Tongue Splitting

Has anyone had this done that would care to share his/her experience or opinion on this? I have been thinking about getting it done but I want to know more about it. whats' good? whats bad? etc.

 

I don't know anyone that has had it done, but my husband works with a girl that has her tongue split. He might could ask her some stuff for you if you want. What kinda stuff do you want to know?

 

Thanks HempMama.Mainly things like what method did she use to split? Does she have any regrets, complications etc?

 

I'll ask him to ask her.
So, how are you enjoying SC? Be honest. lol I know it's not the greatest, but is it ok?

 

Can you really move each side by itself after it's cut?

Freaky

 

@HempMama, I sometimes think I should have kept going til I reached Florida but I'm not miserable here. The wages are kinda low so I'm doing the same job for way less and the cost of living isn't much different from Jersey(aside from the taxes) but we are doing good so far.

@snocbor, haha yea once it's done you should be able to move both sides.

 

Why do you want to split your tongue. That won't ever heal if you ever want to undo it I do believe. What happens when you eat? This is just not wear I would want to go. I'd give it serious thought if I were you.

 

I never liked self mutilation, but hey, each does what he wants with his body.

 

I never liked self mutilation either but I have no problem with body modification. The procedure is reversible.

 

What part of splitting your tongue in two isn't self mutilation?

 

I pretty sure that is untrue, I read/heard that it actually tends to heal back together very quickly.
Sorry , i don't know a terrible lot on the matter tho.
I don't consider it body mutilation much more than any other body mod.I wouldn't do it-because i am not a fan personally,but if I did want it I would approach it like any other body mod,
Research research research,
and lots of trust and knowledge from a pro.

 

Dictionary.com reads

mutilate: 1. to injure, disfigure, or make imperfect by removing or irreparably damaging parts: Vandals mutilated the painting.
2. to deprive (a person or animal) of a limb or other essential part.

I do not plan on removing any parts of my tongue nor will I damage it beyond repair. You have a more extreme perception of the procedure than I but by definition it is not mutilation.

 

A mutilation is generally unwanted, or in the least spawn some sort of negative belief in the future; I've had chunks of skin cut of my chest and would never consider it to be a mutilation.

What trekker said does hold some truth however. A splitting reversal is not as easy as you believe. Re-joining a split tongue requires cutting open both sides and suturing them back together, which generally results in a very large amount of scar tissue and can lessen the ability the move your tongue or its sensitivity. Their isn't much risk to the lingual nerves but its definately greater than a tongue splitting. There was a great article on BMEzine or modblog about a man with a split tongue who wanted to join the army.. They wouldnt take him with it so he got it "fixed" due to wanting to serve so much. The end result was far worse than a regular or split tongue due to the amount of damage it had taken. This shouldnt set you back however. I feel with any extreme mod like this (including tattoos in this also) you should never need a reversal plan. You should only go ahead with something like this is youre sure you want it for life.

 

i think its freaky

 

Thank you atropine for offering some food for thought, not that I mind anyone's opinions either but it's always nice when someone in the thread remembers the original post. In my case I was seeking information about tongue splitting. Good, bad or otherwise to help me decide if I should do it.
About the soldier in BMEzine I will look into that to see what method he used for splitting and if there were any other factors in the splitting or repairing procedures that caused his complications. Were his problems typical of a reattachment or a rare event? Some people have been known to have complications from a tongue piercing but many have no issues at all.

 

Just found this clip from anarticle at BMEzine about a tongue piercing.

A 19-year-old combat soldier who died at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center on Monday as a result of complications of a tongue piercing he had done in July was a rare case [Ed. Note: Or so they would have us believe], but oral piercings commonly cause infections, according to experts in the Israel Defense Forces and Tel Aviv University’s School of Dental Medicine. [...]

In addition to that there is a link below from the publisher at BME and he states that reattachment is a simple prodecure with little risk. Check it out.

http://www.bmezine.com/news/edit/A20606/arttongu.html

 

Thanks for the link; I'll have to give it a proper read when i have the time.. Although I found the article I was talking about

http://www.bmezine.com/news/pubring/20030410.html
-I was out of work for a week with far more extensive pain and swelling than when I had the split done. Four days after the surgery I noticed that I had a large loss of feeling and taste in the front of my tongue. I brought this up at my first check-up, and was told that it would be weeks before I got feeling back. When I went back for my two-week check-up, I brought it up again. The doctor said that it could be months.
It's now been two months and while there has been some improvement, there is still a large loss of feeling and taste. I can feel the mass of scar tissue in the front of my tongue. Even though I am classified as "fully healed" I still have problems with it.
-I also have a shorter tongue and less movement in the front part. I have throbbing pains that would be best described as "ghost pains". I also catch myself trying to move it independently as if it was still split, since that's how it is in my mind.

Also from the BME encyclopedia
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Tongue_Splitting#Risks
-Tongue splitting reversal is far more painful than splitting, takes far longer to heal, and seems more prone to complications. Because of scarring and other damage done during the reversal operation, permanent damage to tongue mobility is not unheard of, leaving a shortened and narrowed tongue that is not as nimble, which of course damages speech and other activities. In addition, nerve damage from the reversal procedure is more likely than from the initial split, and there have been reports of damage to both touch and taste sensations in tongue splitting reversal procedures.
Reversing a tongue splitting is strongly discouraged—don't split your tongue if you think you might have to reverse it in the future.

 

Hmmm, it seems that BME contradicts itself from one article to the next. Some things to consider though. The phrase "prone to complications" isn't very reassuring.

 

Self mutilation also exists, as in the volontary act of cutting/burning/biting yourself, be it because of low self image, or cultural reasons (body modification would fit in the cultural reasons, you can't deny that when someone makles a hole in his earlobe, nose, scrotum, or when they split their tongue in two, or whatever, they are inflicting harm on their body). Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against body modification, and I think it can be a very creative form of art, go ahead and do whatever you want with your body, but when you split your tongue in two, you are damaging your own body voluntarily, not that I'm critiscizing anyone for doing so. The point of my argument isn't wether Body Mods are good or bad, I'm just stating it is a form of socialy acceptable self-mutilation.

Wikipedia reads:

Self-injury (SI) or self-harm (SH) is deliberate injury inflicted by a person upon their own body without suicidal intent.

Mutilation and self mutilation are very different things.

Edit: I also forgot to say, I'm not fighting, I'm discussing, just in case soemone mistakes the tone of what I wrote.

 

Thank you for the edited comment Spaced. Now back to the discussion...based on that definition something as trivial as getting a haircut could be considered self mutilation or assisted self mutilation. So would ear piercings, tattoos and other common practices. It kind of brings us back to square one which is... It all comes down to one's perception of what is acceptable.