I'm guessing it was a small gauge, so I wonder how it made it hard to breathe. You could always get it again with smaller jewelry!
Jimmy, you need both enough actual nipple and enough areola to support the jewelry. His nips are smaller than a piece of corn. I suggest talking to a respectable piercer - many piercers would have pierced my ex, but they would have just rejected. You need someone that will say no if they're unlikely to heal, not someone that will do it anyway just to get your money.