I've been stretching my ears for about 8 or so months now, and currently I'm at a 8g.

Last right I got new tapers and plugs, and planned to finally stretch to an 6g after waiting about a month.  I didn't anticipate any problems, all my previous stretches had gone very well. My left ear wasn't so hard to stretch, the taper went in all the way fine but I had a hard time with the plug. Eventually I got it, and started to do my right ear. Once again, the taper went in fine, althought with a little more pain than I had experienced with my other ear. I couldn't get the plug through, however. I tired multiple times, but it just wouldn't go all the way through the back. I took it out, and was quite alarmed to see that my ear was bleeding. I cleaned up the blood, there wasn't a ton, but enough to make me panic a bit. The bleeding stopped after a few minutes, and I put my 8g back in.

 So that's where I am now, with one 8g plug and one 6g. I'm dealthly afraid of getting an infection, because if I do my mom will never stop with the "I told you so"s since she doesn't aprove of my stretching at all.This morning I soaked the plug in peroxide and then rinsed it out with water.

I guess I'm just wondering if the bleeding means something super serious or not. I'm pretty sure I don't have a blowout. So what should I do? How long should I wait until I stretch?

Thank you!

 Downsize, drastically and wait about 6 months to stretch again... There are tons of topics like this, searching will give you tons of info

 Bleeding = serious. Downsize probably to a 10G and sss, massage. I dont think dipping plugs in peroxide is safe. that's just my opinion from experience. it irritated my ears for a few days a when i tried that.

mster70:

I guess I'm just wondering if the bleeding means something super serious or not.

The bleeding means that you tore/ripped your lobe. 

mster70:

So what should I do?

Downsize and treat it like a new piercing - SSS and being nice to it.

mster70:

How long should I wait until I stretch?

As with a new piercing, 6 months is recommended.

vash9:

I dont think dipping plugs in peroxide is safe. that's just my opinion from experience. it irritated my ears for a few days a when i tried that.

Yeah, I know there could be potential irritation with the peroxide, but I rinse them off with water well afterwords, and I think at this point killing the bacteria is the most important thing. The last thing I need is an infection.

 I've thought about this a bit, and read up on it more, and I think I'll follow everyone's advice and downsize. To me it just isn't worth the risk. I'll just get myself some more pretty 8g jewelerly and hunker down for a long wait...

thanks for the help, guys!

 Great choice!!  There's lot of nice stuff at 8g, too!

 Peroxide isnt going to sterilize anything, I dont see the point in risking gettting any in a piercing. Hot water and some soap will do just as well, if not better... Not to mention peroxide might harm the jewelry...

Where can you get 7g jewelry?

 Find someone who makes custom 3.5mm jewelry...

If you contact Ryan at GWS, he can custom make you a plug that measures 3.5mm, or 7g.

I'm sure other glassmakers can do this for you as well.

bluebananaeater:

Peroxide isnt going to sterilize anything, I dont see the point in risking gettting any in a piercing. Hot water and some soap will do just as well, if not better... Not to mention peroxide might harm the jewelry...

Not trying to start an argument or anything, but hydrogen peroxide does in fact kill bacteria through oxidation. Basically, the oxygen rips apart DNA because oxygen is very reactive and steals electrons from the DNA atoms, and since bacteria have very little DNA they die from this. Haha well there's your biochem lesson for today...

and I'm not really that worried about the jewelry. It's not high quality expensive stuff, I need to get some better stuff soon.

 Thats still not sterilized... You still have viruses and other things to worry about... Thats why soap and water work just as well, if not better in jewelry cleaning. I guess I just dont see the risk in irritating, and possibly damaging sensitive skin, if you can get the same results another way... 

bluebananaeater:

Thats still not sterilized... You still have viruses and other things to worry about... Thats why soap and water work just as well, if not better in jewelry cleaning. 

it's unlikely that you'll get a virus from jewelery, since viruses have to get inside of you to infect you, unless you're putting your dirty jewelery in your mouth, which I doubt anyone would do. That would be disgusting haha. Plus, I can't think of how you would get a virus on to your jewelry, since most viruses are spread by thing slike blood, feces, sneezing and coughing, ect.

And, by definition, steriliztion occurs when something is free of bacteria or other living microorganizms, which the peroxide would have killed through oxidation.

Soap and water does work well to clean jewelery, that's undisbutible. But peroxide will kill bacteria on jewelry.

if you tore your lobe, viruses can get in through the tear. JUST SAYING. and your shit isnt realiy sterilized unless its autoclaved. and since you said its not high quality jewelry... its probably acrylic. so have fun with that.