Tattoos

Who doesn’t love a good tattoo? I’ve always had a creative mind and no problems inventing new ideas for drawings and tattoos. Better to not trust my drawings when it comes to permanently putting art on my skin though, especially now with my paralyzed hands. I’ve always seen my body as a blank canvas and loved the idea of expressing my thoughts and experiences through art. All of my ink has important self meaning and I am in no way close to being finished but I wanted to describe my experiences getting tattoos pre and post injury in case someone who is paralyzed and on the fence with getting one... or many. 

First things first, if you like any of my ink, please don’t copy it. If you like any of the ideas or concepts then run with that and make them personal to you. I just really love the work and passion that has been put into my tattoos and would hate to know that someone is running around with the same custom ink without understanding the meaning.

I want to start by giving shoutouts to the shops and artists that have worked on me throughout the years. I got my first tattoos in Columbus, Georgia at Atomic tattoo. At first I was skeptical simply because of its proximity to the military base but the shop was awesome and really took care of me as a walk-in both times that I went. When I was stationed in Washington, I really wanted to find a passionate shop that wasn’t right off post. I stumbled into Spider Monkey tattoo in Olympia, WA and met some of the coolest artists there. Nickhole Arcade started on my half sleeve with such intense passion. I fell in love with each addition that she created and the way that she was able to take my thoughts, draw them out and put them on my skin. I will always regard her as part of the standard of tattoo work. I also had some work done from Brian Childs at Spider Monkey. You really couldn’t find a more passionate group of artists. Or so I thought. In searching for a wheelchair accessible shop, I stumbled across Randy King. This man excels in his craft and is extremely passionate and proud of any work that he does. He accommodates any need that I have now as a quadriplegic and I am honored to have him working on my current sleeve and all future work.

Alright now to the paralysis part...

This may seem silly because there are so many people out there, some are friends, who are covered in tattoos that make me look like a chump. I met one veteran in the hospital who had every inch of his body tattooed and he had all of his work done post injury. He should probably be the one writing this post... but alas, here we are. I am here to describe what it is like to get tattooed in an area that you cannot move or feel. 

The first thing that I did was to get an area that has full sensation tattooed so that I could remember the feeling and what I was about to put my body through again. It had been years since my previous half sleeve was completed and I felt that it was important to get reacquainted with the process before getting tattooed where I am paralyzed. I had my traps done with some script, just some line work, nothing too crazy. I quickly remembered why I loved getting tattooed. It becomes almost therapeutic with the pain and the humming of the tattoo gun, similar to a runners high.

Randy and I agreed to start on a “trash polka” styled sleeve and do the sleeve in completed sections. The only issue... I can’t feel the whole back half of my arm. How would my body react to something causing it distress where I couldn’t feel. Normally this situation triggers something called “autonomic dysreflexia”. Any pain or discomfort below my level of injury (C-4 / C-5) triggers a reflex with a plethora of nasty symptoms (blood pressure spikes, goose bumps, chills, headaches) and they continues to get worse until whatever causing it is corrected. AD is extremely dangerous and unfortunately anyone with a neurological issue or spinal cord injury can tell you how awful it can be. I couldn’t help but wonder if getting a tattoo was going to trigger this reaction.

I made sure that Kass came with me just in case I had a bad reaction. I also made sure that my artist understood the potential for issues that could come up (AD, spasms, sensitive areas, etc. ). We started the work on my shoulder where I have most of my feeling. Again, I loved the tattoo therapy. The first thing that I noticed was that the process almost felt like acupuncture. I didn’t realize how tight the muscles in my arm had become, either from lack of use or too much use, but aside from the stinging of the needle, the deep shading felt oddly relaxing. It felt like the process had actually loosened some muscles. The next thing that I noticed was that I was bleeding like a stuck pig. This was completely different than any of my previous tattoos. It was fine after that first night but man oh man was I sore for the next week. I try to come off tough but I was hurting for a few days. This first session bruised really bad, probably from all of the blood settling. It wasn’t abnormal for tattoos, just different for me. Maybe it was from the tight muscles or maybe from some medications that I take but I definitely observed that that was different. The first session healed great just like my other tats. Just follow regular post tattoo healing instructions or directions from your artist if you have any questions. 

It was an odd feeling on the back side of my arm. I knew that he was back there doing heavy shading. I could feel the vibrations going through my arm and I could feel the muscles relaxing... but no pain. I actually started to fall asleep because I was so relaxed. I also didn’t have any abnormal reactions which sort of surprised me! I was very pleased with the results and tattoo fever set in! I started booking Randy every 2 weeks so don’t be surprised if every time I post on social media I have some fresh ink and some still healing. 

My second session was a good bit of thick line work which in my opinion hurts more than shading. It was also done lower down my arm and down my wrist where I have less sensation. Again, I could tell that he was inking away but it felt more like novocaine. I actually missed the pain from a normal tattoo session. When he was drilling into my tricep area and back of my wrist, I noticed that I had the goosebumps a few times and my foot kicked a few times. It wasn’t anything crazy but I knew that it was the first time my body was telling me it was in distress. Aside from this minor case of AD, session number 2 went without a hitch. The one thing that I noticed with this tattoo was that the line work didn’t want to peel. Normally with my other tattoos, they were peeled and healed right around two weeks, but this one is past week four and is just now fully healed. I have been very careful not to rub it on anything and let it heal naturally but part of me thinks that because I take vitamin E, and lotion my skin a lot, that this tattoo just didn’t want to flake off. Just an observation for if you take supplements for your skin like I do. 

I just had my third session with the sleeve and I got it where I have total sensation. Goodness, I actually missed the normal tattoo process. The pain, the tattoo high, everything. The only struggle that I’ve had with this last session is that the tattoo is where my arm bends (my elbow pit) and obviously not being able to use my body except for my arms means that I move my arms a lot. Well that makes it difficult when it hurts to move haha. 

I still have a long ways to go with the sleeve and tattooing the rest of my body. I am honored to have had such creative men and women use my body to express their artwork. My goal with this post is to help educate anyone that’s on the fence with getting tattoos after being paralyzed. It is very possible and almost therapeutic. Just understand the risks and follow these main takeaways.

1. A tattoo is an open wound and needs to be cared for carefully, especially if you’re getting it done in an area that is more susceptible to pressure sores. You may need extra help taking care of it from a 3rd party (caregiver, friends, family, etc.) Don’t neglect it just because you may not be able to take care of it yourself.

2. Make sure that your tattoo artist is aware of the risks that come along with tattooing a paralyzed part of the body. It may be wise to have someone who understands your injury with you just in case something does happen.

3. The tattoo might heal differently (bruising, bleeding, scabbing) on your body depending on where you get it and what medications you take. (Vitamin E, blood pressure medication, blood thinner, etc.)

4. You may have to adjust your turning schedule at night to accommodate not having pressure or bedsheets against your fresh ink.

These are all the main things that I’ve learned since resuming my tattooing. I hope that I am able to help someone who is paralyzed and on the fence about getting a new tattoo. I am extremely happy that I am once again doing this for myself and I love expressing the artwork. It is such a boost in my confidence again! I can’t wait to show off more finished work and hopefully see more people out there showing off theirs. And a big shout out to all of the artists out there! I have so much respect for what you all do! 

God Bless!