A body modification addict who had her tongue split in half says she had to relearn how to talk.
Brianna Mary Shihadeh, who goes by Flower, started modifying her body as soon as she turned 18.
Her first modifications were two full sleeve tattoos.
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She now has one large chest piece that goes up to her neck, a leg sleeve, face tattoos, hand tattoos, spacers in her ears, a bridge piercing and a tongue split.
But for Flower, the tongue split was the hardest recovery.
“It was a very weird experience,” the shop owner told What’s The Jam.
“I had to relearn how to talk so I didn’t develop a lisp.
“I wasn’t aware of the aftercare, such as milking the tongue.
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“Also, you need to work the muscle, so you have to grab each side of the tongue and pull them down and apart.
“This is to keep the two sides separated.
“But I was also scared to touch it in fear of getting it infected.”
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After a couple of weeks, Flower was able to try talking again.
She said: “The stitches came out and I could milk it and practice talking more.
“Moving my tongue to practice words and tricks.
“It takes two weeks with stitches in, then you should practice week three and four on talking, milking, and moving the tongue to learn control.
“It feels like your first time using your tongue again.
“I had to relearn how to talk so I didn’t develop a lisp.”
Flower has spent £8,500 on modifications, and it hasn’t all been plain sailing.
She said: “My elbow was very painful, and the side of my head was the worst.
“It felt like the buzzing was inside my ear.
“Very loud and hard to meditate.”
But for Flower, who is from Long Beach, California, and now lives in Anza, California, every single change has been worth it.
She said, “All my tattoos have a lot of meaning.
“My Egyptian hieroglyphic pieces are an ode to my family.
“My grandfather moved to America in the 60s, and I grew up hearing stories of him playing in the pyramids as a kid before it was more restrictive.
“I plan to get a lot more tattoos, and I want to start my next leg sleeve.
“After that, I plan on getting my permanent ear pointing and permanent fangs.”
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