Underemployed Dropout That Never Quite Fit In (Did I Mention That I Was Diagnosed with MS?)...And Even More Fun

[mrchuckthetech]

How did you have "Crohn's disease in middle school"? Like MS, it doesn't ever go away.

It can be in remission and it's affected so much by diet. I have a severe case, so even when I'm in remission I eat the same meals every day and pay extra attention to my stress levels. I also do extensive blood panels every few months to check how I'm doing and optimize if anything is out of whack.

Something that people without chronic autoimmune disorders find difficult to understand is that our capacity to work is extremely diminished. The slightest twinge in cortisol levels after a few hours of work can (and will) lead to higher inflammation, and, ultimately, to further degradation of your health.

Worse health leads to even less time being productive (and not to mention a dreadful quality of life). That's why it's so important to free up your time while still finding a way to earn a living.

After a lot of trial and error, I eventually did just that with copywriting. I work about an hour per day on average but provide a lot of value to my clients (through ad copy and email marketing copy mostly) for which I charge an amount that, if looked at as an hourly rate, would be around $200/h.

Read this: https://www.freshbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/breaking-the-time-barrier.pdf

It'll only take you about 30 minutes or so and the mind shift change you'll go through will make your goals seem a lot less intimidating and doable.

Also, this is not aimed to be a defeatist message by any means. As long as you're kicking, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

There's a guy that started and scaled an online business to 7 figures while almost fully paralyzed by just using his voice. And his story was very dramatic and unlucky:

7 Life Lessons from a Guy Who Can’t Move Anything but His Face

You are correct. I was diagnosed with Crohns disease, took some steroids (Prednisone), given a pamphlet, had home schooling until the pain in my right side at least stopped me from rocking with pain....but I assumed that I had "managed" my Crohns and went back to my "normal" life. I ignored commercials, paid a few seconds attention to gut health and said "Yeah, I should care about my gut"...then moved on.

MS has been the first "disease" that has caused me to start listening to my body, my gut, and everything. I am just starting down this road, to be honest.

As far as the cortisol levels, my life has always been stressful. (I grew up a low-income skinny nerdy Black kid trying to 'make it" who didn't graduate with Bachelor's degree and ate highly processed food!)....but at the same time, I've always cultivated things like meditation, writing, etc.......

I didn't know that cortisol had such an impact on work. I've worked throughout my MS progression (and apparently my Crohns disease as well).

I am still figuring this all out, however...so it'll take me some time to figure out where to go from here. I've only (like just last week), cut out processed food after I realized I could not go on like this...and started tracking (that includes tracking food, poop, symptoms, etc). I have not had a blood test in a few months (my Mother passed and I had to move out of my old apartment to a new city....that is stressful by itself), but I appreciate your wisdom. For now, I will continue my current routine, but will start incorporating some of your insights to bring more calm

Action Items:

• Read "Breaking Time Barrier"
• Review Jon Morrow's story-I know him from my blogging days
• Continue tracking & get set up with doctor where I am to see where I need to adjust

 

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[Simon Angel]

You are correct. I was diagnosed with Crohns disease, took some steroids (Prednisone), given a pamphlet, had home schooling until the pain in my right side at least stopped me from rocking with pain....but I assumed that I had "managed" my Crohns and went back to my "normal" life. I ignored commercials, paid a few seconds attention to gut health and said "Yeah, I should care about my gut"...then moved on.

MS has been the first "disease" that has caused me to start listening to my body, my gut, and everything. I am just starting down this road, to be honest.

As far as the cortisol levels, my life has always been stressful. (I grew up a low-income skinny nerdy Black kid trying to 'make it" who didn't graduate with Bachelor's degree and ate highly processed food!)....but at the same time, I've always cultivated things like meditation, writing, etc.......

I didn't know that cortisol had such an impact on work. I've worked throughout my MS progression (and apparently my Crohns disease as well).

I am still figuring this all out, however...so it'll take me some time to figure out where to go from here. I've only (like just last week), cut out processed food after I realized I could not go on like this...and started tracking (that includes tracking food, poop, symptoms, etc). I have not had a blood test in a few months (my Mother passed and I had to move out of my old apartment to a new city....that is stressful by itself), but I appreciate your wisdom. For now, I will continue my current routine, but will start incorporating some of your insights to bring more calm

Action Items:

• Read "Breaking Time Barrier"
• Review Jon Morrow's story-I know him from my blogging days
• Continue tracking & get set up with doctor where I am to see where I need to adjust

Yeah man, I'm a firm believer (and could likely even write a thesis on this in the language of science if I sat down and thought about all the mechanisms involved) that feelings of being inadequate/not good enough can wreak havoc on one's health.

If you've felt like your whole life the world's been against you and that you're some sort of tragic hero that pulled themselves out from a deep pile of shit only to fall back in it again and again, STOP. It doesn't help.

I keep saying this, but you're not special. For every suffering you've gone through and will go through, there are people out there going through equal or worse and aren't really that phased by it. Like Jon Morrow.

Seriously. I'm pretty sure Jon Morrow would kill to "just" have Crohn's disease and MS. On second thought, he probably wouldn't because he's THAT enlightened and over the shitty hand he was dealt.

I like the "action items" part, I think you're headed in the right direction. Keep it up!

 

[mrchuckthetech]

Yeah man, I'm a firm believer (and could likely even write a thesis on this in the language of science if I sat down and thought about all the mechanisms involved) that feelings of being inadequate/not good enough can wreak havoc on one's health.

If you've felt like your whole life the world's been against you and that you're some sort of tragic hero that pulled themselves out from a deep pile of shit only to fall back in it again and again, STOP. It doesn't help.

I keep saying this, but you're not special. For every suffering you've gone through and will go through, there are people out there going through equal or worse and aren't really that phased by it. Like Jon Morrow.

Seriously. I'm pretty sure Jon Morrow would kill to "just" have Crohn's disease and MS. On second thought, he probably wouldn't because he's THAT enlightened and over the shitty hand he was dealt.

I like the "action items" part, I think you're headed in the right direction. Keep it up!

I agree. I'm not special. At the same time, I am. Despite what I have gone through, there are millions of people who will deal with things infinitely worse.

At the same time, what I am going through and how I deal with it...is special. I have a different mind, body, emotions, family background, goals, etc. compared to anyone else on this planet who could have the same exact autoimmune diseases as me. That is what will make my unique story...though it's up to me to determine if I become the "tragic hero" or "tragedy" by how to I respond to all of this.

This is me coming to grips with all of this in a way I've never done before. Before, I either ignored my body's messages of things going wrong or fell into the trap of feeling that I was the only one dealing with MS or Crohns or anything like that.

I do not expect to start running marathons after eating carnivore.keto/paleo...but I do expect to keep experimenting and learning...no matter what condition I am in. Without that, I lose my way and die a miserable stastic

I do understand what you're saying though about not getting caught in chasing time for money....especially with a chronic illness. It's a losing game. because the stress of work makes the illness worse and your ability to work decline...

I actually appreciate the insight as I try to figure out where I go next in the world of income streams. I've adapted to remote work, but MS (Progressive at that) and Crohns is still in the background

Action items came as a direct result of dealing with the Fastane

Further action items:

• List 5 things I'm grateful for: (Done-see below)
  • Understanding family members
  • Forum members like you @Simon Angel who make me reflect
  • Boldness to even try something in the face of an incurable disease
  • People like Jon Morrow who show a path of financial freedom, despite everything,
  • This moment where I took a moments away from the pain and crappiness of the day to commit to keep going
• Motivate someone else: DONE (on Twitter)
• Schedule in time for earlier action items (In Process)
  
  • 
    
    • Read "Breaking Time Barrier" Between 5 and 6:30 during break
    • Review Jon Morrow's story-I know him from my blogging days-Between 5 and 5:30 during break. I try to have like a siesta during the day and have small periods of focused activity
    • Continue tracking & get set up with doctor where I am to see where I need to adjust: Report MyFitnessPal results to coach before bed and my digestive health in Plop app before bed. Research cost to get wellness check with doctor within next 30 days before bed.....
    • and complete the other goals I already have set up before bed(3K calories, 30 minutes exercise, 15 minutes sunshine, 250 words, and 3 freelancing contacts)

 

[mrchuckthetech]

I'm back...

Things got bad, healthwise.....but not deadly

The areas I am struggling is most with are work and energy. Like @Simon Angel pointed out, work is difficult when you have a chronic illness...and I believe I might have two, Crohns and MS.

At the same time, I'm in a new "Renaissance" , healthwise. Given that my former health team gave me NO instructions on diet or anything else besides Ocrevus and other medicines.....I was left hopeless.

This forum actually helped me to even consider that there was something I could change or do to help myself. That sparked me on a journey that I'm now on....trying out foods and really listening to what it does to my body and going with that. I am, still a baby at this (2 weeks), so I can't say that I've found the "diet" that works best for me...or if this stuff is working for me at all...I just like the idea that I can at least try something.

But, fatigue is still there...not deathly fatigue like I had before...but it's lessened to a lighter version that is all day usually. I don't know if that means if I'm getting better or worse. I do know I am walking with my cane...Wait, that might explain the fatigue, now that I think about it....but I've only not been using my cane for 2 days and had the "lighter" fatigue for longer

Anyway, I feel stronger oddly and feel more of my leg when I walk without using the cane, so....I don't know

But like I was saying...ENERGY has been a big issue. The other issue is figuring out about work. I have balance and mobility issues, along with fatigue, pain, etc.....so figuring out work is tricky....like I don't want to stop working yet, but I need to make sure I can contribute where I can best contribute. The way these jobs are going.....If you can't keep up, you're out...

Keeping up my energy to do the work (whether remote or not) is the biggest issues right now

For today

Body Goals:
2500 calories: Not met/Fatigue, but eating more
30 minutes of exercise: Rest
15 minutes of sunshine: Done

FLF Goals
30 min coding: Not met
30 min bookkeeping: Not met
250 words: Caught up. Wrote 864 words to catch up from previous days

 

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[mrchuckthetech]

It is about time that I updated this thread...I am employed full time(remotely) and got accepted as a student for A+ certification (Comptia Tech Academy)

I have been shadowboxing for a couple of weeks now and along with eating (rather than stressing about it) and taking vitamins + fish oil have begun to put on muscle.

I am still writing my autobiography.

I still have MS and Crohn's disease but I am still creating despite those labels

 

[heavy_industry]

.I am employed full time(remotely) and got accepted as a student for A+ certification (Comptia Tech Academy)

YES!!!
Good job man, I'm glad things are getting better!

I still have MS and Crohn's disease but I am still creating despite those labels

There will be an answer to everything, take things one day at a time.

Keep us updated and best of luck!

 

[Vinz]

It is about time that I updated this thread...I am employed full time(remotely) and got accepted as a student for A+ certification (Comptia Tech Academy)

I have been shadowboxing for a couple of weeks now and along with eating (rather than stressing about it) and taking vitamins + fish oil have begun to put on muscle.

I am still writing my autobiography.

I still have MS and Crohn's disease but I am still creating despite those labels

Great man ! You can see that consistency and effort pays off ! Really glad you're doing better

 

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[mrchuckthetech]

Great man ! You can see that consistency and effort pays off ! Really glad you're doing better

Thank you! I am learning to keep fighing and not get so caught in where that fight leads....Otherwise, you end up fighting yourself, which is what I was doing.

If my health changes, I am OK with that (kind of)....I will deal with life at that point, not where I think I should be at that point.

 

[Vinz]

Thank you! I am learning to keep fighing and not get so caught in where that fight leads....Otherwise, you end up fighting yourself, which is what I was doing.

If my health changes, I am OK with that (kind of)....I will deal with life at that point, not where I think I should be at that point.

Agree. Thinking about the end results can often circle back and block you from taking action. Sometimes you just gotta ignore the end situation you imagine and keep going.