Dr. Patrick L. Carolan, MD

The negative effect could be excessive drying of the skin and irritation. Make sure to use skin moisturizers immediately after bathing/toweling off and to limit bathing to once per day for no longer than 10-15 minutes. For most children, bathing 3 time per week is sufficient. A bath at the end of the day can also be part of a relaxing and calming bedtime routine.

At the present time, and in most locations, sinus symptoms would rate a low triage acuity meaning you could wait for hours to be seen. An urgent care or primary care provider might offer a speedier route to evaluation. Shortness of breath, particularly if accompanied by chest pain or labored breathing should be evaluated in an emergency department.

Your question is difficult to answer without knowing how low the blood sugar is and what symptoms you are experiencing. If you have a known endocrine problem with a persistently low blood sugar and symptoms, you should seek medical attention - and the emergency department is probably the most appropriate location. If it is low and improves taking some sugar containing food or liquid you may be able to follow-up with your primary care provider.

If you are experiencing chest pain or progressive shortness of breath you should be seen by a provider - ED, Urgent Care or your primary care provider. If you are experiencing chest pain or have a history of heart or lung problems you would be best served in an ED.

Without other information, and in our era of COVID, any sustained shortness of breath should be evaluated. That can be at a primary care clinic, urgent care or ED. If the shortness of breath is associated with chest pain, evaluation in an emergency department would be the best of those options.

Your situation points out the limitations of "telehealth." An ear infection can be suspected based on symptoms, but only diagnosed reliably by physical exam. The majority of ear infections will resolve spontaneously without treatment. This factor underlies the principle of "watchful waiting" that can be employed in many situations. In your particular example, a known side effect of antibiotics - diarrhea - is likely worse than the symptoms that were related to the ear infection. I would recommend stopping the antibiotic. I wouldn't worry about antibiotic resistance with your son. That is a "macro" issue for the most part. If your son is still exhibiting signs concerning for an ear infection, he should be examined.
Good luck.

For a 9 month old infant who is current on his immunizations, more than 9 out of 10 times fevers as you describe will be due to a viral infection. These fevers will typically resolve in 5 days or less. They may be treated with Tylenol or Ibuprofen, if needed for comfort. If fever persists beyond 5 days, or is accompanied by other symptoms like cough or fussiness, contact with a primary care provider would be appropriate.

An urgent care would not have the resources to properly evaluate this issue. An emergency department would be more appropriate especially if there were other acute symptoms including headaches, dizziness or loss of balance, facial muscle weakness or facial pins/needles sensations (paresthesias). Hearing loss, alone, could start with an office primary care evaluation and audiology referral.

You should be seen if pain started out around the belly button area and has migrated to the right side in which case appendicitis would be suspect. If pain persists beyond 4-6 hours and can't be relieved with simple measures like Tylenol, rest, warm packs etc. then you probably should be seen.

Your son is experiencing obstructive sleep apnea. This is likely due to enlarged adenoids and, in some cases, enlarged tonsils. It is not an emergency but it can definitely be the cause of many daytime symptoms. It would be best to consult with his primary care provider and/or an ENT (ear, nose and throat surgeon) who can assist with an evaluation.