Ive had my tongue pierced for almost 6 years, and I still like it. Ive never had anyone think I was homosexual because of it. The whole eating thing only lasts for a few days. And your mouth will feel normal again once you can put whatever kind of bar you want in it. They usually give you one thats a bit on the long side to compensate for any tongue swelling, it well when I had it, it was kind of awkward. You may have a slight lisp for a week or two, or have a little trouble making the "th" sounds (I did), but that clears up and after a few weeks everything will be right back to normal. People say you cant eat spicy foods anymore when your tongue is pierced, but I've never had a problem with that, and I love spicy foods. 1 bit of advice though, you'll want to take it out and clean it every couple of weeks because you'll get plaque stuck to it (especially on the tongue side of the bottom ball), and its hard to reach parts of it with a toothbrush.