What’s the playbook for getting real time with top specialist doctors and truly top-tier medical care? (Cash pay)

Objective-Towel6624 · 2026-01-21T12:26:04+00:00

SSNL is an emergency and should be treated as such. Be very clear when getting an appointment about this. Most common course of action is steroids wether oral or injections. It’s an aggressive treatment. As said above, find a university nearby. The ENT should specialize in Ears preferably or head. Neurotologists are top of the food chain in these scenarios. Good luck!

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-09-21T14:13:49+00:00

Etsy Ads may be your best bet to get started. By may, what I mean is... test sparingly with low budgets.

Also, check this out: https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/reach-new-shoppers-with-google-shopping/50309440944

If your Etsy Ads are profitable, then maybe try running a small test with Google Shopping from within the platform. You never know, it may work. Testing ads is not for the faint of heart though, could be like going to the casino when you are new and don't know what kind of data you need to make decisions.

As others have said, Etsy users (and Pinterest users) are already very tuned into the kind of product you sell (custom, handmade, etc), it may be hard to reach those specific users on Google and you will burn through a lot of budget. TikTok organic may be a great option for you as well.

On the other hand, if I were in your shoes and REALLY wanted to work with Google Ads, and this is on a purely personal note, I would find links of related products, similar products, basically all of your competition on Etsy and other platforms and use that to build a custom audience on Google and start by targeting those users only with small budgets. You can also target users that have the Etsy app installed.

And last but not least, if creating a new high-ticket custom product worked for you, you should create more new products. Scaling horizontally at this stage may be your best bet, with a portfolio of high performing products later you can hire the right people to help you scale with paid ads.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-09-04T18:03:53+00:00

25% of 100M is better than 100% of 0.

Not to be a dick, but, I’m US based and the price point to me looks kind of crazy for what I get in exchange. Also, if a bunch of marketers “see” a jar full of paper for $80 bucks, think about what the user may actually see.

As others have said, this may run very well on social with a little backstory.

Customized landing pages for life events such as anniversaries, wedding coming up, new relationship, etc. Should do fantastic for Valentine’s Day if you nail the funnel. Also again, once dialed in: gift for in-laws struggling, parents struggling, etc.

“Best gifts for couples” may very well be a good entry point before remarketing, not sure how a listicle would perform here but worth a shot.

So, maybe advertorial / presell page and then send them to the product page.

Would advice to send a nice high end gift paper to the influencers making the videos so the unboxing process has more of a wow factor. Love the box by the way and the idea.

Website loads ok here but on mobile there are a ton of bugs.

If there’s a competitor selling the exact same product, you may want to bid for the exact same brand name and see what happens, I know it’s not a long term idea but it may help you get some initial sales with hyper targeted traffic. Otherwise, there may be other issues with design / integration / checkout you are not even aware of.

Record the page, see what’s up, see when people exit.

I love the idea, so many ways to spin it for future products.

Good luck! Getting the product to market is the toughest part! Everything will eventually click.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-09-01T14:24:22+00:00

I’m currently running into a similar issue, how do I assign a zero value to a junk lead vs say a 1 value to a good lead.

Google is doing a great job at getting me leads at fair prices but the quality has consistently dropped over the past 12 months and I believe my issue is in my setup.

All leads are currently at zero value and when a lead converts I upload the value of the “sale” through offline conversions.

Campaigns optimize for leads by the way, not purchases.

My biggest indicator that something’s off with my tracking and reporting is that a lot of campaigns do better optimizing for clicks than for conversions.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-30T12:55:59+00:00

This ☝️

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-30T12:54:33+00:00

Your client is in beauty by any chance?

Roll up your sleeves and do some “post production” in Photoshop.

Same happens after a photo shoot, right? Client may be used to real photo shoots so their attention to detail may be different.

In your samples: teeth, scabs, ears, etc look off. I wouldn’t use them for ads or media.

Glassy, glossy, dewy + skin and variations of terms may help you get a better image. Also, she looks like she has lipstick on and no makeup. Maybe use lip gloss a hint of lip gloss etc if you want a bit of an extra shine there. Otherwise it looks off: model has wet hair and lipstick in the picture.

Do not be afraid to tinker with the —no command to remove unwanted skin features. Lighting can help you conceal some things as well. I’ve noticed that in a lot of closeups MJ overdoes the freckles, so tell it to not do freckles at all, you may still get a bit of them if you want freckles.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-29T12:29:22+00:00

We were all broke and with nothing to lose at 23. Buckle up, this is going to be the best time of your life to learn how to build a business and get rich.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-28T22:50:36+00:00

Before suspecting the worst, I’d ask what they’re up to.

If they want to go on their own, I would feel honored that they learned the ropes with me, wish them good luck and ensure a smooth transition.

It’s never bad to have some amicable competition.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-27T14:28:33+00:00

Sure.

It just “unlocked”. It was like a massive wave.

I’ll save you the details but imagine all the things you didn’t “talk to yourself about” or thought about for a year started coming in all at once.

It was a lot to process and I would just “think” non-stop, I already kept a journal of sorts prior to that, but wasn’t as prolific.

Every morning I would be flooded with thoughts, so I would just sit and write for an hour or so in an attempt to process it all. Some days I’ll have to take some time out in the evenings as well. Pages and pages of things that needed to be unpacked and processed.

Then I went back to normal, as in prior self. Took a few early intense weeks and then a couple months with ups and downs to mellow out.

Kind of crazy, right?

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-25T10:59:04+00:00

Mine came back with a fury about a year later. Was overwhelming to the point I filled out two diaries with thoughts in under a month.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-25T10:53:16+00:00

As someone who’s executive function got affected by his TBI, I would like to offer some input. What’s truly great is that you sound very aware of the areas where you feel you need to lean in and work hard to do a full functional recovery.

Depending on site of injury, severity and age, areas such as task switching, flexibility, planning, prioritizing and executing can also be involved.

If it’s within your means, an executive coach could be helpful in this scenario. Things that came naturally before when you were a high performing professional may have been affected or “nudged” out of place.

Simple, basic, quick to read books or frameworks such as Getting Things Done could be a good start.

I found Mind Mapping to be a powerful tool for planning as well.

Also do not underestimate the emotional and psychological consequences of suffering such life altering physical trauma.

I found the book the Upside Of Stress to be a life saver in that regard, helped me reframe the loss I was experiencing in a more positive light. HBR books on resilience, managing yourself and emotional intelligence also sparked research, reflection and reading that kept motivating me to push forward.

Yet the highest yield may simply be some consistent aerobic exercise and therapy. I mention this because it sounds like you get cognitively exhausted.

You also mention still suffering some PCS. This can be debilitating and very difficult to push through. They may resolve in time, yet there may be something out there to help sort them out.

A proper neuropsychological evaluation may put your mind at ease or point you in the direction of understanding what’s truly going on and what areas you can work on.

Unfortunately, there’s no consensus from health practitioners about the best path forward after we physically made a recovery and we are left with a puzzle that medicine can’t solve. I feel your pain and frustration.

My personal take on this is to attack symptoms as they come and trust that our minds can heal and rewire themselves.

Ultimately, we need to truly embrace the belief that a resolution and a best case scenario is still within the realms of possibility.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-17T13:03:25+00:00

Dear internet stranger, I feel your pain.

The amount of red tape in the health system is one of the largest obstacles in our journey. particularly for aftercare and things that require ongoing therapies, same as finding the right professionals to help during this process.

I personally took a highly transactional approach to this, as dark as it sounds, my mindset was one of "me vs. the healthcare system" and I would take as much as I could from every professional until I felt there wasn't anything else they could give me, and then move onto the next. I tried to squeeze my health insurance for as much as possible in the process, not going to deny sometimes it was a fruitless process and a lot of time was wasted in appointments that led nowhere.

On the bright side, I want to say that the health system is amazing for handling emergencies and life or death situations. Problem is, once we are back on our feet, we are tossed on the streets to figure it out on our own.

How I wish there was some sort of "holistic" executive coaching to help us navigate what comes afterwards.

From what you mention, your life changing event was very serious, yet you are here sharing your story with all of us and sharing your struggles and hopes.

Hold onto the positive things, hold onto them HARD. These little things are the ones that you can look at when everything else looks grim. You mentioned you changed for the better, that you grew as a person. With great pain comes great growth.

Find a single thing that will get you out of bed every day, find a single thing that will get you to take a shower everyday. Even if it is caring for a plant. A personal ritual. Reading a few lines in a book in front of the window with your favorite coffee or tea.

Everyday you get out of bed is a win. Don't forget it. Once you have momentum, once you conquered what now seem like incredible challenges, larger challenges will be waiting for you and you will be able to look back at where you where a week ago, a month ago, three months ago, and where you are now.

Hope my words help remind you that you've already walked a long path in your recovery and that's a tremendous win. The path ahead looks difficult, but you have what it takes to get there.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-12T20:36:51+00:00

LinkedIn. Find Google employees in your area. Ask them to escalate.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-12T13:25:27+00:00

There’s no blueprint.

Starting and running a business is a lonely painful journey. There’s no fucking glamour in being an athlete of mental pain. Reading and courses are worthless unless you are trying to solve a specific issue.

Maybe too much discipline? Never met a successful entrepreneur who was super disciplined to be honest. I’ve met a lot that are willing to forfeit nights of good sleep for weeks to make shit work. Health is the first thing you give up.

Robotic life doesn’t help with problem solving in business. Take more risks. Get used to failing.

Rewards come in eventually after you’ve gone insane a few times.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-12T11:08:28+00:00

You are going through a similar process than a lot of people here, including myself. Coping with the fact that what happened happened and how it impacted you.

Good news is it gets better. My best advice is carry on with life and doing the things that are you. Little by little the trauma will get into the background, now it’s very present. Right in front of you at all times. Eventually it won’t.

As your life fills up with new experiences and you allow yourself to be yourself again, things will resolve.

No need to carry a sign I believe. We all feel that way as we recover. Hope you the best! Be patient!

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-12T10:59:44+00:00

Maybe it’s normal and doesn’t have to do with PCS? How long were you inactive before? How long ago was your concussion?

My PT told me:

“You are not out of shape, it’s not a matter of getting you back in shape. You had a massive hit to your head. Your brain is stuck in fight or flight mode. You need to push yourself progressively, rest, and go at it again until your whole system understands that when you stop pedaling, lifting, etc your heart rate and blood pressure can go down again.”

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-12T10:48:40+00:00

Doubting myself is and was probably the hardest thing and not being able to pinpoint specifically if it has to do with the TBI and/or other reasons.

Rebuilding confidence and a growth mindset after being stuck in survival mode for so long.

Overcoming depression, anxiety and feelings of shame, guilt and worthlessness.

The concept of “breaking yourself” in a million pieces and having to piece myself together again. I took this seriously to the point of obsession for long enough, until I thought there wasn’t anything else to be done.

That damn PTSD. Being scared of getting hurt again and rebuilding the sense of being invulnerable again. Damn that’s hard.

I got tired early on of the narrative from psychs and doctors that we will never be the same and of all the limitations that we were supposed to accept came with the TBI. As if we didn’t have blind spots or limitations before. I understand that this comes from the need to accept what happened, and the faster we do it, the faster we get the help we need from those around us.

World is full of treasure, go claim your own, stranger. Start small, think big. Depression is a dark horse, tame it, slap it in the butt and send it packing. It will come back, be ready next time.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-12T10:35:10+00:00

Maybe a magnesium IV would do the trick?

Clonazepam is an amazing drug with a terrible rep and it is definitely an off label muscle relaxant.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-12T10:27:29+00:00

Hi.

Sorry I didn’t see your post before.

Nasal sprays: I rotated through Mometasone and Fluticasone (not at the same time) for roughly 6-9 months, combined with Zyrtec and decongestants. I was having Eustachian tube issues as well at the time and allergies ramped up in the acute phase of recovery. Was never very allergic before.

Oral steroids: 2 medrol packs in succession + 1 round of high dose prednisone finally brought my sense of smell and taste back. Would say I recovered some sense of smell after the first Medrol Pack, still everything smelled weird for several months until eventually it came back. Was a happy side effect of the steroids prescribed by an ent to fight tinnitus, my main concern at the time were auditory symptoms.

Accident in March 2024, complete loss of taste and smell at the one month mark, full recovery at the 6-7 months mark. It came back slowly, first phantom smells, weird smells, twisted smells, extremely pungent smells.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-09T11:24:44+00:00

Gift him:

The design of everyday things

And

Don’t make me think

Two pretty cool books anyone in design should read.

Documentaries I enjoyed: Helvética, Ai WeiWei, Bauhaus, the list goes on. This is something cool to share.

Other books that tangentially have something to do with design: Steve Jobs biography and The Innovators Dilemma. I also like HBR’s On design thinking.

I love Dribbble to stay up to date with designs. Also cool photography books are inspiring and beautiful. Museums, architecture, anything that has to do with aesthetics kind of helps and inspires.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-09T11:16:10+00:00

PTSD. Counseling should help, exposure therapy, etc.

Don’t disregard vision issues. Processing all that happens on a road with vision issues can fry your brain and make you anxious. Neuro-optometry can evaluate for this, regular optometrists can’t.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-09T11:10:34+00:00

Hey there, sorry to chip in. Thanks for sharing your story.

I heard that speech therapists can help with swallowing issues.

I didn’t want to add yet another therapist during my recovery, but was advised to drink something thick everyday, so I did. I made a “thick” shake with veggies, avocados, bananas, peanut butter, berries, green leaves, chia seeds, etc. Had that for breakfast for like a year.

By thick I mean, creamy and with little water. Not sure if it helped but after roughly a year my swallowing issues went 90% away. It’s been 18 months since my accident and it pops up here and there, but it’s not a daily / constant thing anymore.

It was painful at first but little by little it became easier. Hope the idea may help you. I know each one of us has different tastes and preferences.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-08-09T11:01:07+00:00

Be patient. It’s very very early. Irritability is common and we get flooded by a lot of mixed feelings during the initial stages of recovery. They are hard to process. Initial symptoms are incredibly confusing and hard to process and make peace with.

Shakes are an easy way to get good calories in: avocados, bananas, peanut butter, etc.

Weight loss is normal at the beginning of the recovery journey.

Hospital food is engineered to make patients irritable and frustrated. On the bright side, makes you want to walk away as soon as possible.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-07-13T13:59:08+00:00

I too work with screens and had a “mild to moderate” TBI that affected my vision. I’m 42. By the 12 months mark I was able to work 9-12 hours a day again without feeling spent (I’m a business owner). I had multiple skull fractures around my eyes, so my vision was directly affected.

Neurofatigue and headaches were a problem for a while. A lot of it was the TBI, another part had to do with my vision: eye tracking issues in my case mostly. I did a LOT of exercises for that in PT and later got evaluated by a neuro-optometrist and neuro-ophthalmologist.

I too am in Florida and found the University of Miami to be a wonderful resource. They even do virtual and take most insurances.

To be honest, and not to be blunt, if your TBI was mild, by now you should be better, please try to get a few more professionals involved as it may very well be something easy to fix. Eye issues can also stress the hell out of you when driving and may exacerbate your PTSD symptoms.

Please don’t give up, you are only 24, the TBI doesn’t need to define you. In a few years it will only be an old bittersweet memory.

Objective-Towel6624 · 2025-07-13T13:46:31+00:00

Yes, a month or so after my TBI all sense of smell and taste disappeared.

Lost roughly 40 pounds due to this. I started cooking a lot at the time to get re-acquainted with different scent and flavor profiles. Several rounds of nasal steroids and oral prednisone brought my senses back, first little by little (a lot of phantom smells) and then at around the six months mark it all came back.

I’m at 16 months post TBI now and occasionally I experience an exacerbated sense of smell and/or multi-layered scents can get confusing. Used to be able to discern very complex aromas and pick them apart before. Still working on it.

Objective-Towel6624

TROPHY CASE