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.
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.
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.
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.
