I got my tongue pierced 5 days ago, and its still really swollen, I can't talk properly, can't eat and its sooooo uncomfortable. There is also stuff that looks furry all over my tongue, I went back to my piercer and he said just to clean it with a soft bristle toothbrush, but it still comes back. I rinse my mouth out with alcohol free mouthwash after eating every time, and I quite often gently remove the pus stuff that seeps out. I'm getting heaps annoyed with it because I can't eat or talk. Nothing helps either, I take iburofen and suck heaps of ice cubes but nothing helps. Is all this normal?

Here is aftercare of tongue piercing from eSortment.com. Getting a tongue piercing is a risk of serious infection in your mouth, and other parts of your body. Infection travels. Get this cleared up fast. If you cant, go to the hospital and get checked out. You could not have been given the proper information for aftercare, or you have not diligent enough in following instructions.

To keep a tongue piercing free from infection the first thing one should not do is rinse his or her mouth out with any type of listerine. This can cause irritation and discoloration to the piercing. Never clean the piercing with hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol, this can cause serious injury. Salt water is also an effective rinse.

After getting pierced the tongue will swell up to about twice its normal size and lymph will come out from the wound. Do not worry, this is normal. Swelling will start reducing in three to four days and go away completely in seven to eight. The tongue should be fully healed within 6-8 weeks. During those weeks do not play with or touch the tongue. Always rinse tongue after it has been touched or after eating something. You may want to avoid eating hot or spicy foods during the healing process, as this may cause discomfort and hinder the healing process. One should only eat small, soft amounts of food like mashed bananas, mashed potatoes, cereal, cold soup, applesauce or rice. Ultra slim fasts are a great way to get the protein and vitamins you need and you might lose a few pounds, too. Rinse mouth out before and after every meal or drink. Do not drink alcohol or coffee. Do not smoke. If one must smoke be sure to rinse mouth before and after having a cigarette. Smoking too much will slow down the healing process and cause discomfort. Do not use chewing tobacco or non-filter cigarettes.

After swelling goes down, cut back on your mouth rinsing. When tongue is fully healed it is only necessary to rinse mouth out in the morning and evening. The piercer will usually pierce the tongue with a longer bar or piece of jewelry to allow the tongue to swell. If the bar or jewelry feels too big or long it can be replaced when the tongue has healed and swelling has gone down. Do not take the bar or jewelry out before healing is complete or swelling is gone. A piercer or yourself can change the bar or jewelry.

Always sterilize the jewelry you will be putting in your tongue so as to prevent infection. In many cases, after the tongue is fully healed a crown or hard spot will appear around the hole in the tongue. This will generally go away within a month or two of the tongue being fully healed. If tongue hurts more than 8 days after piercing and swelling has not gone down go to the doctor. Do not just go to the piercing shop unless they specify otherwise. Following these proper steps will result in a quick and aesthetic recovery.

I think tickle is right.

From my experience:[B]

I got mine pierced May 21 this year. I posted the vid on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQBvf1UgONo) if you want to watch it. For the first week and some of the second, I could barely brush my tongue (I bought a new tooth brush, too, so I wouldn't have to worry about infection from my other one), I could barely eat, and I went through lots of ibuprofen (I took two pills at a time and waited a good amount of time, about an hour longer than was on the bottle, before taking another dose). I made sure to take ibuprofen when I before I went to sleep and when I woke up. I ate lots of ice, and other cold things too. My piercer told me to rinse my mouth every thirty minutes w/ listerine (but I had alcohol free mouthwash instead). I didn't really trust the rinsing every thirty minutes. It sounded like too much, but he was my piercer, so I tried to trust him.

My intuition was right. All the rinsing started to dry out my tongue, so I cut back to 2-3 times a day, and I rinsed with water anytime anything other than water or ice went into my mouth. My tongue swelled up A LOT (he should've used a longer barbell). I have an indentation on my tongue now, you can tell where swelling was pressured under the ball. I could barely talk, I was hungry, I was in pain, it sucked (but I love it now, so I'd do it all over again!). Some nights during that first week I woke up because it hurt so much. It even bled some, especially in the night. It felt like nothing was working for me, either (but I'm impatient).

The second and third week, the swelling started to get better, so (yay =]) I could start brushing my tongue again (I brushed it a little then, but I had to be so gentle, it barely did anything.), and I brushed off all the thick filmy whitish-yellow stuff that had accumulated on my tongue (I don't know if that's what you meant by fuzzy stuff, but it could be if you're not brushing your tongue as hard as you usually would). Lol, my tongue had never looked so pink to me in my life! My swelling and tenderness lasted a long time. If I ever felt a prob (like possible swelling) I just took some ibuprofen- just in case). It got better when I switched to saline; I boiled some water, and mixed it with non-iodized sea salt in a mason jar so I wouldn't have to keep mixing it everyday (make sure the salt dissolves into the water). Whenever I needed it (about 2-3 times a day) I just popped it in the microwave on about 30 secs. I take out my tongue ring (but I wouldn't advise taking out the tongue ring if you just got it- wait about 2-3 weeks), and I rinse for about 30 secs. (I use this on my tragus piercing I got a month ago, now.)

Right now, I do have a crown right around my piercing. It doesn't even bother me unless I mess with it (like squeeze it hard [which I don't] or run my tongue on the roof of my mouth too much [which I don't] or if I'm putting the barbell in and accidentally turn it or something before it goes all the way through). But it's fine. I can play with it and everything. I heard they're not completely jealed until about a year anyway, but you can change it before that. But make sure you keep your jewelry and mouth clean. I usually boil my bars (and the balls too, if they're not plastic) on the stove for about 3 minutes. And if the balls are plastic, I'll soak them in saline/mouthwash/watered down peroxide for about 5 minutes. I wouldn't advise playing with it for about a month. Just to be safe. =]

I used to be kind of worried about the crown, but after reading that, it eases my suspicions.

[QUOTE=lady_rae;2585505]I used to be kind of worried about the crown, but after reading that, it eases my suspicions.[/QUOTE

Hi again, lady rae, 3% peroxide is safe to use orally, so you don't have to dilute it with water.

It's totally normal.
MINE DID THE SAME THING! I got mine done maybe a few weeks ago and I thought it would never heal.
I couldn't eat, talk, or even brush my teeth properly. But after a week, I was good to go!
It's best to listen to your piercer, they have tons of experience, and TRUST ME!
IT WILL GO AWAY!
My tongue is still a bit tender around the bottom, but it was so worth it!
I love mine and you will too..
Just give it time :).. I mean after all, you did just stick a metal rod through your tongue lol.

And one more thing, I ALSO HAVE A CROWN! It's on the bottom of my tongue..
It freaked me out and looks kind of gross but it's most likely dead skin from the piercing.
It shouldn't really bother you unless you mess with it.
I hope all goes well!