I want to get a tatoo. Have been thinking about it for a while. I want a butterfly (not too big on my upper back/right shoulder area). I feel I am a butterfly since having my lap band surgery. I have one issue. I found out during my pre-op testing that I was diabetic and I have been on a small dose of oral meds once a day for it since. I go back to doc for follow-up on 5/23 for the diabetes. He anticipates that as I continue to lose weight, I will not need any meds. So far I am doing great. I have lost 33 ponds. I am leary about getting a tatoo with my diabetes diagnosis. Don't know if it could cause a possibe reaction or interfere with healing. Has anyone diabetic had a tatoo after finding out you were diabetic?? Did you experience any problems?? I paln to ask my doc at my appt for his opinion but wanted to see what you all thought.

My DH is Diabetic. They heal slower and are more prone to infection than other people. I think you should ask your doctor.

Uhm, just My opinion, but make sure you check with your doctor first, and then think about it for a while. Make sure you get it in a place that no one else can see unless you want them to.

My brother has "shirt sleeves" tatoos. I think he has around 20 going across his chest, on his back, and down each arm. He wishes he would have stopped higher up on his arms now, since we live in TX and he has to wear long sleeves to work every day to cover them up. As a young teen rebel, the tats worked for him, as a middle aged professional... not so much.

Just something to think about.

I have a tatoo on the top of my right foot. I love it! and its easy enough to cover if I wanted to/needed to. I gave it a lot of thought beforehand. But do ask about healing. Make sure it would be a place you can check as well to see how it is healing.

I am/was pre-diabetic and have two. One in the middle of my back and one on top of my right foot (just like Kyethra).

Check with your doc, then go for it. Especially if you have someone to help you care for it. I remember when I woke up and my new back tattoo had "healed" right into my tank-top. Eeech.

They didn't ask me about Diabetes when I had either done, but that doesn't necessarily mean than it is SAFE.

Make sure to post pics in the tattoo thread if you go under the needle.

I know we have a couple of skin artists who post. Wonder when they will stop in.

I am diabetic and I have 4. The newest one I just got in Feb and one spot on it did take longer to heal but I am not sure if it was because of being diabetic or if it was the area he seemed to go over and over and over. The one (my avatar) on my upper back healed just fine. But I would check with your doctor before you just go do it. BTW, I am already planning my 5th and 6th one. I plan on waiting until I get closer to goal because I and getting one of them below my upper back one and I have some "rolls" there. This was recommended to me by my tatoo guy. The sixth one will be done in white ink only.

I am not diabetic however i just got more work on my first tattoo done this weekend and there was a person there who had diabetes..His tattoo was very small but he still got it done..

<p>I am type II diabetic and I have 3 tattoos. One thing I am going to do after I lose all this weight is get a tattoo. I used neo-sporin on all my tattoos for after care and they healed great - no chipping. </p> <p>Chrishell, go for it!</p>

I have diabetes and I have a tatoo on my lower back that took over 4 hours to apply. Usually the diabetics that are discouraged are type one (who take insulin). Actually the best person to talk to would be the tatto artist. If you go to a good parlor that artist themselves should be educated. A good rule of thumb would be on how well your body heals. I got my tatto after I lost 100 pounds this was a reward to myself. I say go for it :>

Holy smoke! What is it with young people and tattoos? I wouldn't even consider a tattoo. Okay, I've thought about a lady bug on my boob, but I didn't do it. It hurts! Then there's the problem of infection though I have to admit that I had my ears pierced by my roommate in college with a corsage pin. I wish I could live long enough to see all these tattoos sagging when the kids are old. I think one's butterfly may turn into a dragonfly when one is 70. I think it will be hilarious to see senior citizens with flames on their calves. Whoo hoo hoo.

Holy smoke! What is it with young people and tattoos? I wouldn't even consider a tattoo. Okay, I've thought about a lady bug on my boob, but I didn't do it. It hurts! Then there's the problem of infection though I have to admit that I had my ears pierced by my roommate in college with a corsage pin. I wish I could live long enough to see all these tattoos sagging when the kids are old. I think one's butterfly may turn into a dragonfly when one is 70. I think it will be hilarious to see senior citizens with flames on their calves. Whoo hoo hoo.

I know there are going to be some awfully stretched out tats in a decade or four! I've seen a couple already.

The most interesting changes are soft tissue tattoos on breasts or bellies before getting pregnant. I've seen a Mickey Mouse whose left ear surpassed the size of his head. Color also doesn't age that well. White turns tan, green turns bluish, and red & yellow just disappears with time.

Luckily, I got a chance to learn this before I had mine done. Black ink on bony areas. I expect to have my Celtic knots evolve into black smudges by the time I am 70. Mmm, sexy.

Poodle- Hit it on the nail!! I feel blessed I have foresight when I do things. I have 3 tattoos, but I thought about how when I'm old-what's going to sag and look distorted? (we've all seen someone with a tattoo like this..)

And also, when I 'grow up', I don't need anything visible in the professional world. The only people taken seriously in a business environment with tattoos all over their body---are tattoo artists.

Just how it is.

That being said, I was pre-diabetic (I'm not sure what all that involves), and I have 3 tattoos. They hurt, but I designed them at different times in my life and I'll always like them.. if one day I don't, it's ok, I don't see them either

Now my sister, does not have foresight. She turned 18 a month ago, and had 6 tattoos already before turning 18. And just added a couple more. She gets really silly things, like names of friends/lovers (mistake number 1 in the tattoo realm..) And she has one that is on the top of her hand, all over her legs, her arms, lower arms, and neck. She has no hope of getting a professional job looking how she does.. she doesn't care right now, but I've got money that she will in a few years.

The butterfly sentiment is great :scales: I think that'd be nice.. that's how I do tattoos.. something I'll look back and remember something special.. but it's not someone's name or something offensive that if I radically changed for some reason, I wouldn't have to regret it every day.

Laura, you got it right about rule #1, I think the only names you should EVER put on your body are MAYBE your kids' and MAYBE your mom. But even those are a stretch.

I also hate the tattoos are becoming so faddish now. I have to stop myself from asking people who have "tribal" artwork on their bodies what tribe they belong to, or what that piece of art means. I know that 99.7% of the time they have no clue, it just looked "cool." I think if you are going to get a tattoo, it should be very meaningful, like your butterfly idea. I know a lady who had one placed when she beat cancer, it had wonderful meaning to her. I have a friend who has a cross in his chest with the names and dates of birth of his children on each of the arms of the cross (he has three) and the oldest daughters (unfortunate) date of death (car accident). What a beautiful tribute. Now he has his deceased daughter's name in Olde English letters on his forearm. Again, it's his therapy and his way of having a tribute to her.

But the band tatts...I mean think of how many NewKids on the Block and Ratt and Mott the Hoople tatts there probably are out there.

I dunno... My tatoo is the celtic knot for creation and it has an oroboros (if thats spelled right) wrapped around it. I know exactly what it means and why I got it and so forth. I had actually planned on getting that tatoo (that knot) since I was sixteen, but I didn't get around to it until my 23rd birthday. Either it wasn't legal, or it wasn't the right time, or I couldn't afford it, or didn't know where I wanted to put it or something before then. Now I don't plan on thinking of any future tatoos I may get for quite so long, but I do plan on being equally careful about them. What will happen to the colors-- what about the design, the placement, professional issues, changes of heart, saggage, etc. It is something to think about though because it is permanent. There is also the pain issue. I didn't think it was that bad, but I'm twitchy/spasmy sometimes. I have fibromyalgia-- sometimes somethings are worse than others. Having to hold very still- that was hard. A couple of times my calf muscle would just twitch on me and that would move my foot. I felt bad about it-- I didn't know when it would happen so I couldn't inform the artist either. Or I might flinch a little when the tattooing first started- I don't know why-- it honestly wasn't that bad, its just one of those reflexes I guess and like I said my body can be odd (I find it impossible to relax for manicures, exams, etc. Its just the way I am). So those are all good things to know as well.

Mine are on my lower back, hip, and thigh. They correlate with each other. But like I said, I don't even see them.. unless I look in the mirror naked (why would I be doing that!?). Fiance sees them, but he's seen them for years so I don't think he really 'sees' them anymore. I planned to quit with tattoos after those 3, but my reward for good behavior, *if* I can get to at LEAST 180lb, I will get another tattoo to signify the major journey I would have accomplished. And when I'm old and saggy in a nursing home, I can tell the story

As for pain, I've got a high tolerance for pain, I've had everything imaginable pierced (and eventually took it out), and had no problems with the pain. Needles for injections/ iv's etc.. never bothered me. I didn't think tattoos would be bad. The one on my hip & thigh were not bad at all, and they were not real big so it was done in 20-30m. The one on my lower back I did have some major problems with. I designed these black vines that 'curl' all over my lower back, and form images, the center being a crooked heart.. and in the middle of the heart is a fairy (inspired by Amy Brown's fairies), who is slumped over crying. I used a lot of weird colors in the fairy when I painted it, so the tattoo artist was trying to get me to change come of the colors.. I did let her change some, she said white isn't a good ink to use, so I let her take out white.. then she tried to change my purple to a blue, and I stood my ground. So she did purple for a lot of the fairy, it took 3.5 hours total..hurt like crazy, I was whining the whole time and trying to cut up with my best friend who also was getting a tattoo, but it didn't distract me well.. and 2 weeks later my body was rejecting the ink. So one day I was in my computer chair, stood up, and LITERALLY ripped my back skin off...tattoo and all. It like.. rotted off and stuck to the chair. I don't know if this has to do with being pre-diabetic, that I have sensitive skin, or if I should have just listened to her and not had purple.

I went back to her after it healed (scars everywhere), hoping she could do something.. and she did. For free, I might add. She completely re-did the whole tattoo, and did blue instead of purple. Healed fine, and now you couldn't even tell there was ever a problem, the scars are completely gone...whew. I would never get another big tattoo though, I'm 'scarred' from the idea that might be why it rotted off or something, no healthy skin was in the midst to help heal.

I have three myself: boob, inside of right foot and top of left. I have a very professional job and no one would know I had them unless I told or showed them. All of mine signify something significant happening in my life and I don't regret any of them. I plan on having my lower back done once I lose all my weight to signify this journey. I agree that they have become too faddish lately. Often I see young people, girls inparticular and try to picture them with their tattoos when they are 80......I am sure by then the art of tattoo removal will be fine tuned