The results can vary depending on which test is administered. I linked to the CDC's site which explains it fairly well. In any case I'm glad your son is feeling better!

Here is a link that might be useful: CDC

My DD has always gagged on liquid meds so we have been giving her pill forms since 4 years of age. She took tamiflu pills last year at age 7, ask your pharmacist for the pill form. If he is squirmish about swallowing pills have him start with tic tacs then move up to M&Ms. By 11 all kids really should be off liquid meds for dosing purposes. Hope he continues to feel well?

The test may be wrong, or he may have a mild case of the Flu because of the shot he did get.

ML

I was wondering why didn't they give him the pill form, at 11 I would definitely request the pill for him.
It's possible he has a very light case of the flu and he has a very good strong immune system, all good things. The different strains of the flu have different intensities too. But he could possibly be contagious so keeping him away from others is a great idea. What is mild to him could be much worse for someone with a weak immune system.

Hopefully he will be over it soon.

roarah, he does have a hard time will pills, mainly because he hardly has to take any, but I will definitely have him experiment with the tic tacs.

raven, I called this morning to get the pills form and nurse said they don't make the dosage he needs in a pill form. There is a dosage lower and a dosage higher than he needs in pill form.

His temp has been under 98.8 since yesterday around 4:00p so hopefully it stays low. It's a beautiful day today here so he's out shooting baskets for awhile.

I think tamiflu only works within the first 48hrs so if he is not keeping it down any way it is not going to work so no point forcing the issue. Just watch out if he gets better than a few days later spikes a fever again. Sometimes after the intial flu kids get even sicker with pneumonia. Hope he is on the mend and back to school soon!

If he really does have the flu, sounds like it's not making him very sick. Like others said, perhaps b/c he had the flu shot, he just has a mild case.

I had almost an opposite experience recently where my dd seemed as if she had the flu but didn't. She had a high fever, cold/cough, sore throat. Initially the fever wasn't that bad, so I didn't take her to the doctor. But she was really complaining of her sore throat and even threw up twice (which can indicate strep). So on day 3, I took her to the ped for a strep test. The ped thought for sure, given her symptoms, that it was either strep or flu, though she didn't have body aches at all. She also hadn't had the flu shot. Well, she tested negative for both tests! So just some random other virus she unfortunately picked up. Poor kid was quarantined to her room though for four days...my high schooler was in the midst of finals, and my 8th grader was in the middle of mid-terms and I couldn't afford for either of them to get sick. Thankfully that seemed to work as none of my other three kids, nor dh or I, caught it.

On a different note, we just got an email from school that one of my son's classmates has whooping cough. Apparently he's been out of school for nearly two weeks, but the Health Dept is going to be contacting anyone they feel was at risk. Thankfully, this is 6th grade and most of the kids should have had their final booster shot last year (my son had it this past summer). Of course, I'm reading the symptoms and it says "runny nose, cough and sneezing" are early signs, then 1-2 weeks later the bad cough develops. And guess who has a runny nose, cough and sneezing? My 6th grader! I'm sure it's just coincidence....vaccinated people only have 10% chance of getting it apparently.

Glad your son is feeling well enough for basketball!

When we were kids and had a hard time taking pills my mom would crush them into a teaspoon of jelly and we would take them that way. Come on.....sing along.......just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down!

fourkids, Gosh, not enough for the flu at your 6th graders school, now whooping cough! Those are the symptoms my DS has, except no more sneezing today! His cough is almost gone too-so really just a little bit of a runny nose.

They say the flu is even contagious a few days AFTER they get the flu-so, clearly people don't keep there kids home from school even a week after their fever is gone-at least I haven't noticed that at my son's school. The doctor told my DS he could go back to school on Monday. To me, he looks and feels fine, so even if there was school tomorrow, he seems well enough to go. But, confused about the fever, since he never really even had a fever.

joanie, good idea about crushing the pill in jelly-I will have to remember that.

I'm totally overthinking this! LOL! I just don't want to infect anyone else either!