The Clothespin Challenge

I thought this sounded like fun so I wanted to pass it along to those who hadn't heard of it yet. The National Fibromyalgia Association has launched the Clothespin Challenge. It is a great way to help people begin to understand what people with fibromyalgia suffer with every day. Here is how it works:

• Put a clothespin on your finger.
• Set a timer for 30 minutes.
• See how long you can stand it.
• Imagine how this would feel if it was forever
  

The idea here is that for each minute the person keeps the clothespin on their finger, they donate a certain amount to the NFA. It also gives others a slight idea of what we go through on a daily basis. The biggest difference being that we can't just remove the clothes pin and feel better. Not to mention that the pain is all over, not just our fingers.

Maybe we can step it up a bit and clip clothespins all over someone and see how long they can take it. Is it wrong that I am smiling as I type that? I don't really want other people to be in pain. I do, however, like the idea of something that will wake people up to the reality of what we go through.

I was discussing this with a friend yesterday. He has fibro along with Lyme's disease. He said he gets tired of people asking how he is feeling. He has started answering, "Well, I feel most of me today", or "Usually with my hands." After all, they way he feels is the same as it always is --terrible. People don't really want to know, they just ask to be polite.

I responded that it doesn't help when people don't take the pain seriously. They are always skeptical and even with friends it is hard to feel safe telling them how you feel. They can't understand unless they feel it too. I guess the Clothespin Challenge is a great way to demonstrate this. It is certainly better than backing over them with a car and saying "How do you feel?"

If you want to try the Clothespin Challenge, you can actually get a kit from the NFA. While it seems a bit pricey when you can get a bag of clothespins for pretty cheap, keep in mind that this money goes to support the NFA as well as fibro research and support. You do get more than just a clothespin. :) If any of you try it, let me know how it goes.

(Image courtesy of Stock Xchng, Photographer: Loleia)