Why get my nose pierced? Why not?

I am not sure when my fascination with a diamond nose stud formed in my fashion sense. But for years, whenever I saw another woman wearing one, I couldn't help but ask questions and admire the sparkle.

"Did it hurt?"

"Have you had any problems with it?"

And "Do you think I'm too old to get one?" They all responded with, "Of course not!" as if shocked I would ask.

But I associated the fashion trend with a younger generation, not necessarily mine: I'm 46, a working mother with two kids out of high school and the third not far behind.

One day I asked my oldest son, Drew, if I was too old to do such a thing. Yes, he said immediately.

But less than a week later he came back to me and said, "Mom, you're not too old for a nose piercing."

My insecurity about my age wasn't my only concern in getting my nose pierced. Being a diabetic had to play into the decision as well. I couldn't just run to the nearest piercer on impulse.

Three months ago, when a colleague got her nose pierced, my thoughts again turned to that cute little diamond stud. I discussed the risks posed by diabetes, including a slower-than-normal healing time and infection, with my endocrinologist. With a giggle at the idea, she said to me, "Just make sure your blood sugars are under control."

That meant I had to maintain a proper diet, being vigilant about avoiding foods high in sugars and starches. A new medication also helped. At my next doctor visit, my blood-sugar levels were lower.

At Ocean Mystique's Norfolk Ink Gallery, piercer Ryan Provido looked over my consent form. "You're pregnant?" he asked. "No! I'm not pregnant!" I said. "Well, you have checked yes to being pregnant," he responded.

On this piercing day, which had been on my calendar for at least a month, nerves were also a factor.

"No respectable artist will ever do a tattoo or piercing on someone who is pregnant," he told me. "If it's early in the pregnancy, it's enough of a shock to the body that it could cause a miscarriage; and late in the pregnancy, it's enough of a shock to go into premature labor."

On an earlier visit, I had picked out a piece of jewelry - a yellow-gold diamond stud. But on Provido's recommendation, I selected a piece with a surgical steel post that features a faux stud instead because the mounting sits closer to the skin.

After my nose healed, which usually takes three to six months, I could replace it.

The piercing area, with its pulled-back curtain door, resembled a medical examination room but with a garage edginess to it. I saw packaged, sterilized surgical instruments on a stainless steel tray.

Provido, 30, of Chesapeake has been a piercer for nine years. He has 11 piercings, the first through his tongue when he was 15.

"At that time in this area, there weren't too many piercing shops, so I had a guy out of his house do it for me," Provido said. "I don't recommend doing it that way, and had I known better I wouldn't have done it. I was young, and I wasn't educated in the subject." Lucky for him, the piercing didn't get infected.

Now it was my turn.

As I sat on a black, leather-topped table, we discussed which side of my nose to pierce. I had already decided to place it on my left side because my right cheek has a mole. Provido agreed that would balance everything out. He often recommends a similar formula to others depending on what side they sleep on or how they part their hair.

Wiping away a dot of makeup with an anti-microbial scrub, he made a mark on my nose with a purple pen to indicate the position. He handed me a mirror for approval.

Before he began, I asked if he had any advice. "Just stay calm and breathe through your nose," he said.

He removed a two-inch, hollow needle from the tray, and I immediately shut my eyes. Without numbing my skin, he began. I could feel the pressure of the needle going into my skin, but, to my surprise, it didn't hurt.

As I opened my eyes, Provido commented on my eye watering. "It's normal for the eye to water. It's an involuntary response to trauma to the nose." He then inserted the jewelry and, again, handed me a mirror.

"Wow. I finally did this," I thought.

It's been a month, and my nose piercing is healing just fine.

I am - finally - enjoying my very own cute little diamond stud.

Patty Jenkins, (757) 446-2298, patty.jenkins@pilotonline.com