is finally healed. There is hope, people!

[EmmaB]

Anyone else suffered from nausea and muscle-aches after a session? I had a couple of bad ones after having work done on my backpiece. First I thought it had something to do with not eating enough food beforehand, but it seems to be more in relation to how painful the session was. Something to do with the release of adrenaline I'm guessing? Would be interesting to hear about other experiences.

YES! More the nausea than the muscle aches for me. I've just posted in the back piece thread to the same effect, but basically I started my back piece yesterday, it was a long sitting, and I think I'm just a bit fucked, but I felt low-level nausea pretty much from three hours in till this morning. It's not too bad though, I could still eat. Might be linked to the pain levels and the amount of skin coverage too, as I've had sittings that long for tattoos on my arms and I've been pretty much OK after those.

I can feel my glands are up as well. Just going to take it easy for a couple of days.

[Mick Weder]

I found with the line work on the back, those big long sweeping lines picking up all those nerve endings was fucked.

Good times :)

[SeeSea]

I found with the line work on the back, those big long sweeping lines picking up all those nerve endings was fucked.

Good times :)

There aren't many times in my life I've used the word "exquisite." This is one of them.

[mhapp95]

Just got a piece two days ago running from my lower sternum to belly button, and on my ribs right underneath my breasts. Wearing even a soft sports bra is a bitch and I'm so worried about screwing it up. It was my most painful tattoo yet and I'd really like to not touch it up right away. Besides that my rib cage feels bruised. With a sunburned back and tattooed front sleeping is a pain ! haha

[Faolan]

Just got tattooed on my chest and it's made the whole pec swell up. thank god it was warm out because I've been having to awkwardly wear my clothes around it while it heals so it doesn't stick, i have one sleeve hanging off my elbow so my old shoulder tattoo is exposed and my little brother and sister keep tracing it when i read to them and it tickles to much. And when I sleep I've had to carefully drape my blanket around half my chest, under the tat, and back up to cover my arm which needs to be lifted up over my head and damn do i hate sleeping on my back. Finally it's finished peeling but it still itches and the skin is so delicate i have to keep being careful. my boyfriend's been accidentally bumping it the whole time, he freaks out and apologizes every time, but I'm going to have my revenge when he gets his tattoo.

[CABS]

I'm healing a spider web on my elbow right now. It's the worst.

[hollyjoybee]

Healing my sternum is proving to be a pain in the ass. Bras suck at the best of times but right now I'm cursing their very existence!

[Mick Weder]

The sternum was the only area getting slammed where I couldn't get my breathing right. Ya done good holly :)

[hollyjoybee]

Breathing was definitely a bit odd in that place but once I realised just breathing normally wasn't affecting him working on me I was all good . That was the only issue I had which was a total relief haha , thanks Mike :)

[SeeSea]

Healing my sternum is proving to be a pain in the ass. Bras suck at the best of times but right now I'm cursing their very existence!

Have you been over to http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/5371-ladies-thread.html? I wonder if a bra question is found over there for you. I'll post some pictures next time, but what I found useful from a "bra" perspective during my back piece is to use a piece of pre-cut KT Tape to make kind of a sling for each of the girls. You can play with curving in different ways but maybe you can lay it down in a way you don't touch the area. I was going to post a picture last time - maybe I'll do it and post it to a limited audience. I'm small so it worked great! Maybe a couple would work otherwise. BUT - it's sticky, so touch the middle section to your stomach first to get a little of the sticky tamed before using!

[El Dolmago]

Just got a piece two days ago running from my lower sternum to belly button, and on my ribs right underneath my breasts. Wearing even a soft sports bra is a bitch and I'm so worried about screwing it up. It was my most painful tattoo yet and I'd really like to not touch it up right away. Besides that my rib cage feels bruised. With a sunburned back and tattooed front sleeping is a pain ! haha

If you haven't check out the ladies thread there is some excellent bra specific healing info in there.

Have you been over to http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/5371-ladies-thread.html? I wonder if a bra question is found over there for you. I'll post some pictures next time, but what I found useful from a "bra" perspective during my back piece is to use a piece of pre-cut KT Tape to make kind of a sling for each of the girls. You can play with curving in different ways but maybe you can lay it down in a way you don't touch the area. I was going to post a picture last time - maybe I'll do it and post it to a limited audience. I'm small so it worked great! Maybe a couple would work otherwise. BUT - it's sticky, so touch the middle section to your stomach first to get a little of the sticky tamed before using!

Ha @SeeSea great minds!

[Breakme]

Had to give my thigh a couple of sneaky slappings today at work while walking from my desk to the kitchen. I think I managed to pull it off without looking like a weirdo.

[Chemical Burn]

Noooo, my dog just scratched my four day old baphomet tattoo! That has to be the only time she's ever scratched me of all the 60 billion times I've thrown that ball for her. There are no visible scratches on it and it doesn't look like she pulled anything off, so hopefully it'll still heal up alright.

[irezumi]

Noooo, my dog just scratched my four day old baphomet tattoo! That has to be the only time she's ever scratched me of all the 60 billion times I've thrown that ball for her. There are no visible scratches on it and it doesn't look like she pulled anything off, so hopefully it'll still heal up alright.

A couple of years after getting this tattoo I got the most mildest of scratches from my cat. It didn't bleed or even make the skin peel or come up at all. Just a graze. For whatever reason it just never went away. I've had much more serious damage to other tattoos that didn't show any signs of wear and tear; road rash from skating, moving, just doing various things like that. Don't know why something so mild and casual left a more lasting mark than others.

Hopefully yours doesn't do that too.

[Tesseracts]

A couple of years after getting this tattoo I got the most mildest of scratches from my cat. It didn't bleed or even make the skin peel or come up at all. Just a graze. For whatever reason it just never went away. I've had much more serious damage to other tattoos that didn't show any signs of wear and tear; road rash from skating, moving, just doing various things like that. Don't know why something so mild and casual left a more lasting mark than others.

Hopefully yours doesn't do that too.

I think those red marks are broken capillaries. Those never go away unless you get some kind of laser treatment. I have a tiny one on non-tattooed skin from shaving.