Becoming a Millionaire with Side Hustles (October 2024)
October 31, 2024 - This is going to be a bit longer than usual. Bear with me.
So, for those of you who’ve been following my story, you may have noticed a pretty big gap. I mean, we're talking a whole year of radio silence here. My last post was in August 2023, and I know I left you all on a cliffhanger saying I wasn’t feeling well. Spoiler: I wasn’t kidding. Buckle up, because this is going to be a tale of medical mystery, self-diagnosis, and why having some emergency savings might just save your life.
Let’s rewind to July 2023. One day, I literally collapsed at work. Not the cool, Hollywood-style “Oh no, I fainted gracefully” — more like a full-blown body shutdown. I’d been feeling terrible for years, but like many people, I figured I’d just tough it out. Not my brightest idea. Every day was a struggle, just trying to get through basic tasks while feeling like I could keel over at any second.
After my dramatic collapse, I had the pleasure of visiting the emergency room ten times in one month. Ten. Times. I was dealing with fevers, racing heart, high blood pressure, and an overwhelming sense of dread. I’d wake up at 3 a.m., convinced I was dying and about to leave my newborn and two kids without a dad. But instead of taking my symptoms seriously, the doctors here in Japan thought, “Hey, this guy seems creative! Let’s send him to the psych ward.” Apparently, nothing says "mental health crisis" like fevers, high white blood cells, and abnormal labs! You’ve gotta laugh to keep from crying, right?
After being handed a bottle of steroids for my hypoglycemia (super casual fix, right?), I decided I needed to go back to my home country for treatment. At least there, I could order tests on my own dime. Plus, the doctors in Japan seemed to have a “see no symptoms, hear no symptoms” approach. “You’re fine!” they said, as I lay there, half-dead.
Back in my home country, I went full DIY medical detective. I’d already racked up quite the list of chronic issues — dizziness, fatigue, nerve pain, you name it — and thanks to my PhD in biomedical sciences, I knew my way around a symptom or two. I listed out every possible diagnosis like it was some grim version of medical bingo: Wilson’s Disease, Lupus, autoimmune hepatitis, chronic mystery disorder #47…you get the picture. Then, bingo! My copper levels came back at 680 mcg/L (upper limit is 100, so yeah, a bit high). Diagnosis? Wilson’s Disease, brought to you by yours truly.
With that, I started chelation therapy, which helped…until I stopped taking steroids in March 2024. And, surprise! The symptoms came roaring back. Just when I thought I’d made it out, my body hit me with round two. Back in Japan, I was having episodes every couple of weeks and the chronic stuff was all back, especially after eating. Great.
Determined not to relive the horrors of the Red Cross Hospital, I asked my doctor for a referral to Niigata University Hospital. Spoiler: It wasn’t my best experience either. So, I took matters into my own hands (again) and got myself an IgG food hypersensitivity test. My results came back with more red flags than a dating app — positive for over 30 types of food. So apparently, my immune system hates pretty much everything I love to eat.
Cue research mode again. This time, my top contenders for the mystery illness were Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Mastocytosis, Histamine Intolerance, and Hereditary Alpha Tryptasemia Syndrome. I headed to the drugstore, picked up a box of Allegra, and guess what? Most of my symptoms improved. Not a miracle cure, but better than nothing. Not dying beats dying, after all.
Eventually, I got referred to Tokyo University Hospital, where I’m now waiting for a specific diagnosis. My allergist thinks I’m on the right track with my research. Fingers crossed for an answer soon.
And now, let’s talk about the money. I’ve got about $1.4 million in my portfolio, but I decided not to touch it. Instead, I used the money I’d earned from this blog series and maxed out my credit cards to the tune of $8,000. Yep, my health journey was pricey. But had I not had these funds to lean on, things could’ve been a lot worse. Moral of the story: a safety net can be the difference between surviving a medical disaster or…well, not. Oh, and I’m still paying for that credit card, and I will be doing so from my side hustle money.
So here I am, jumping back into all my side hustles. I’m investing very conservatively, as I am going to pay all the medical debt I accrued with these side hustles. Not making much yet, but at least I’m back in the game.
Here is the general breakdown for October 2024:
Side Hustles Income
Side Hustles Total: $3,049.27
Portfolio Value Breakdown
Total Portfolio Value: $3,172.23
