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Too much "meaning" for me, just get whatever you think looks cooler...

People who get one or two tattoos can give you a story about what they mean.People with lots of tattoos just like cool tattoos.

This is a conversation best had with your tattoo artist. If I were you I'd just add more tattoos around it; they don't have to be "connected" per se. But if you want one cohesive sleeve then you probably should have started with a design in mind.

Hey...welcome. Get the okay from your doctor first! While some anxiety is normal, if you are super stressed then maybe you shouldn't start with a 1/2 sleeve, which is an ambitious project for a first tattoo. Maybe think about getting something smaller as a test to see how you react and heal. There is no rush in making the decision.

I've heard that lymph nodes can collect the 'debris' from tattoo removal, which breaks down the ink. I'm not a doctor, but I've never heard of a tattoo causing lymph glands to swell from "taking in the ink" and I don't think he is right. Frankly I don't even know what that means; taking in the ink??? Do your research. If this is a legit diagnosis, you'll find it on medical sites through a google search.

Be aware that it's really hard to do script well. You need someone that is really precise because you'll see every imperfection. Also, be aware that thin skin is more prone to blowouts. Even skilled artists can have them. Bigger is better. Make sure you have multiple recommendations, don't just pop into the first shop you see. Do your research before you get the tattoo so you don't wind up back here asking if there is some way to fix the shaky script or the blowouts. ;-)

my knees and elbows were not bad,my left butt cheek hurt a lot,but my worst has been my inner thighs and my inner bicep.

IMO it wouldn't look nearly as good without the shading. It's a nice tattoo, just leave it be.

My first tattoo was a skull with fangs about the size of a dime, smack in the middle of my upper arm. When I went home for Christmas I covered it with a bandaid. But, the fangs poked out a bit. My dad saw it and asked if it was a tattoo. I told him it was a pimple I had scratched at. End of conversation. When I finally made it back to Houston, a thousand miles away, I called him and told him it was a tattoo. What could he do then? Also, when I got my first sleeve started my mother told me " I think you have enough tattoos that people know what you do. ( I tattoo ) she never even considered that I might be getting the tattoos because I loved them myself! Now 16 years into my career she's very proud and knows I made the right decision for me.

got my first when I was away at college. My parents are pretty conservative especially my mom. When I showed her the tattoo she called me an asshole. That was the first time I had ever heard her curse. It was refreshing.

I was visiting my parents with my new baby. I leaned over the crib and they saw it. I just remember them shaking their heads. My dad was from a NY blue collar Irish Catholic family and my mother from an upper middle class Jewish family. My parents were pretty liberal thinkers but for them a tattoo was more of a class thing. Even though tattooing eventually became my life it was never anything I shared or share with them. When my father was hospitalized with a terminal illness I stayed with him and tended to his needs till he died. I wore long sleeves so that he wouldn't see my tattoos on my arm--- just in case he would make a deathbed request that I not get any more tattoos. I've come to the realization that my mother's inability to understand,like or appreciate my tattoos is not very different from my inability to accept her dislike. Recently she also was hospitalized and I told her not to worry that I would get on a plane and be by her side In the morning ( even though my untattooed brother lives within an hour of her) What did she say? "Cover your tattoos!" I've come to realize that many people when looking at tattoos can not see content, skill,quality. When I first started getting tattooed my mother said to me that she didn't wnt my life made harder because of my tattoos and people judging because of them and I said that if people were going to judge me by the way I look they are not the people I want to be friends with anyway. My mother's attitude has really helped me in my own relationship with my children. how to be more accepting of their appearances.