Can I vent for a minute?! Maybe a little long. So Friday night January 11th my 5 year old son seemed a little congestion, no big deal right?! So I gave him some Zyrtec and figured it was allergies from the crazy weather we have here. The next morning on Saturday the 12th he woke up and looked and felt terrible. He woke up with a fever, congestion, coughing, running nose, shivering one minute, sweating the next. I tried to get it under control my self that day since of course the doctors office isn’t open on weekends. I ended up taking him to the ER that night, I couldn’t keep his fever down without the help of Tylenol and ibuprofen. The Er checks him for strep, which came back negative, and then told us, it was just an upper respiratory viral infection, prescribed him a steroid and sent us on our way. The next day which is Sunday the 13th, he still isn’t feeling well but fever has been broke without medicines, and my daughter, his 3 year old sister then wakes up with a fever and basically the same symptoms. Figuring she has the same thing I just keep doing Tylenol and ibuprofen and Zyrtec until I can get her into the doctor the next day. Finally it’s Monday January 14th, my son seems to be feeling better, just had a cough. So I send him off to school. While he was at school took baby sister to doctor. Doctor checked for rsv and strep, which came back negative. Doctor said she had the same thing big brother had, sent her in a steroid as well and sent us on our way. The next day which is Tuesday by now, my son woke up looking like a mac truck has hit him. He had every symptom he had before except fever. I make him a doctor appointment and demand a flu test to be taken on him. They do the test and then they come in and say he is positive for Flu A. I ask them about little sister and they said she more than likely has it too. Sooo I make her a appointment for that day as well, and she of course tests positive for it too. Why do doctors not just automatically test for flu to rule it out? My kids have been miserable. They both were prescribed tamiflu. It’s now Thursday, and my daughter seems to be doing a lot better than my son. They both have had the 4 doses of tamiflu since Tuesday. They both still have a cough, little sister is almost back to normal, but big brothers voice is very hoarse still and he still isn’t up moving around and being his crazy self. 
I just feel like they could have been already on the road of being better if the doctors they had saw the first time would have checked. I hate seeing my baby’s feel so bad. Another note, does anyone know long the flu can be contagious for?
Rant over!
P.s Yes, they both have had their flu shots!