I had my
tongue split about a month ago. We used injectable
xyclocaine to numb the tongue, then, with a #15 disposable
scalpel (in a
sterile environment) proceded to split the tongue by piercing into it from below with the scalpel (blade forward) and then split it by cuting to (and through) the tip in one swift motion.
I felt no
pain from the procedure(because of the xylocaine), but the feeling of my tongue laying open was
interesting. Since then I've had to keep it from re-growing by
scraping at it a few times a day (done with a sharp dentist's tool). The pain in keeping it open is minimal, but necessary to keep it open until it heals.
After having my tongue split my speech was noticeably affected, mainly because of the swelling and not being used to using the muscles of the tongue separately from each other. The swelling (and
speech impediment) went away in about a week, though sometimes I still have problems with "D"s.
I've gotten some interesting reactions from it, ranging from disgust to amazement to
wanting to kiss me just to feel my tongue (couldn't because it had just been cut, but
soon :-). It is a very noticeable
modification, just because it's visible when talking, eating, yawning, etc. I've enjoyed it, and am gaining more control over the muscles in my tongue. I can't spread it very wide yet, but I can hold onto things with it, including straws, pencils, toothpicks, and other similar objects.
In a few months I'll probably have my
tongue webbing (lingular frenulum) completely removed, so that I can split my tongue back further.