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Melissa Auf der Maur Documents Swine Flu Recovery

Melissa Auf der Maur has come up with a unique way of chronicling her experience and recovery from the swine flu. The former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist has documented her bout with the H1N1 influenza strain, which she first contracted back in May, for online news journal The Mark.

"It turns out that, somewhere between a video shoot in Vermont, a heavy metal concert in London, and my own musical showcase in Toronto , I had indeed fallen victim to a world pandemic," Auf der Maur wrote. "I am now officially on the mend – thanks to a combination of naturopathic treatments and heavy-duty antibiotics, among other survival tools."

Auf der Maur first felt symptoms in May, when she came down with a stuffy nose, a sore throat and body aches. "But they came all at once," she explains, "and were far more intense than I had ever experienced. For a person who only gets ill once or twice a decade it was scary."

After being misdiagnosed with a sinus infection, the bassist later learned she had the H1N1 virus and says shortness of breath led to "a roller coaster of fever spikes." Now on the mend, Auf der Maur says she hopes to be immune to it when it comes back around as expected this autumn.

"When many other Swine virgins will be falling ill, I'll be good to go!" she writes. "However, have no fear friends: it's a terrible flu, but it is manageable, and we Swine veterans will be here to help you through it."

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Ryan

So far, it sounds like swine flu is just a bad strain of flu...and has only killed people who had other issues and old people...just like a regular flu that comes around every year. I just think its a whole lot of worrying for nothing.

July 19 2009 at 12:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Debra

Please take the swine flu seriously...In May I just lost my sister-in-law to it...She went in the hospital with a minor cold and it got worse fast then she was in ICU on life support till she past, she was only 48 and her three boy's are with out a mother now...God Bless

July 19 2009 at 6:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Carmalee Pinson

Everyone is different. It is interesting to me that individuals attempt to characterize the nature of a germ as if it would be the same for any two people much less the masses. Some people will take it with a grain of salt-others will die. We can't know our own personal chances with this thing unless we are unfortunate enough to get it. Therefore, it is wise to use universal precautions, but pointless to live in fear.

July 19 2009 at 2:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Trind

donda, so sorry to hear of your sister's illness. I hope she gets better. It is possible her body will win this fight. One thing to be sure of...our immune system will fight to the very end to keep us alive. It doesn't give up easily. Swine flu is a virus and does not respond to antibotics, but sometimes people have viruses and bacterial infections going on at the same time. In that case, antibotics can be helpful. The antibotic can kill the bacterial infection so your immune system can concentrate on killing the virus.

July 19 2009 at 1:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Charles Carter


Swine flue is the most expensive import from Mexico. It is unfortunate our present administration was so cavalier about it when it began to come into our country. Democrats always wait till a problem becomes severe before they take action and it is usually too little too late.

July 19 2009 at 12:46 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brian

My wife and two sons just got over several weeks of this swine flu, and still have coughs and sore throats, here in Midland, Texas. I am the oldest (56) and unhealthiest in the family, and I didn't get it. I had what they called a "Russian flu" in 1960. It was a type of swine flu, and I think I must be ammune. Tammiflu help cut down the symptoms on my wife and kids, but didn't halt it completely.

July 19 2009 at 12:24 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
JoanneMik

Clearly from these posts I can only conclude there must be a new strain of the FLU: Id-I-ot flu! That's all I got, IDIOTS!

July 19 2009 at 12:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
kmacksurf

There is no Swine Flu. It is a Hoax! I travel to Latin America alot and NOBODY knows anything about it. It was made up in America by drug companies. The drug companies had pills for it the day it surfaced, coincidence? I think not.

July 18 2009 at 11:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jryd97

geez............Why so much fear over a virus??? Life is a deadly affliction, there are so many things that can end us every day it's not even worth worrying about.

July 18 2009 at 11:38 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
doc4hire

I live in Sarasota FL. As Donna pointed out in her post there were two deaths this week in Sarasota county Florida. Both deaths this week were in healthy young people without known risk factors. One was a 23 yo hospital employee. The other in their early 40s. This disease is nothing to take lightly.

July 18 2009 at 11:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply