Re: JERRY SIMONS AND ROBERTA AIDA- a ? @ IM Bicillin

[Guest guest]

Kim and Mike Cunningham are very dear friends to me and when people say " lyme

disease does not cause death " .....think again, it cost Mike his life. I spent

Xmas Eve on the phone with Kim as Mike passed away....it was horrible. Please

pray for Kim and her children whom are suffering from lyme also.

sue in nj

sue massie

The autopsy report just came back for F. Cunningham, who died on

Christmas Eve. His page at the ALS/Lyme page has been updated- written by

his wife Kim- below his original introduction, and he has been added to The

Lyme Disease Memorial Page. Although diagnosed definite ALS, his cause of

death by the local pathologist:

Lyme disease.

************************

Cunningham

Mike and Kim's story of ALS/LYME

Hello everyone, so very nice to meet all of you. There are many blessings, in

this nightmare, we have seen. Some of the very best friends, we could ever

hope for, or dream of, we have met through all of this. We all will stick

together, and we all will get through this experience, as confusing, and

aggravating as it is, and in the end, we will be well, and have beautiful

life long friendships, I just KNOW IT!! Now, to introduce ourselves.

My name is Kim, and my husband's name is Mike. We have four beautiful

children aged 1 1/2 - 6 1/2. WOW, yes, I know!!

Mike's problems started back around September of 1999, with his right leg not

working correctly. We originally thought, along with the doctors that this

was probably a back problem, or neck problem, and from there Mike had all of

the MRI's done, plus saw a back surgeon. We then found out, when they could

find nothing there, and sent Mike off to a Neurologist, that something else

had to be wrong. Along with this Mike also had some Fasciculation's(muscle

twitching) in his shoulder, he noticed a little loss of strength, etc. So, to

make a very long story short, we sat in the Neurologist's office on the day

of April 4th 2000, and heard her say that Mike had ALS, better known as Lou

Gehrig's Disease, and he could have anywhere from about 1-5 yrs to live. OH

MY GOD!!!! Needless to say, our worlds fell apart, we cried, no longer slept,

couldn't eat, and the list goes on.

**Please note that the only tests that Mike had to diagnose his ALS, was 2

different EMG's, (which I heard were a hellish experience) and a basic blood

test, to rule out some infections, or whatever. The MRI's were done to rule

out the pinched nerves and back problems, etc.

SO, then, after losing it, and crying out to God for several nights. I

decided to ask Him to SHOW ME WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW TO HELP MIKE GET WELL. I

refused to believe that there was nothing that could be done, and that we all

should just live with it. Then I met some wonderful people on the net, who

suggested that Mike be tested for Lyme Disease. I read and heard Pat Pepper's

story, plus several others. I met my now best friends, Terry and Matt from

New York, who's story is almost identical to Mike's, and off we went to hunt

for a Lyme Literate doctor.

Now to shorten things up a little more. Mike had a complete blood panel for

Lyme done, the , the Western Blot, the tests that check for the

co-infections, etc. He came back equivocal on two bands. Band number's 41,

and 23. OH YES, I thought, FINALLY, now we can get some kind of treatment to

stop this nightmare. Mike also has taken a LUAT test, which showed 2 out of 3

positive. Good enough for me. Now is where, my story comes into play here. I

got sick FIRST!!!! I have been very ill, and totally abnormal, you might as

well say, for 4 1/2 years. I have a very long list of symptoms from anxiety,

to sweating, to pain, to vision problems, the list goes on. I was diagnosed

with Probably MS, and also Fibromyalgia, and all the other BS diagnosis' that

goes along with this game. After hearing about ME, the doctors said " We need

to test your WIFE " . Ok, I figured, why not, I've had everything else done.

Needless to say, I have now found out, after showing up on three bands

myself, numbers 41,23, and 66 that I too have LYME DISEASE, and not that

other crap. Now, here is an update, and facts about us, that may be

beneficial to all of you.

Mike was started on Doxy, and took that for 6 weeks. After stopping the Doxy,

Mike noticed a BIG decline, and could no longer work. Then Mike was put on IV

Rocephin, for 2 1/2 months, and lost that, due to the pic line closing up,

and some reactions, which the doctor feared could be allergic reaction. Now

Mike is trying the Bicillin shots, plus Flagyl, Zithromax, Diflucan (for

yeast).

Now then, I ask, " why such a rapid decline, and worsening SO FAST? " Mike went

from walking with a limp, in April, when he was first diagnosed, to now,

hardly being able to move. He has to use a wheelchair, plus his walker, to

get around the house. His condition continues to decline rapidly. He noticed

a BIG decline, when he stopped the Rocephin. That weekend, after that, he

questioned whether he would make it through the weekend alive or not. The

doctors that diagnosed Mike with the ALS, say that he probably has the rapid

progression, and that they can't deny the Lyme, but they feel that the

treatment will not have any effect of the ALS. WE DO NOT AGREE. Why would he

have such a huge reaction to the antibiotics, if it wasn't linking into the

ALS diagnosis?? Why would the antibiotics have any effect like that at all.

We honestly can not say what will happen, but we are in a fight to save

Mike's life, and anybody else, we are blessed enough to help along the way.

We believe that Mike has shown the signs, that the doc is looking for, to

point to LYME. We believe that if others have improved, or are well now, then

Mike can TOO. So can all of you!!!

I will give you all a list of Mike's symptoms and mine, so you can compare,

but I find it very interesting that we have so many alike. I will keep you

closely updated on me, and what I go through, so we all can compare, and

hopefully see that most of this mess is LYME and not ALS.

Mike ~*~ Kim

pain, lots of it ~*~ pain, lots of it

in the neck, hips ~*~ worst in my shoulders and arms

also in hips and legs ~*~ and arms

Pain in the male organs ~*~ Pain in female organs

(testicle) ~*~ (pelvic)

extreme sweating ~*~ extreme sweating

occasional chills ~*~ chills at times

fasciculation's all over his body

*Just started to have some in his face

Muscle twitching, in arms, legs

involuntary rapid eye movement,

twitching in face

waves of nausea ~*~ waves of nausea

stomach problems ~*~ stomach problems

loss of memory ~*~ loss of memory

and thinking

thinking capability ~*~ skills

mood swings ~*~ mood swings

extreme stiffness ~*~ bad stiffness

debilitating ~*~ abnormal in activity

Kim anxiety, (panic attacks)

vision problems, plus extreme light sensitivity,

hearing change, buzzing, and ringing in ears

female problems (abnormal cycles)

Ok, I think that's about it, but will probably make changes, as the list

changes, or increases. If anyone ever has any questions for us, please feel

free to send them, or comment on things, etc. We are all in this together,

and God gave us each other, to help lighten the burden, so lets all love and

help each other.

We look forward to meeting those of you that we do not know as of yet. We

continue to pray for all of you, ALL THE TIME. Your healing will come, I know

it. Love and prayers,

Kim, and Mike, and kids

Friday, November 24, 2000

MICHAEL F CUNNINGHAM

DIED DECEMBER 24TH 2001

HE WAS DIAGNOSED ON APRIL 4TH 2000 WITH ALS, AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER WITH

CHRONIC LYME DISEASE AND BOTH CO-INFECTIONS. HE FOUGHT TO GET TREATMENT. HE

FOUGHT WITH DOCTORS, TO TRY TO MAKE THEM SEE, TO UNDERSTAND, TO BELIEVE THIS.

NOW AFTER HIS DEATH, AND HAVING AN AUTOPSY DONE, WE HAVE THE PROOF WE NEED,

TO SHOW THAT MIKE'S DEATH WAS DUE TO LYME DISEASE! HIS POSTMORTEM DIAGNOSIS,

WAS LYME DISEASE. NOT ALS. NO WHERE IN THE AUTOPSY REPORT DOES IT MENTION

ALS,,,,,,ONLY LYME DISEASE.

MIKE'S SAMPLES AND ORGANS, WILL BE KEPT FOR RESEARCH AND STUDY, IN THE HOPE

OF HELPING TO SAVE LIVES.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND YOUR

PRAYERS.

[Guest guest]

Jerry Simons is Dr B's Physician Assistant.

Rita