A Cure for Infected Belly Button Piercings

Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was get my belly button pierced. As a teen I had gotten my ears pierced several times but due to infection, I was never able to keep earrings in for extended periods of time, so the holes continually closed up. I didn't want to miss out on the piercing craze so figured that a belly button piercing would be another way to accessorize. Throughout high school I was very in to sports. Freshman year I went out for the field hockey team and earned a spot playing defense. By senior year (the time when I could legally get my belly button pierced) I had moved back to the goalie position. With all the diving that field hockey goalies do, I was nervous to get my belly button pierced for fear that it would get ripped out while diving after a ball. So I waited.

After eight years of field hockey, I graduated college in 2004 and my hockey career came to an end. In celebration, I did the one thing I had been waiting a very long time to do...got my belly button pierced! When getting pierced, the employer at the shop warned me that it could take up to a year for my piercing to fully heal and that I should clean it often and take good care of it in order to reduce the chances of getting an infection. Despite all his warnings, a few short months after getting pierced, I found myself with an infected belly button piercing. I had waited so long to get it in the first place. I was very upset and wanted to do everything possible to save it.

I visited the doctor and he gave me a round of antibiotics for my infected belly button piercing as well as a list of strict guidelines to follow in order to clear up the current infection and prevent another one from forming. The doctor also warned me how an infected belly button piercing like this could become very serious if not treated, so I had to keep a very close eye on the healing process; if it seemed like the infection wasn't going away, I was going to have to remove my piercing and undergo more aggressive treatment. Luckily I was able to follow the doctor's instructions and clear up my infection. Now, my piercing is completely healed and I can enjoy my belly button piercing without having to worry about infection.