I read about this on the National Fibromyalgia Association website and I wanted to pass it on! This is a great challenge to give to anyone who you want to know what it is like to suffer with the pain of FM.
Granted, the pain we feel with Fibromyalgia is much greater than pinching your skin with a clothespin but you have to remember that the people you will have do this challenge are not used to experiencing pain on a daily basis like we are. Although to us a clothespin pinching may be mild, to someone not in our shoes it could hurt a lot. It is just to show what it is like to be in constant pain. It is NOT a comparision of the type of pain or the illness itself.
For the people in your life who don’t understand your Fibromyalgia pain…invite them to take The NFA Clothespin Challenge:
Here’s how it works:
– Place a clothespin on your finger
– Set a timer for 30 minutes
– See how long you can bear the pain. Did you leave the clothespin on for 15 minutes? 10? 5?
For each minute you adverted that clothespin pain, donate to the NFA-$20 a minute, $10 a minute, $5 a minute…
– NOW. Imagine this pain forever… This should help you understand what it is like to live with constant pain – but people with FM can’t just “remove” the pain the way you can remove that clothespin!
To make a donation for this campaign, visit the National Fibromyalgia Association website.
Obviously, this was not developed by someone who actually has fibro. Give me a clothespin any day. Try feeling as if a rodent is chewing its way out of your thigh. That is more like the pain of fibro. Team that up with the exhaustion, fatique, frustration, etc. Then you might actually experience some of the symptoms.
And it’s supposed to be primarily associated with women. Not so at all. Those trigger points are a hell in itself also. I’ve only gotten relief with cardio and weightlifting every day. Even if I’m in extreme discomfort.
Hi Kathy, This was actually on the FM Awareness website. I do agree that pinching your skin with a clothespin is nothing compared to FM. But for people who are not used to pain it could be very painful for them.
Clothespins pinching skin hurt quite alot. Practioners of Sado/Masochism (S&M) frequently use clothespins to produce pain. To simulate fibro, though, I’d suggest a number of them on more tender skin than fingers. the mid-belly, or inner thigh, and at least half a dozen. For safety reasons, S&M practitioners never leave clothespins anywhere on the body for more than 20 minutes, though, because the lack of blood flow can cause injury. And be aware that removing the clothespins will hurt MUCH more than they are hurting before you take them off. It’s a perfect way to simulate what the intensity of pain is. I KNOW my family doesn’t have any idea of the intensity of my constant pain.
I think that any thing you can do to give someone just an idea of what you suffer daily is a good idea. My family and friends will now have somewhat of an idea of what i go through. They are understanding, but they just don’t know how it feels. Now they will.