True Medical Confessions: The Sequel

I am a fainter.


(Source.)

It is not dainty or feminine, like Victorian literature would have you believe. In fact, it is super unpleasant and embarrassing. Thank God Youtube didn't exist at the time I did a spectacular faceplant in the lobby of my pediatrician's office--at the age of twenty, no less--after receiving a bunch of shots in preparation for my college semester studying abroad. Every time I've fainted, it's been immediately following something involving blood, needles, or weird body stuff.

What does this have to do with my wedding? Well, it involves extremely beautiful earrings like these....



(Sources: first two from here, last pair from here.)

.....and my current inability to wear them. I have unpierced ears. Well, actually, I had pierced ears--when I was six. My mom took me to a piercing place in the mall and we had them done. I got sick of cleaning them and taking care of them very quickly, though, and took them out. I don't think I've had a pair of earrings in since I was maybe seven years old, and all that's left is the scar tissue from where they closed up.

I've wished occasionally that I never took them out, especially whenever I'd notice how pretty my friends' earrings looked. But now that I'm browsing the Internet looking at wedding porn every day, I keep noticing images like this:


(Source.)

and how beautiful and "finished" a great pair of earrings can make your whole bridal get-up look. It's caused me to give more serious thought to re-doing my piercings. I would love to wear earrings on my wedding day (and any other day), but to be honest, I'm really scared about it! Since every time I've fainted has been triggered by my squeamishness about needles, I've since developed a major phobia of being in any situation involving them. Mr. Octopus accompanied me to a doctor's appointment involving a blood draw a few months ago; he'd never seen me in a situation like that before, and was shocked by how white and clammy I got. (I believe the exact quote was, "oh my God, I can't believe how sweaty you are! The back of your shirt is almost soaked through!" Thanks, honey, that's helpful.)

I feel like nearly everyone I know has pierced ears, and I really would love to have them myself, both for the wedding and just for my everyday life. I love to wear jewelry, and I'd love to start wearing earrings on a daily basis. On the other hand, I am certain that a trip to get my ears pierced would be accompanied by heart pounding, trembling, copious sweating, and would possibly be topped off with a grand finale of blacking out in the piercing shop. Oh, and an encore of some dry heaves and retching (which always happens when I come to after fainting).

What to do? If you were in my situation, would you pierce your ears, or just leave them be? Any other fainters out there have some tips on making it through and coming out conscious?