No glitzy “I made millions” fairy tales here — just eight years of trading chaos that smashed me to bits — physically, mentally, financially. I’m down to a $5000 account — $4800 balance, $300 buffer — and still swinging like a stubborn fool who doesn’t know when to quit. Eight years is a damn long time — long enough to break most, but not me. Want the full messy story? Grab a coffee — or a chai if you’re desi like me — and let’s dive in.
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The Crypto Craze (2017–21): Dreams, Migraines, and Self-Taught Grit
It all kicked off in early 2017, during the final year of my degree when I was more into hacking than trading. I was that kid who simply loved messing with code, cracking systems for fun. Within that period, I got to know about Bitcoin and Blockchain. Being a tech enthusiast, it caught my attention. I found digital gold that is nearly impossible to hack, limited supply and follows no rules — that’s my vibe.
By mid-2017, I jumped into the trading world with $1000 or something, and by late 2017, crypto went wild west. Bitcoin was blasting off, and I was a 20-something Rolls dreamer on Binance, chasing crores with 10x-20x leverage. Within a few months, I converted my portfolio to approximately $5000. And I still remember the 2nd week of January 2018 when altcoins crashed heavily. Within a few days, I had lost 90% of every penny of my profit, including my initial capital. My screen got frozen, my heart sank — “Yeh kya ho gaya, bhai?” My confidence bruised, but I wasn’t out.
2018–19 hit me hard with high-intensity migraines that wrecked me. I couldn’t hold a job, my head pounding like a war drum because of severe headaches. Then I decided, because of multiple migraine attacks in a week, “Fulltime Trading is the only thing I can do at my own pace,” where I can be my own boss. I had already seen its growth, so I told myself, let’s dive deep into this.
Hence, I turned to YouTube and Google — 18 hours a day, self-teaching trading, grinding through pain, prepping for the next crypto bull run. I was a one-man army determined to crack it. And yes! I did it. In the 2020–21 bull run after the third Bitcoin halving, the crypto market again started pumping, and I made some decent profit.
The Overdose Crash (2022): When a Forex Study Pushed Me Over the Edge
November 2022 — Crypto was deep in a bear market, and 1% TDS with 30% tax (Indian law) had pushed me to explore the Forex market. Forex became my new battlefield. I started self-studying, diving into YouTube tutorials and Google, just like I learned Crypto Trading a few years back — like a hustler, 18 hours a day, no breaks.
Migraines were brutal — my doctor prescribed Migrabeta Plus, Divalproex OD, and Napra D to cope. One night, I overdid it — popped some extra pills to keep going but blacked out. Three, maybe four days unconscious. Body weight fell to 53 kg, a skeleton with a pulse and guilt heavier than ever.
After a month of complete bed rest, I swore to myself, “I’m not done.” I got a gym membership, followed a healthy diet plan with Shatavari (Asparagus Racemosus) & Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) Powder. I put 10 kg of pure muscle on my body within a few months.
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The Scam That Stung (2023): $50,000 Down the Drain
After my re-birth, in January 2023, I jumped into forex live trading and bought a $5000 Traders Central (prop firm) account. Within one and a half months, I passed its Phase 1 and Phase 2 evaluation challenge and got live funding. Before their acquisition by another prop firm, I had cashed out $400 in profit.
I switched to My Forex Funds (MFF) and bought a $50,000 evaluation challenge, passing Phase 1 (8% target) and Phase 2 (5% target). I felt like a king on a budget throne. But overconfidence led me to scalp like an amateur, breaking my own trading rules. In the first week of August, I hit the drawdown limit and lost the account.
I took a week to analyze my mistakes. The next week, I bought another $5000 evaluation account. By following my trading rules and risk management, I had made 60% of the actual Phase 1 target. But on August 31st, the regulator shut down MFF, calling it a scam. I laughed and thought, “what a fate” (dark humor is my therapy now).
The Survival Grind (2024–25): $5000 and a Shaky Hand
In November 2023, I invested in The5ers (another prop firm), buying a $5000 evaluation account. I easily passed Phase 1 but got stuck in Phase 2’s 5% target. Whenever I reached the $225-$235 range, my emotions sabotaged me.
Throughout 2024, I tried to complete the Phase 2 challenge but lost it in February 2025. Free $20K bootcamp accounts slipped away too — classic me, right? Now I’m at another (probably the last) $5000 with $4800 left ($300 buffer), playing with a 12–21 EMA crossover and RSI divergence setup.
My hand shakes when setting a 30 pips stop-loss. “Loss hua toh?” Fear’s got me by the throat — but I’m not tapping out. I’m backtesting on Demo with 0.2 lot on trend and 0.1 on counter trend before going live.
“When 90% Quit, I Chose to Fight”
What Eight Years Taught Me (And Why I’m Still Here)
Eight long years of scams, migraines, and losses stacked in front of me like a bad karma playlist. Crypto taught me grit, forex taught me patience. My first Bitcoin trade was when it was $3000 back in 2017. I’ve learned the importance of Blockchain technology, Price Action with Volume Confluence, Multiple Timeframe Analysis, Order Flow, Scalping tricks, and much more.
I used to hold losses like a pro and watch them flip to profit with a smirk. And now? Every candle feels like a trap — fear has become my new broker. But here’s the thing: the market has been kicking my ass, and I’m too stubborn to quit my passion.
Eight years broke me — body’s a wreck, confidence hides in the shadows — yet I’m still fighting. Why? ’Cause giving up ain’t my style. By September 2025, if I don’t crack this $5000 into something real, I’ll turn this madness into a book — or maybe a blog empire. Till then, I’m backtesting — learning to trust my gut again.
Ever been smashed by life and still swung back? Drop a comment — I’m not the only crazy one out here, right?
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Disclaimer: Edited with technical writing assistance. The core narrative, experiences, and personal insights remain authentically mine.
“8 Years of Trading Madness: How It Broke Me, Yet I’m Still in the Fight” was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.