Caught

It's probable that I have H1N1/Swine flu. My mom went to see a doctor today, and the doctor told her she had it. My symptoms are very similar, but milder. No lab test, so I'm still somewhat reserved about the diagnosis, but all in all it seems quite likely to be correct. My mom's case first manifested as sudden back pain. She thought her back was just out of whack, but neither a chiropractor nor some pain meds helped very much. Apparently this was the "muscle ache" phase of the illness kicking in, and the rest hit her about a week later. Mine started similarly. Week before last, I got a sudden twinge in my back while giving a lecture. No obvious trigger, and, by concentrating on relaxing the muscles in my back, I was able to make 90% of the pain go away. That was the extent of the muscle ache portion for me, and I didn't think any more about it until I heard my mom's diagnosis tonight. Other than that, I've had fatigue, headache, and very mild nasal symptoms. The headache is gone now, thankfully, and the fatigue is subsiding.

Note that the new vaccine was not available here until after my mom and I started exhibiting symptoms, so there wasn't much we could do. I'm very glad that I stayed home on Saturday and hence avoided exposing Don to it. I actually thought it was just allergies, then, but I was unusually tired for allergies. At any rate... neither my mom nor I are getting any of the major complications thusfar. Hopefully that continues to hold true.

Oh, one other item of interest. I have not had a fever from this. If anything, my body temperature has been lower. No clue what that might actually mean.