Helping Ashton Heal from Guillain-Barre

My name is Ashton Robertson and make music under the name, Spaceship Earth. Prior to a little over 4 months ago, I was a healthy, thriving, independent 30 year old, hoping for a fun summer, after a year in a pandemic. That was all cut short at the end of April. I initially blacked out, and experienced my first ever panic attack. I had my roommate take me to the hospital, because I wouldn't stop violently shaking and felt really dizzy. This was the start of a very long, slow journey...

Over the course of that same week, I was hospitalized 3 more times, because I kept feeling extremely dizzy, and felt like I was losing circulation across my body. I was very confused what was happening, and hoped it would pass soon. Each night in the hospital was honestly SO scary, and my life flashed before my eyes multiple times, especially the night I had to spend overnight, alone, not knowing if I would make it through the night.

At this point, my Mom flew from Michigan to Colorado, to come save me and take me back to Michigan to be closer to family, so I could have family nearby to help me heal.

I thought I would heal up fast, but as I returned back to Michigan, I started to experience extreme tingling in my feet, hands, and head. It felt as if i was losing circulation across my body, and would almost faint, every night. I felt extremely hungry at all time, and could hardly walk around this time. This is when I started to know someone else was wrong.

After seeing multiple doctors, I was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome. It is an acute rapid-onset weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain often in the back along with muscle weakness, beginning in the feet and hands, often spreading to the arms and upper body.

Learn more here: What is Guillain-Barre Syndrome

So essentially I have nerve damage across my entire body, because my own immune system attacked my nervous system, leaving the myelin sheath around my nerves damaged, which makes it hard to send signals to your brain, so walking and many other systems in my body have go haywire. Its very complicated.

Symptoms:

Inability to walk normally

Extreme tinnitus/head ringing

Migraines

Dizziness/faintness

Neuropathy in hands and feet

Extreme sensitivity to electronics

Constant dehydration

Constant hunger

Loss of sense of body for first month

& MORE

It has been rough to say the least. It is now been over 4 months later, and I still greatly struggle with walking, tinnitus, constant hunger, dizziness and more. I have lost my ability to play consistent music gigs, and am not stable enough to work a normal job. Most people with GBS take between 7 months to 16 months to fully recover back to normal. This has been the hardest lesson for me. I now like to think of GBS as, Getting Better Slowly. I also have over $10K+ in medical debt that my insurance was unable to cover and I didnt quality for grants unfortunately due to my stimulus check, doctors have not really been helpful, and alternative treatments are expensive and not covered by my insurance. So any help financially would be of great assistance right now!! It would help me with living costs over the next few months, and my alternative treatments. And reduction in my medical debt will be a great bonus. Any help will truly mean the world to me right now, and I will be eternally grateful for any, and all help, no matter how small, even if you just help me share this campaign <3

I want to end this by saying, that not all is completely bleak. I have learned more about life in the last 4 months than I have in the last 4 years. I am so grateful to be alive. I am so grateful to my family, all of my friends, the plants, the sky, music, art...!! I know I will make a full recovery eventually, and that I will bring with me a much deeper wisdom and appreciation for all of life. It has been very hard, but also very transformative experience. I have learned so much about health, healing and the nervous system, that I do truly feel inspired to help other people heal, once I make my recovery. I also cannot wait to get back to music full time, as I've got lots of new music to showcase. I believe staying positive has helped keep me alive during this time, and it is truly the power of our mind/spirit in combination with our bodies, which allow us to heal.

Thanks you for taking the time to read and understand my situation. Feel free to message me if you have any questions or if you want to support me in other ways, by offering healing tips, or for example wanting to directly help me order supplements or alternative healing treatments.