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Chronic Illness Limits Me To 25 Hrs/Week... Possible To Succeed Fastlane despite?

Mr.Rob

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Or at least become financially independent?

My situation is that I have a chronic illness called ME/CFS. While most ppl w/ disease are bedridden and can't work I'm fortunate enough to be in the top 25% of patients healthy enough to work part time. I can do about 4-6 hours of activity a day (that includes eating/hygeine etc.), This typically yields anywhere from 20-25 hrs per week I can allocate to work without making myself worse.

(this disease symptoms flare by over exertion, including mental exertion)

Im currently working on a marketing project (blog/affiliate site) that I could turn into a passive income stream if it takes off... But only being able to work about 4 hours a day its just a snails pace of progress and I feel like I just don't realistically have enough time to actually make this thing take off.

Is it possible to get into the Fastlane of business success with such limited time/energy resources?

What online businesses are there that may be doable with this handicap?

The more I put into my current project the more I feel I just don't realistically have the time to be able to pull it off in this decade Lol.

Thanks. Im a pretty dogged individual and ready to learn and pay the price in the short term to win longterm... I just want to eventually win.

Cheers,
 
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Johnny boy

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Just start a blog that fails like most everyone else on here has done and it will be your first lesson in marketing which is "wow. no one gives a shit". Or maybe it works. We'll see.

It'll be great help for whatever your next business is.

Forget about the time constraints. It is almost entirely irrelevant.

I can promise you the vast majority of things holding you back are a sickness of your thoughts, not your body. It's the same with everyone. I promise you I do about 4 hours of work or less per day. Especially if you average things out over time.
 
G

GuestUser4aMPs1

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Forget about the time constraints. It is almost entirely irrelevant.
I disagree. If the man has a legitimate illness, then he needs something more practical than "it's only in your head" rah-rah nonsense.

@Mr.Rob. I'm not in a position to know anything about your condition, but I've been in similar shoes -- I had a debilitating injury before selling my business, so I know a thing or two about working within constraints. Here is the best I can give you.

Personally, I'd religiously focus on two things.
1: Making the most out of the time you have (Effective use of your time, 80/20)
2: Systems and hiring.

If it wasn't for our staff and systems, I would be out of business and broke. This is critical for a service business like yours, especially if client work is dependent 100% on you.

One the other hand (and I think this is where @Johnny boy is coming from) if this condition was affecting my life that much, I'd personally do everything in my power to mitigate the effects of the disease and/or figure out how to fix it.

When I had my injury (a cranial CSF leak) I dug through dozens of research papers on the subject and applied its findings until the condition was fixed.

Easier said than done obviously, and that's why I usually advocate everyone to take advice on this forum with a grain of salt -- I don't know you personally well enough to give informed advice.

Good Luck.
 
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csalvato

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Is it possible to get into the Fastlane of business success with such limited time/energy resources?

Definitely

What online businesses are there that may be doable with this handicap?

Just about anything. What opportunities did you see that you'd like to act on?

The more I put into my current project the more I feel I just don't realistically have the time to be able to pull it off in this decade Lol.

What's the problem? What do you need to get done that you can't get done? There's always a way.

Thanks. Im a pretty dogged individual and ready to learn and pay the price in the short term to win longterm... I just want to eventually win.


You will. Just don't give up.
 

kkompoti

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Hello
Having a blog means you need
Someone to do the copywriting
Someone to run your site
Someone to run your ads
Someone to take your photos -videos
Someone to handle the proper irs stuff
Someone to do the editing of your posts
Someone to do the graphic design
For starters

In most cases people do all of the above themselves and rarely succeed.
In your case due to the time that you have per day I believe it would be wiser to hire people for all of the above and run it .
Or
Give it up and go do something more easy if you want to be in the blog affiliate world. Buy one already made from flippa and see were that gets you.
And then you decide your next steps to the million mark.

Easier I believe

Also
Congrats for wanting something more from life and not giving up as sadly a lot of people do when it comes to having a chronic illness.


P.s. change your thread tittle because I believe more people would share their thoughts in here if it wasn't only the cheesy dilemma 25hours to the million.
Put something like : help wanted chronic illness interferes with my road to fastlane.
 
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Jeff Noel

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Hello
Having a blog means you need
Someone to do the copywriting
Someone to run your site
Someone to run your ads
Someone to take your photos -videos
Someone to handle the proper irs stuff
Someone to do the editing of your posts
Someone to do the graphic design
For starters

In most cases people do all of the above themselves and rarely succeed.
In your case due to the time that you have per day I believe it would be wiser to hire people for all of the above and run it .
Or
Give it up and go do something more easy if you want to be in the blog affiliate world. Buy one already made from flippa and see were that gets you.
And then you decide your next steps to the million mark.

Easier I believe

Also
Congrats for wanting something more from life and not giving up as sadly a lot of people do when it comes to having a chronic illness.


P.s. change your thread tittle because I believe more people would share their thoughts in here if it wasn't only the cheesy dilemma 25hours to the million.
Put something like : help wanted chronic illness interferes with my road to fastlane.

I disagree.

Photos/videos can be taken with a good cellphone. It's a blog, not National Geographics. You cna improve you technique and use manual mode and have exceptional photo shots taken with a cellphone that costs more than an entry DSLR.

Copy gets better over time, if you apply yourself.

You can run a blog by yourself, CMS (like Wordpress) are wonderful for non-tech people!

You can make your own ads. Read all @Andy Black content on the forums!

Graphic design is optional to start getting traction.

I got my business failure doing about 2 hours/day. It could've been a success. My flqw is my mindset, not my time.


Remove "if" from your vocabulary. "when my blog will be a success". Also, add "because next week, X will be done and I will begin working on Y and getting more writers on board, along with their audience".
 

Andy Black

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Just start a blog that fails like most everyone else on here has done and it will be your first lesson in marketing which is "wow. no one gives a shit".
Lol. Spat my tea out.

I didn’t even get to “Wow. No-one gives a shit”. I got to “Why did I write that when no-one sees it?”.
 

Andy Black

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Mr.Rob

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Thanks for the replies everyone, I really appreciate it. This has been an encouraging thread.

When I had my injury (a cranial CSF leak) I dug through dozens of research papers on the subject and applied its findings until the condition was fixed.

Thanks, pro tip there. I've spent the past 2 years doing just that actually and its an extremely difficult disease to make progress on but I've succeeded in improving my condition from moderate (house/bed confined) to mild (able to leave the house and do 4-6 hrs activity).

The website Im working on actually revolves around finding good healthcare when the traditional healthcare system can't help you.

Just about anything. What opportunities did you see that you'd like to act on?

Well I have a few ideas for service/digital products I'd like to put into the natural healthcare space (analogous to the Paleo/Keto niche to a degree). I figured I'd start a blog and put out good content and if it takes off then get serious and spin the blog off into one of the service/product ideas I have. The blog would let me get my finger on the pulse of the ppl and may also attract like minded ppl that may be a possible business partner... so figured it'd be a good starting point

Thats what I fantasize about at least. That said maybe there is something easier and more realistic that I could learn instead, in which case I made this thread in hope of suggestions

Hence my What you would do for a business if you only had 25 hrs/week?

What's the problem? What do you need to get done that you can't get done? There's always a way.

Well right now researching/writing is most time consuming thing but I think I can become more efficient... Let me come back in 6 months and I'll give u a better answer.

Easier I believe

Also
Congrats for wanting something more from life and not giving up as sadly a lot of people do when it comes to having a chronic illness.


P.s. change your thread tittle because I believe more people would share their thoughts in here if it wasn't only the cheesy dilemma 25hours to the million.

I like the idea of "easier"... I'm by no means married or want to do affiliate marketing, I just chose it as a way to monetize the blog I want to create.

Other than the good idea you mention of buying a site and learning how to run like that, if you were just going to start at ground zero what would you recommend learning as an easier business to get into? If you were in my situation?
 

SouthernCharm

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The website Im working on actually revolves around finding good healthcare when the traditional healthcare system can't help you.

This is actually something I'm interested in seeing more of in the world. So, selfishly I'd encourage you to continue down this path. I'm assuming you have a vested interest in learning more about/researching this space independent of the business? Plus, you already have a personal story that makes for good marketing fodder and lends you some initial credibility. What specific niche you are targeting within "non traditional healthcare"?

Separately, if your website requires more functionality than just a simple blog, let me know and I'd be happy to point you to some resources depending on the capabilities you are looking for.

Thats what I fantasize about at least. That said maybe there is something easier and more realistic that I could learn instead, in which case I made this thread in hope of suggestions

Hence my What you would do for a business if you only had 25 hrs/week?

Feel free not to answer the next set of questions, but it would help me get a better understanding of your situation.

How do you currently have access to healthcare? Are you having to work 20 hours a week and are therefore left with only 5 hours a week to work on building a fastlane business or are you able to allocate the full 20-25 ?

My wife also has a chronic illness and I still work a day job to keep the benefits/healthcare plan. This leaves me with ~20 hours a week to work on my side business. I've been toiling away for a year and a half, but just by embarking on this journey, I've already experienced countless benefits in my life. I also, have a few friends in similar positions - they work a full-time job but use nights and weekends to work on side projects. The bottom line is with only 20-25 hours a week to devote to this, you are in the same boat as many entrepreneurs - do not let these time constraints discourage you from building a business.

I'm sure you had to be dogged to take the reigns of your health and improve your ME condition - that mentality will help you tremendously. However, don't make the mistake of putting one big juicy carrot at the end of the stick because you think you can tough it out until the rewards start flowing in. Make sure you set yourself up for incremental gains. Focus on strategically building specific skillsets (copywriting, adwords, coding etc.) and relationships along the way that will help you in the long term regardless of the outcome of this initial business. If those are your internal metrics of success, you will still feel like you are making progress even if you are 12 down the road with no paying customers.

I also echo what @UnrealCreative said. Since your time is limited, focus relentlessly on prioritizing/being effective with the time you have (what will really move the needle vs what is busywork) and always be thinking about systems you can setup to automate or reduce the time suck of any repetitive tasks.

Best of luck and keep us posted on your thinking/progress.
 

SkyLake

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Unfortunately for most people, when you're in business, mental exertion is like breathing. It's just a thing you have to live with.

It's not impossible but it's hard. Like Johhny boy said, mental exertion is just your thoughts. Don't have bad thoughts, learn to control your mind and be positive and grateful... easier said than done though.

What do you currently do that pays your living expenses (house, bills, food, basic stuff)?
 
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BellaPippin

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I respectfully disagree. If the man has a legitimate illness, then he needs something more practical than "it's only in your head" rah-rah nonsense.
As someone that has had bad lows having MDD:

giphy.gif




That said, my friend Abe has something to tell you:

Izey-Odiase-I-walk-slowly-but-I-never-walk-backward-1.jpg

(Yes, it was really him, only quote in the internet that is true) (?

Also: KAISEN

Anything that fits in a laptop and you can do from the phone fits the bill IMO. As soon as you need a bit more help (meaning there's $$ coming in) check on UpWork for assistants. This ofc is a fictitious scenario but there's always a way around. Aaaalways. Think outside the box.
 

rollerskates

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The website Im working on actually revolves around finding good healthcare when the traditional healthcare system can't help you.

That's a fantastic idea. I've got a few different health problems which when combined, are kind of complicated and are currently dealt with piecemeal and it makes me crazy.
 

rollerskates

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I respectfully disagree. If the man has a legitimate illness, then he needs something more practical than "it's only in your head" rah-rah nonsense.

Thank you! This is the part of entrepreneurship/rah -rah/hustle/positivity/you can do anything stuff I HATE.
There are legitimate physical problems that you can't overcome with thoughts. Really. And if you are limited in what you can do physically you are limited.
 
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disarli

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There are several prominent online entrepreneurs who have serious physical limitations. The first that comes to mind is Amy Hoy. She writes a lot about bootstrapping businesses. She refers to the process as "stacking the bricks". She and her husband started a time tracking SaaS app, Freckle, years ago that is throwing off quite a bit of cash. She and another partner run 30x500 to help people analyze markets and start businesses with low risk. She publishes a lot of free material, and would probably engage with you directly. She didn't invent the phrase, but loves to rant about "entreporn" and the hype machine.

Second is a very famous blogger whose name I cannot remember. He started guest blogging for Copyblogger in their early days, and eventually wrote one incredibly killer blog post that told his personal story. That post went superviral on Copyblogger, and he built off that. He is so sick that he moved to Mexico to get 24hr care at a rate he could afford with his money. Nevertheless, he continues to write incredible content. OK, I found his blog: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face

Finally, I think there was another famous online blogger named Sean(?) something, who was very small, or a dwarf, or something, who recently died. He had a huge following even with his physical challenges. A bunch of really famous online marketers wrote long posts about how much they missed him, and how much they learned from his approach to life.
 

CaptainAmerica

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Forget about the time constraints. It is almost entirely irrelevant.

THIS.

Parkinson's Law: "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion"...

Horstman's corollary to Parkinson's law: "Work contracts to fit in the time we give it"

I'm slightly ahead of you, I've got maybe 30 good hours available. We just have to get better at systems and delegation. Every entrepreneur does, we just have more immediate consequences for doing it badly.

I've got my own Pomodoro technique, and a kitchen timer next to my computer. The timer goes off, and I'm done, whether the task is finished or not. You know what happens if I don't? 2 days in bed. So I take that silly timer pretty seriously.

In answer to your question:

A Fastlane business is pretty much the only avenue left open to us. Go for it!
 

snowbank

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Forget about the time constraints. It is almost entirely irrelevant.
I can promise you the vast majority of things holding you back are a sickness of your thoughts, not your body. It's the same with everyone.

mental exertion is just your thoughts

'ya just hustle your face off you'll be fine!'

obviously don't listen to comments like these

rah rah regurgitation is bad in general, but around health stuff... :wideyed:

holy crap

If the man has a legitimate illness, then he needs something more practical than "it's only in your head" rah-rah nonsense.

:clap::

-

Rob, I'm really sorry to hear about your health stuff man.

I've had my own health troubles, as have several friends(including several from this forum).

So I empathize with what you're going through.

Really happy to hear you're made some good progress with it.

Listen to your body dude. When you need rest, take it. Don't feel bad about it.

You know you better than anyone- listen to yourself.

-
To your question:

Yes, you can succeed on lower hours.

You've got to cut out everything possible though.

Use mornings(or whenever your highest energy time is) for highest level thinking.

If you're in your learning stage, find 1-2 people who are doing what you want to do very well, and only consume their content. Ignore EVERYONE else.

Execute.

Fail.

Learn.

Execute.

Fail more.

Reach out to the 1-2 people you've been attempting to implement based on, and show them you've been using what you learned from them to execute- tell them in as small amount of words as possible what's gone well, and what hasn't. See if they have advice.

Whatever advice they give you. Do it.

Then keep them posted on your progress. They WANT to hear from you.

People have the false assumption that they do not.

They don't want to hear from tire kickers- which is literally 99.9% of people. They will very much like hearing from people doing and listening and sharing that journey.

Short + after action = good

Rinse, repeat.
-

natural healthcare space (analogous to the Paleo/Keto niche to a degree)

this is a great space with a lot of opportunity

I figured I'd start a blog and put out good content and if it takes off

the only problem with this is that 'good' is relative. everyone who does a blog assumes it's good, but most are not.

if you are going to blog, i would try to do it in a space where YOU WILL BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT IT. this likely doesn't mean a broad space, a niche of a niche of a niche is fine, but be THE blog for that.

i advise most people away from blogs, but it's because they're 'trying to make money' instead of writing because they have something to say... specifically something that they are going to say in a way that has never been said before.

most blogs = regurgitation, which means they either have to be a way better marketer than the other blogs, or hope readers don't notice they're just regurgitating others ideas.

but... if you have something very unique to say, it can be good.

for example, let's pretend there were no great blogs for your condition. that would have the chance to be a GREAT blog. you'd be killing two birds with one stone- obsessively learn everything you could about your condition with your 4-6 hours/day, and not only likely improve your own condition over time, but help a lot of others, and in the process probably make money because of the value you're providing. shit, 3 stones Rob.

that's an example of something that if the gap was there, people would LOVE to hand you money to help them shortcut their own path to better health. and if you did it in a genuine way and put helping them first, you'd feel great about it too.

obviously don't do it if it's not something that appeals to you, just giving one example.

-

Other random thoughts:


Just do the important stuff

If something falls through the cracks, let it. Don't feel bad about it no one important to you cares. You're your first priority.

When you need a rest day, take it

Make sure to eliminate comparisons to others, especially when you're only working 33-50% as much. Most of the stuff you see online only shows exaggerated success anyways, believe me many are not doing as well as they seem- so don't feel bad when it feels slow for you, especially w/limited hours.

Doctors and entrepreneurs are similar in that both will often have good advice, but it might not always be what's best for you. And sometimes they may unintentionally be regurgitating/reading from a script in their mind rather than thinking deeply enough about the problem. Take their feedback, process, and think about it on your own. A lot of smart people are wrong. There is a great difference between someone who is very smart/knows a lot of facts, and someone that is a very high level thinker. Don't be afraid to go a different route/get 2nd, 7th opinions if you believe they're not thinking through things fully.

Do not go down the wrong rabbit hole for too long - in the beginning stages many aspiring entrepreneurs are working on the wrong things but they don't know they're the wrong things. You'll want to avoid this trap as much as possible because of your limited time. Your first project doesn't have to work right away(hopefully you've got some money saved/your expenses low), but you should avoid jumping into something that is unlikely to work for a long period of time in the position you're in. Would I say yes to it? Would @biophase ? Would @MJ DeMarco ? If you think maybe not, maybe skip that one.

I wouldn't necessarily advise pursuing the highest EV bet in your position(unless you've got a bunch of money saved). Let's get a hit first.

Hope something in here helped.

Pulling for you Rob.
 
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Mr.Rob

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Hey everyone I really appreciate everyone's input and support here.

This thread has made me gone from "Wtf am I doing trying to attempt this, is this really what I should be doing for a career?" to ---> "Yes, this is possible. I'm 100% doing this with every ounce of me I have."

So thank you :praise:

This is actually something I'm interested in seeing more of in the world. So, selfishly I'd encourage you to continue down this path. I'm assuming you have a vested interest in learning more about/researching this space independent of the business? Plus, you already have a personal story that makes for good marketing fodder and lends you some initial credibility. What specific niche you are targeting within "non traditional healthcare"?

Separately, if your website requires more functionality than just a simple blog, let me know and I'd be happy to point you to some resources depending on the capabilities you are looking for.

Enjoyed your reply SouthernCharm, yes I do have a vested interest (more out of interest for learning + truth seeking than trying to find answers at this point) and hope to kill 2 birds w/ one stone here. Good point on having a good story for marketing angle, I plan to use that :)

Functional/Integrative Medicine. ... Thanks for offering to help :)

How do you currently have access to healthcare? Are you having to work 20 hours a week and are therefore left with only 5 hours a week to work on building a fastlane business or are you able to allocate the full 20-25 ?

I'm on Obamacare and pay a lot of healthcare out of pocket. I have a sales job I work sporadically whenever leads come in (1-4 hrs per week) that allows me to pay for my treatment/doctors visists etc.

Other than that I live with my parents who are extremely supportive and pay for my food. My Dad is cool with me taking the next 6-12 months to try and get a website off the ground.

Nevertheless, he continues to write incredible content. OK, I found his blog: 7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face

@disarli thanks so much for sharing this. Its incredibly inspiring and opens your eyes to what is possible despite limitations. I really enjoyed the article you shared, if he can do it so can I!

Reach out to the 1-2 people you've been attempting to implement based on, and show them you've been using what you learned from them to execute- tell them in as small amount of words as possible what's gone well, and what hasn't. See if they have advice.

@snowbank , Thanks so much for your in depth reply. A bunch of great advice there.

I actually have 3 people (1 in my niche, and 2 with successful similar business models) that I have direct access to and are willing to give feedback. So I'm fortunate for that and intend to follow their direction. :)

if you are going to blog, i would try to do it in a space where YOU WILL BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT IT. this likely doesn't mean a broad space, a niche of a niche of a niche is fine, but be THE blog for that.

i advise most people away from blogs, but it's because they're 'trying to make money' instead of writing because they have something to say... specifically something that they are going to say in a way that has never been said before.

Actually yes, I do think I will fall into this minority category. I have a lot to say about finding healthcare answers when mainstream doctors can't help you... A lot of questions that everyone has about finding answers on your own and finding doctors that have more tools in their toolbox and are able to think outside the box (healthcare that insurance won't cover that you have to take the risk on yourself).

I plan to write the site I wish I had when I first got sick and had to figure out on my own and spend $15,000+ out of pocket. I know how to get the same good outcomes and find good healthcare with 1/3 of that money (I wasted a lot learning).

I know I'm not the only one with these questions. So yeah I'd like to think I fall into that category and if its valuable I think people will gladly pay for the help as you say.

We shall see if Im right on my read of the market once I ship and get some traction.

Hope something in here helped.

Pulling for you Rob.

Thanks so much for your reply! I will certainly give an update when I have something to report!

Cheers everyone
 

andrewsyc

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ME/CFS is a very serious disease. One of the most difficult and hides in plain sight. Millions are afflicted and funding has been in the single digit millions by the NIH. I guess that's the only good thing about the disease is it isn't disfiguring.
People don't like to talk about their health problems but I'll be open as it might help a few.

It ended up forcing me to sell my house in Iowa this year and move into a spare house my parents have from my home state (yeah I'm one of the circumstantially lucky ones). Thank god I can work at a computer.

Here's a couple primers:

Here's one video from the Open Medicine Foundation

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ERNV1Bjoo

One of the comments below the video
Im not as extremely severe as Ron's son but im still severe and housebound and life ruined (used to earn six figures per year in the tech industry). I am light and sound sensitive too like Rons son and must live in darkess. I have PEM, fatigue and pain (on pain killers daily). There is no database with my name in it. No database has me in it as a statistic. Im just ignored. So how can they even begin to understand how many have it? We are just ignored. I would take AIDs over me/cfs in a minute!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0qjBuFryAY


When I had my injury (a cranial CSF leak) I dug through dozens of research papers on the subject and applied its findings until the condition was fixed.
That's the only way to go about it, try and try until something may work for you. That's one of the worst things about this disease, it can have many different infections that trigger it or it can even happen from some kind of physical trauma. Some things work for other while other things don't.

It's all too common that people get this and hop and visit from doctor to doctor until someone eventually gives them a diagnosis but usually no treatment options.

Just a little background about me:
People never give you the complete story of what happens or how they contracted something because it can be embarrassing. I came down with ME/CFS like condition after a viral infection. The end of 2016. I got some kind of herpetic infection after kissing a girl that was a friend (not even deep kissing) at the end of 2016. After a few days and the following year hell would ensue. Flare ups where my face would feel on fire and my brain would throb.

Antivirals took the edge off but what really worked for me was bathing under broad spectrum growth lamps. I discovered this after taking long walks in a disc golf course for hours and it completely abated all symptoms, it's likely because of this: Intrinsic Photosensitivity Enhances Motility of T Lymphocytes significantly enhances immune system beyond just vitamin d.
Which explains why people in regions around the equator are generally healthier and certain autoimmune diseases are rarer or even unheard of.

Try getting a lot of sunlight (more than usual even where you live Florida?) and over a period of many days or even weeks and see what happens. If that works make a controlled environment with broad spectrum growth lamps and bulbs, I've got LED equivalent of 6000W I bath under 30 minutes a day that does the trick.

Antivirals:
Many doctors are hesitant to prescribe antivirals and while some like cidofovir are very risky Valacyclovir and Famciclovir are very safe and even Valganciclovir (which I consumed over 400 pills of my own prescription) I never really had any problems.

Docs never gave me pills because my test for the usual hsv1 and hsv2 kept coming up negative.

So I took matters into my own hands.

A general outline is here: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

You can get Valacyclovir / Famciclovir / Valganciclovir off a site like "all day chemist." Most of them are manufactured by Cipla. I've never had a problem with them and if anything doesn't make it to my address they always refunded me or reshipped it. They've been around for over 15 years now.

Aside from the treatment for ME/CFS you can also try the Pridgeon protocol, here's an example of a university student that had success:

I took Celecoxib and still do with no issues. A lot of viral infections upregulate cox2 and if that is inhibited they can't effectively regulate. Herpes 5, cytomegalovirus, one of the most immune evasive viruses even has a cox2 homologue in its genome to help with replication.

Hope for the future:
I would argue that progress is being made significantly in many different fields in probably 10 years, no more than 20 they are going to be able to completely eradicate all kinds of pathogens from the human body that are chronic or persistent.
When that happens so many cancers and autoimmune diseases will simply disappear.

"Big Pharma" might be a little to blame for some things. They aren't going to use old drugs that stop something completely if it wipes out an entire catalog of billions invested on drugs that only treat symptoms. Multiple Sclerosis is the greatest example of this:
At the 23:40 mark:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d6v-2Xc-5E&feature=youtu.be&t=1423


Just get some combivir or duovir and while not ideal it'll likely stop the disease dead in it's tracks as long as it's taken.
Also, Epstein Barr virus (90%+ are infected) infectious mononucleosis kissing disease is a requisite to get Multiple Sclerosis (similar fatigue symptoms to ME/CFS) but actually wrecks havoc on the central nervous system with multiple lesions.

From the Abstract:
Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) infection appears to be necessary for the development of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), although the specific mechanisms are unknown.

Word of Warning to everyone else:
You have to be genetically vulnerable to have this happen to you but I think that percentage is very high, possibly even more than 50% of the population. ME/CFS and the sister diseases fibromylgia and Multiple Sclerosis (depending on the criteria you measure by) effects as much as 7-10% of the population or even more. It's likely that almost all of those (not all of course) are caused by herpetic infections. Alzheimer's is likely caused (in part) by some constant flare ups with chronic infections (partly hsv1).

People think there is nothing wrong with just hooking up or having sex, and while I've had my share of fun, I've always been conservative. My guard was down after drinking and other activies and I kissed my friend, someone who had dropped out of college and gone off the rails and had done all kinds of drugs :( Until it happens to you.
But... if you get a primary infection, especially with herpes 1, herpes 2, or even vzv (chickenpox) I suggest you get famciclovir from your doc as the latent infection can be reduced significantly.

Several studies in humans and mice provide evidence that early treatment with famciclovir soon after the first infection with herpes can significantly lower the chance of future outbreaks. Use of famciclovir in this manner has been shown to reduce the amount of latent virus in the neural ganglia compared to no treatment or treatment with valaciclovir.[9][10][11] A review of human subjects treated for five days with famciclovir 250 mg three times daily during their first herpes episode found that only 4.2 percent experienced a recurrence within six months after the first outbreak, a fivefold decrease compared to the 19 percent recurrence in acyclovir-treated patients.[12] Neither drug affected latency if treatment was delayed for several months.[13]

The above quote is very likely due to famciclovir->penciclovir's very long active triphosphate form intracellularly inside infected cells as opposed to acyclovir-triphosphate.

So what I'm saying is it sounds like 15,000+ was invested, which means you're trying to take care of this and I'm posting of options you might not have tried.

I used to post in the subreddit of me/cfs, most people just b$%# and post stupid memes on there. I would post about my experience with attaining antivirals and what to expect. I got many people that thanked me for the info that had no idea about how to get them or were scared I wrote about the entire experience:
https://www.reddit.com/r/cfs/comments/c2y037 View: https://www.reddit.com/r/cfs/comments/c2y037/my_cfs_is_under_control_some_suggestions_that_may/


I ended up with negative Karma more often than not and simply got tired of it. A lot of forums and those subreddits will skew your view of the disease. When many people make a recovery (still a minority) they simply leave and try to forget they ever had the disease. It's the last major disease that we know nothing about, mostly, that will change over the next 5-10 years and it's being spearheaded.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BZnL-ZKta4


Hopefully some of you who read this post get some info you can act on and thus allows you to put in the work in order to be successful in your entrepreneurial efforts. While I'm offering no sure-fire advice it turns out there are a lot of diseases out there you can do a lot more about but doctors aren't' going to give you something as it could jeopardize there career and like I had above a simply old drug could wipe out the portfolio of billions (AZT (zidovudine) -> MS).
 

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