We all get thirsty from time to time. But it’s not just that feeling that can mean you’re dehydrated – when your body doesn’t have enough fluids. There are lesser known signs you should know to avoid a possibly life-threatening situation, says Awad Alyami, MD, an OSF HealthCare pediatrician.

“You get less perfusion to tissues and organs,” when you’re dehydrated, Dr. Alyami says. “That can cause organ damage.

“Perfusion refers to fluid, nutrients and energy your organs need to function,” he adds.

Unfamiliar signs

Take note of these things to keep an eye on for possible dehydration, especially if you are at high risk. For example, if you work an outdoor job in warm weather or if you look after someone who can’t fully care for themselves.

• You’ve suffered burns. This means there is less skin tissue doing its job of keeping you healthy.
   
• Peeing isn’t normal, such as expelling less urine.

“When you’re hydrated, your urine should look yellow, pale yellow or sometimes almost transparent like water,” Dr. Alyami explains. “When you become dehydrated, your urine will become less in volume, and the color will be darker. It goes into an orange color. It can have a smell, also.”

• Crying without tears
   
• Skin changes, such as eyes appearing sunken in
   
• Fast heart rate
   
• Deep, heavy breaths

“When you’re dehydrated, your blood can be more acidic. You’ll try to get rid of some of that acid in your breaths,” Dr. Alyami says.

• Bad breath
   
• Headaches
   
• Muscle cramps
   
• Food cravings
   
• Sudden weight loss. Dr. Alyami says one kilogram (or around 2.2 pounds) of weight loss means one liter of fluid loss. So if someone has lost two to four pounds quickly and unintentionally (for example, not because of a diet and exercise program), it’s cause for concern.

What to do

Dr. Alyami says while dehydration can be serious, recovering doesn’t have to be. Rest and drink fluids. Water or Pedialyte are go-tos.

“If the dehydration is because of decreased oral intake, the person might just need pain medicine so it’s less painful to swallow while eating and drinking. If they are losing fluids from vomiting, we can give them medicine to stop vomiting,” Dr. Alyami says.

If those steps don’t work, Dr. Alyami says the person would likely get intravenous (IV) fluids in a hospital emergency department.

“You’re probably going to be there for at least a couple hours. [Health care providers] want to make sure you can take fluids and keep them down before you go home,” Dr. Alyami says. “Sometimes the dehydration is severe enough that we need to replace those fluids over one to two days.”

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When talking about the good and bad of pregnancy, you might have heard terms like postpartum depression or, more casually, baby blues.

It’s critical new mothers get help in this area, says Tiffany Waters, a birthing center charge nurse at OSF HealthCare. She says up to 80% of moms experience the so-called baby blues. But when talking about maternal mental health, experts prefer the umbrella term: perinatal mood, anxiety and depression (PMAD). Perinatal refers to the time between conception and one year after delivery.

PMAD basics

Waters says for two to three weeks after delivery, most women experience hormone changes, a lack of sleep and general stress related to the “new normal.” Having a traumatic birth, like an emergency caesarean section, can compound mental health impacts. Waters says around one-third of women fall into this category.

All these factors can lead to a variety of longer-lasting PMAD symptoms, including brain fog, weeping, sleep changes, anxiety, depression, obsessive or compulsive behavior and even suicidal thoughts.

“There’s no one single cause that leads to a person experiencing these issues. It’s a combination of psychological, societal and biological factors,” Waters says. “There’s nothing a mom has done to get or deserve this experience. The best we can do is help her work through it.”

Screening and treatment

Waters says health care providers should screen a woman for depression and other mental health issues during and after pregnancy.

“There are commonly used tools,” Waters says. “The woman answers 10 questions. It gives us a rating on how their emotional and mental well-being is.”

She’s referring to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Each question is scored 0 to 3, with 3 being the response that most signals a possible mental health issue. That’s 30 total points, and a final tally of 10 or higher would warrant further evaluation.

Waters also says research is ongoing into whether certain biological markers in a woman are a sign of mental health issues to come.

“It can be difficult to admit or even recognize that a person is having depression or anxiety symptoms,” Waters says. “There are lots of reasons for that. There’s societal pressure to be a great mom. Moms might feel like if they admit how they’re feeling, their children might be taken away.”

Waters says journaling or talking to a trusted adult can help a mom document the issues she’s facing, opening the door for her to get help.

If a mom is diagnosed with PMAD, a provider will talk with her about resources like support groups, counseling, spiritual care and medication. Daily things like improved diet and exercise and exploring new hobbies can also help. And Waters says mothers should not be afraid to prioritize themselves. It’s OK to ask for a break from daily housework, for example.

Why it’s important

Waters says untreated PMAD can have consequences for the whole family and the people around the family. Substance abuse and domestic violence can increase. But if treated, it means a better life for everyone.

“It will improve the whole family dynamic,” Waters says. “It will lessen stress for everybody and lead to a happier unit.”

Learn more

Read more about pregnancy and birth and behavioral and mental health on the OSF HealthCare website. If you are in crisis, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 9-8-8.

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Fall sports are running at full speed, and with them come potentially career-changing injuries.

A tear or sprain of the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of the more common knee injuries in high-demand sports like football and soccer.

Keith Corpus, MD, is an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon with OSF HealthCare and Great Plains Orthopaedics. He says while the outpatient visit to fix your ACL may only take a day, the recovery time is much longer.

“It’s at least a nine month recovery process to get you back to full sports,” Dr. Corpus says. “There’s protocol we progress through. We have to get your motion back then we have to get your strength back. Then we have to get you back running, which is normally around the four or five-month time point.”

After this, patients will use crutches and wear a brace to protect the knee. 

“As we progress you into higher-level athletics at the six-month time point, we transition you typically to a smaller brace that you can wear while you’re playing. Then full return to sports is, at earliest, 9 months,” Dr. Corpus says.

Dr. Corpus says ACL injuries normally happen in sports with sharp changes in direction.

“It’s really common in cutting and pivoting sports,” Dr. Corpus says. “You’ll put your foot in the ground and then turn, and your ACL can tear. It can obviously cause things like pain, but it can also cause prolonged instability and other damage to your knee.”

In the young athletic population, Dr. Corpus says the ACL almost always has to be fixed.

“There are certain populations as we age that we don’t fix them. But in our younger athletes playing contact sports, we fix them to try and prevent things from happening down the line if your knee becomes increasingly unstable,” Dr. Corpus says. “It’s certainly surgery. We basically try to make you a new ACL.”

While the circumstances of an ACL tear are often not avoidable, Dr. Corpus says there are some proactive steps you can take to protect your knee as a whole.

“Having proper mechanics when you’re cutting, pivoting or landing are important. There are strategies we can have to try and limit those,” Dr. Corpus says.

Another tip: Take your time and don’t rush into things.  

“Work up into things. If you’re transitioning from one sport to another, or if you’ve been inactive for the winter and now you’re ramping up into things, make sure you’re doing so in a slow and deliberate manner,” Dr. Corpus says.

Dr. Corpus says ACL injuries are very common during the summer months with a lot of kids playing football and soccer. OSF HealthCare has orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine doctors available to evaluate you after an injury, and work through a treatment plan to get you back in action. You can find providers and locations here.

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